Prayer in an Age of Distraction | The Lehrhaus PRAYER IN AN AGE OF DISTRACTION by Rabbi Zach Truboff
for the entire book review go here:
https://www.thelehrhaus.com/timely-thoughts/prayer-in-an-age-of-distraction/
An excellent example of what makes Tikkon Tefillati an exceptional work is found in the reflection “Yehi Ratzon,” where Rabbi Zinger combines the teachings of Rabbi Nahman with elements of Rav Kook’s expressivist notions of prayer. He opens the section by citing a teaching from Rabbi Nahman that, “The essential aspect of prayer is the revelation of desire, as expressed by, ‘May my prayer to you, God, be at an opportune time’ (Psalms 69:14).” In this excerpt Rabbi Nahman is engaged in creative wordplay and interprets “May my prayer to you” as “I am prayer.” In other words, the expression of our innermost desires is itself an act of prayer. Recognizing our inner depths and needs is an act of great spiritual authenticity.
Rabbi Zinger then writes the following:
“All of us move about in this world and our desires are hidden within us
desires that wait for prayer. Prayer is the opportunity to dwell in the world of desires, without forcing them, without searching for ways to draw them into the world of action. Just to be in the world expressing desires, to tell to the Holy One Blessed be He about our dreams, about what we want today:
I want to be joyous
I want to truly speak
I want for Jerusalem to be built once again” (10-11).
He concludes the section by imploring the reader to take a few moments to imagine their various desires cascading over their head like the waves of the ocean. They should then take time to write them down, fleshing out the details and implications. The final step is to grab hold of one or two desires and use them as a foundation for genuine prayer. ... See more
Zachary Truboff considers the experience of prayer, and what two recent publications on Tefillah emerging from the Religious Zionist community contribute.
