The Hebrew word “תְּפִילׇה/tefilla” is commonly translated as “prayer,” but the mystics teach that its deeper meaning is “union” or “bond.” Prayer, according to the mystics, is not primarily about requesting one’s needs, but rather about re-unifying one’s being. The daily prayers are intended to be primarily about pausing from one’s daily routine in order to meditate on one’s Godly essence and thereby reunite with her/his source.

All of spiritual practice – the entire system of study, worship, and ritual observance – is a series of meditations and practical actions intended to constantly redirect one’s consciousness and awareness to what s/he truly is, pure Godliness, and to help one to remove the darkness and crust that conceals this holy truth.

The prayer that underlies every prayer is that wherever I go and whatever I do, may I be conscious of my divine reality, may I express it, and may I live according to it. As we conduct our lifelong search and mission, as we move through the darkness, may we be aware that the light that we seek is within us. May we conduct ourselves and our search in the way of dignity and integrity that befits a divine being. And may our light burst forth to illuminate our way and the way of those around us.  Pnei Hashem, p.96