BS’D
The Ba’al Shem Tov HaKadosh ztk’l teaches that if only we were able to attach our souls to the words that we utter during tefillah, we would be enveloped with a great light of holiness that shines from one universe to the next. However we are distracted by extraneous thoughts.
Each time a thought invades our minds during tefillah we should attempt to connect to Hashem through it. For instance, a fearful thought should be elevated back to its source, Hashem, by relating it to yirat Shamayim, fear of heaven. When a thought connected to a teiva, desire comes to mind bind it to the love of Hashem. Essentially this is the process of releasing sparks of holiness from their husks, outer shells of impurity. It is likened to redeeming a prisoner from their captives.
Oy, if we only knew the power of our tefillah, the privilege to stand before the King of Kings and speak to Him. Hashem ‘listens’ to every thought, emotion and word; everything is taken into account. Tefillah is a priceless gift therefore we should use it to request that Hashem always keep the gates open so we may pour our hearts out to Him at any time. The intimate connection we build by speaking to Hashem breaks down all barriers. It is the result of emotional words spoken from a burning heart who craves a relationship with Borei Olam.
Focusing on the words of our tefillah enables us to forget ourselves (our bodies) and bond to the Shechinah through our soul. At that moment in time we are completely alone with Hashem with no disturbances; a genuine soul-union with our Creator.
