There are different types of Mitzvot – commandments. One possible categorization is into practical Mitzvot – which require action to fulfill them, such as affixing a Mezuzah or eating Matzah on Passover – Mitzvot of speech – such as reciting the Shema Yisrael or studying Torah – and finally, Mitzvot of thought or feeling, such as love for God and fear of God.
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.
Prayer is the most obvious and universal way to relate to God. In its highest form and most sincere level, our sages call it 'Service/work (avodah in Hebrew) in the heart and with the heart'.
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?
Our sages explain that prayer itself is obligatory—it is a mitzvah. This stems from the verse, "You shall serve the Lord your God" (Exodus 23:25). However, this only implies praying to God. That is, the obligation consists of serving God by praising Him and asking Him for all personal needs, from spiritual matters to material ones.
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.
Regarding the second question, we find in the supplications for Monday (p. 295 in the Spanish edition of the South American Siddur of Kehot): "Angels of mercy, servants of the Supreme! Plead before the Almighty with eloquent speech" and in the supplications for the second Monday (p. 304): "Attribute of Mercy, turn to us, and present our supplication before your Maker.".
Certainly, the prayer must be directed to God. The explanation of these supplications (and others) is (according to responsa 275 of Rabbi Israel of Bruna (1400-1480)) "that [we pray] in a manner of lowliness and submission, speaking before the king to his advisors to speak to the king, since he is ashamed to approach the king.".
Who wrote the prayer?
As we mentioned in a previous edition of this topic, the mitzvah of prayer consists of asking God for what is necessary for one's life. However, our sages, during the Second Temple period, organized and ordered (that is what the word Siddur—order of prayer—means) a specific prayer.
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.