Talkin' to the Boss II

17 Elul 5768

We mentioned yesterday that one method of improving our כונה during Shemonah Esrei is to pause at the beginning of davening, to think about Whom we're standing in front of, and then continuing on with our tefillah.

How do we maintain this thought throughout the Shemoneh Esrei?

Insipration does not last. We get excited at the beginning of a project, we get pumped for the first few games of football season, we get ready to serve Hashem better at the beginning of each year. But very soon afterwards, the project becomes a chore. Football gets boring after our team loses a few games. Soon after the Yomim Tovim we start reverting to our old yiddishkeit habits. How do we continue our mindset throughout the four, five, six minutes of Shemoneh Esrei?

The answer lies within the Shemoneh Esrei itself. Built into each of the nineteen brachos (weird, I know) is a way to remember לפני מי אתה עומד - the words ברוך אתה at the end. Every time we say "YOU are the source of all blessing," we can take a moment to remind ourselves that we're actually speaking to the Boss Himself. That mindset can last us at least until the next bracha, where we have another reminder waiting for us. That is how we can maintain kavana and focus throughout the whole tefillah. May our prayers be that much stronger, and may they be answered that much more speedily. (I know it's lousy English, but you get the point)

הצלחה רבה!