Hay diferentes tipos de Mitzvot – preceptos. Una de las posibles categorizaciones es en Mitzvot prácticas – que requieren de una acción para cumplirlas, como poner una Mezuzá, o comer Matzá en Pesaj – Mitzvot del habla – como recitar el Shemá Israel o estudiar Torá y, por último, Mitzvot del pensamiento o sentimiento, como el amor a Di-s y el temor a Di-s.
At first glance, it would seem that the mitzvot of speech are the simplest: it's just a matter of saying something and that's it! However, among them is a mitzvah that, unfortunately, is very complicated for many (due to their lack of knowledge or lack of habit): praying.
El rezo es la forma más obvia y universal de relacionarse con Di-s. En su forma más elevada y su nivel más sincero, nuestros sabios lo llaman ‘El servicio/trabajo (avodá en hebreo) en el corazón y con el corazón’.
What is prayer?
In Hebrew, prayer is called Tefillah. One of the meanings of this word is that it derives from the Hebrew root *pei*, *lamed*, which relates to the clarification of a matter (e.g., judges are called *plilim*). That is, Tefillah consists of clarifying the thoughts that fill the human heart, separating them from the positive, and sanctifying and dedicating them to God.
Is it an obligation to pray?
Nuestros sabios explican que el rezo mismo es obligatorio – es una Mitzvá. Surge de del versículo ‘Servirán a Di-s su Señor’ (Shmot 23:25). Sin embargo, esto implica solamente el rezar a Di-s. Es decir, la obligación consiste en servir a Di-s, alabándolo y pidiéndole todas las necesidades personales, desde asuntos espirituales hasta asuntos materiales.
On the other hand, since over the years we lost the eloquence to properly praise God (because we lived among other peoples and spoke other languages), the Men of the Great Assembly (about 2500 years ago), among whom were prophets and sages, established a system of prayer common to all Jews, in the Holy language, Hebrew, that contains the appropriate praises and leads the person to reflect on the greatness of the Creator and, in turn, contains all the types of petitions necessary for man.
This organized prayer is what is now embodied in the Siddurim, prayer books, which we will discuss in the next edition.
To whom do we pray?
The answer seems obvious: to God. However, it's not that simple. For one thing: why? For another: is it appropriate to pray to angels or to another person?
Regarding the first question, Yosef Elbo (1380-1444), author of the Sefer HaKarím (In Summary), wrote that every giver of kindness (to whom it is appropriate to pray) must have four qualities: 1) that they do not change, so that their kindness is firm and unchanging; 2) that the giver does not need help (from the receiver), so that their kindness is secure; 3) that the giver endures opposites, since the receiver may need one thing today and its opposite tomorrow; 4) that nothing can prevent the giver from fulfilling their will, so that the kindness truly reaches the receiver. These qualities are found only in God.
Al respecto de la segunda cuestión encontramos en las súplicas para el lunes (pág. 295 en la edición castellana del Sidur de Kehot Sudamericana): «¡Angeles de la misericordia, servidores del supremo! Suplicad ante el Todopoderoso con elocuente habla» y en las súplicas para el segundo lunes (pág. 304) Atributo de Misericordia, vuélvete a nosotros, y presenta nuestra súplica ante tu Hacedor».
Con seguridad, el rezo debe ser dirigido a Di-s. La explicación de estas súplicas (y otras) es (de acuerdo a la responsa 275 de Rabí Israel de Bruna (1400-1480)) «que [rezamos] en forma de bajeza y sumisión, que habla frente al rey a sus consejeros para hablen con el rey, ya que está avergonzado de acercarse al rey».
Who wrote the prayer?
Como mencionamos en alguna edición anterior de este tema, la Mitzvá del rezo consiste en pedirle a Di-s lo necesario para la vida de uno. Sin embargo, nuestros sabios, en la época del Segundo Templo, organizaron y ordenaron (de eso se trata la palabra Sidur – orden del rezo) un rezo específico.
These sages, among whom were the later prophets, established the blessings and the central part of the prayer, the 18 blessings that make up the Amidah. This prayer contains praises to God and petitions of all kinds. Later, with the emergence of groups of heretical Jews, a nineteenth blessing was added, asking God to save us and help us against those who desired the disappearance of Judaism.
In addition, over the years, different chants and sections of the Torah were added that we recite daily in prayer with different objectives, such as awakening Divine mercy, or love for God in the heart of the Jew, or facilitating the observance of the Mitzvah of Torah study immediately before and after prayer.