Q&A on Prayer

Do we say Tachanun in the Mincha prayer when praying individually? Should I just skip Nefilat Apayim?

You can say the entire Tachanun. Women are not obligated to say Tachanun.

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Why do people visit/pray at the graves of righteous people? Isn't it more correct and logical to pray directly to Hashem? Why go to a righteous person's grave to make your request? Isn't this idolatry? If a person believes in Hashem with all their heart, why pray through someone else (a righteous person)? Does this person not have enough faith in themselves or in Hashem?

Greetings and blessings. Our Sages already mentioned that Caleb son of Jephunneh, who was one of the spies, went to pray at the graves of the Patriarchs to be saved from the counsel of the spies. They also said that Rachel our Matriarch was buried in Bethlehem so that when Israel would be in exile after the destruction of the First Temple, they would come and pray at her grave. There are many additional sources for this in the words of our Sages and in the holy Zohar. There are two virtues in going to the graves of the righteous. Firstly, we go to the cemetery to invoke the merit of the righteous and ask the Creator to have mercy on us in the merit of that particular righteous person. Secondly, we ask the righteous person to intercede for us before the Throne of Glory, and their prayer will surely be heard. The Zohar states that the dead pray for the living, and the living only live because of the prayers of the dead.

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Hello. For various reasons, I want to pray alone. Which prayers can I recite? Is it possible to pray without a minyan? Thank you.

Greetings and blessings. It is a great mitzvah to pray with a congregation. If you have decided to pray alone, you can recite all the prayers except Kaddish, Barchu, and Kedusha ("You are holy and Your name is holy," etc., in the repetition of the Amidah prayer).

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How can one concentrate during prayer when there is pressure from studies or just in general? How do you focus during prayer? What's good about being alone with Hashem? How does it affect prayer?

Greetings and blessings. It is appropriate to follow the Shulchan Aruch's recommendation before prayer to contemplate "before whom you are standing to pray." Take a few minutes before prayer in a settled mind and calmness, and direct your intention that you are preparing to stand before the King, in whose hands you are entrusted. All your happiness and success in this world and the next depend only on Him, and everything will be conducted according to His will. When you contemplate these thoughts and expand on them according to your mental capacity, and then stand up to pray - with Hashem's help, your prayer will have more feeling and enthusiasm. The purpose of solitude is to connect with Hashem and pour out what is in your heart, so there is nothing preventing you from singing, and certainly reciting Psalms or any other prayer.

The main purpose of solitude is to feel that you can speak with Hashem as one person speaks to another. Not only during solitude, but at any time and moment, you can connect with the Creator of the world and ask for whatever you need at any moment. Of course, special importance is given to thanking the Creator for all the goodness He has given you until today, and understanding that nothing should be taken for granted.

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I didn't put on tefillin in the morning and have already reached the time for Mincha. I understand there's a possibility to put them on and pray Mincha now. What exactly should I read, and is it different from regular Mincha? Do I repeat the Amidah prayer twice? I'm not very familiar with this, so I would appreciate a detailed explanation.

Greetings and blessings. One who was forced to miss Shacharit prays the Amidah prayer twice at Mincha. The first prayer is for Mincha, and the second is to make up for Shacharit. Regarding tefillin - if they were not put on during Shacharit, they should be put on during Mincha, and the four portions of the tefillin should be recited.

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I have 9 children, 7 of whom are young. It is very difficult for me to pray. I am very busy from the moment I wake up. Which prayers am I obligated to say? Is it permissible to say the morning blessings while preparing sandwiches for the children? Also, after the Hamapil blessing at night (as part of the Shema before bed), it is forbidden to speak, so I avoid saying Hamapil, and sometimes fall asleep without saying it. Is it better to say Hamapil and then speak if necessary? (In case a child wakes up and needs me, etc.)

Greetings and blessings. You are not obligated to pray except for the morning blessings, but they should not be recited while preparing sandwiches. It is appropriate to recite the Shema. Regarding your additional question - say the Hamapil blessing, and if you need to speak, you may do so. Keep in mind that if you go to sleep after midnight - you should not say Hamapil with God's name.

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Due to time constraints, which prayer is preferable for me to pray with a minyan - Shacharit or Mincha? (on a weekday)

Greetings and blessings. Shacharit is preferable.

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Today I attended a very interesting Torah class, which included a personal story of a woman who became religious. As a result, I have taken upon myself, with Hashem's help, without a vow, to pray. I read that women are obligated to pray the Amidah twice a day - Shacharit and Mincha, but some hold that women are obligated to pray once a day - whether it's Shacharit, Mincha, or Ma'ariv. I want to ask which opinion is correct. Is a woman obligated to pray twice a day or once? I should note that I study and leave home very early. The most convenient time for me to pray is Mincha and Ma'ariv. I want to know how many prayers women are obligated to say, and if the obligation is one prayer a day - can I fulfill it with the Mincha prayer?

Greetings and blessings. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef rules that one prayer is sufficient, and Mincha can fulfill this obligation. This is in addition to the morning blessings.

The answers were provided by Rabbi Menashe Israel and Rabbi Benjamin Shmuli, collected and edited from the Q&A section on the Hidabroot website.