The Gemara refers to Selichot as seder tefilla, namely an order of prayer which parallels Shemone Esrei. Shemone Esrai consists of praise, requests, and thanks. In a similar vein, Selichot begin with praise, move on to requests and the thirteen attributes of mercy, and end with thanking Hashem for his beneficence.

Judaism views man as an incongruous being. On the one hand, he can rise to unbelievable heights, greater than angels. On the other hand, he is like dust and ashes in his helplessness and worthlessness and total dependence on Hashem. This paradox seems to be at the heart of what Selichot is about. We approach Hashem in an intimate way. We address Him in the second person. But then we move on to bakasha, as we cry and plead for forgiveness.

The Rambam says that the way of repentance is to shed tears and implore Hashem for forgiveness. We recite Selichot after midnight, a time of eit ratzon (favor). We invoke Hashem's mercy by reciting the thirteen attributes. The halacha is that someone praying alone doesn't say the thirteen attributes. Rav Soloveitchik explains that this is because it is tantamount to a davar shebi'kedusha (a holy prayer), which requires a minyan (quorum of ten men). A davar shebi'kedusha is defined by the poskim as a dialogue between the prayer leader and the congregationand with it we sanctify Hashem's name in public. The Rambam writes that although Hashem always accepts our teshuva, it is most accepted in the days of grace, yemei ratzon, when Hashem comes down to be with us. This is why we recite Selichot during this period.

Selichot are comprised of three elements, which parallel the three elements of the soul: nefesh, ruach, and neshama. The Zohar says nefesh is a dark light rooted in the physical being, the source of emotion. It produces heat and relates to the lowest level of a person through the physical body. The next level, ruach, is a white light. It is the source of intellect, relates to our spiritual aspect, and not only provides heat, but also illumination. Finally there is the neshama which is a hidden incomprehensible light. Teshuva is possible because of this mysterious light that can never be corrupted. The neshama is the impetus for return.

The Rambam explains that nefesh is the source of feelings and physical drives. Its goal is pleasure and self-gratification. By nature it is limited. The ruach, the intellectual side, seeks higher truth. We need both the nefesh and ruach to serve Hashem. Emuna is defined in two ways, l'haamin, to believe, and l'hodea, to know. Belief stems from nefesh, the source of emotion, but there's also an obligation to understand and connect to Hashem intellectually with the ruach.

Jews throughout the millennium have given up their lives to sanctify Hashem's name. They were not necessarily great talmidei chachamim, but simple Jews who had pure emuna stemming from nefesh. Giving charity, doing acts of kindness, and deveikut b'Hashem, all flow from nefesh. Yet ruach is also a critical factor in serving Hashem. Intellect plays a pivotal role in studying and understanding Torah in a profound way. The greater the understanding, the greater the deveikut (attachment) to Hashem.

The Aseret Hadibrot are repeated twice in the Torah. In Parshat Yitro they address the ruach. In Parshat Va'etchanan they focus on the nefesh, the fire of Torah. Both are necessary. Selichot addresses the nefesh state of teshuva with the goal of reaching the ruach and the neshama.

On Yom Kippur, the Torah commands us to afflict the nefesh. "V'initem es nafshoseichem. You shall afflict your nefesh." In this way, a person is motivated to experience the torment of his sins, which will in turn arouse him to pray and repent. In Selichot, we ask Hashem for mercy to bring us back to teshuva. We ask Him to help us rid ourselves of the yetzer hara so that our inner core will sparkle again. We focus on nefesh, then we move on to ruach, which in turn helps us bring our neshama to the fore. This is accomplished through teshuva, tefila, and tzedaka (repentance prayerand charity).

May the power of Selichot and the thirteen attributes, accompanied with the promise that no prayer ever goes unanswered, help us come back to Hashem.

The second section of prayer in Shemone Esrei is bakasha, asking Hashem to fulfill our individual and communal needs. The thirteen requests contained in these blessing comprise all of our fundamental needs. Whether it's parnassa (sustenance), health, tranquility, or friendship, we need Hashem's involvement and intervention in our lives.

There are several premises in the bakashot in Shemone Esrei,. The first premise is that I am in need. The second says Hashem has power. The third premise tells us that Hashem desires to help us and that he is the essence of goodness and kindness. And the fourth premise says that through the power of prayer, we can arouse Hashem to help us.

When we pray in times of need, and we are always in need of at least one of the thirteen requests, we must pray with perfect faith that Hashem can and will aid us.

May all our requests be answered l'tova (for the good).

The essence of Hashem is emet (truth) as the Gemara in Shabbat says, the signet of Hashem is emet. Hashem judges us with truth, justice, and straightforwardness. This mida of emet is actualized in every Jew. It is an inheritance from our forefather Yaakov of whom it says, "Titen emet l'Yaakov." Yaakov represents truth. The Rambam writes that Yaakov is called tzaddik because he worked for Lavan with honesty. Although Lavan did not appreciate him and tried to trick him many times, Yaakov continued to serve him faithfully.

On the one hand we say Hashem is emet, which should imply pure justice, yet we find that He also shows us mercy even if we don't deserve it. The evil inclination tries to convince a person that minor mitzvot and aveirot are not all that important. It tries to convince us that Hashem will overlook them. But this is not true. Hashem is "Kel emuna v'ein avel." His actions are perfect and just. If so, where does mercy fit in?

The Mesilat Yesharim says that even if Hashem is compelled to chastise a sinner, he does so without anger and with pity. Similarly, the Tomer Dvora writes that Hashem is emet and mishpat but he is also rachamim and accepts our teshuva. Hashem doesn't punish out of revenge, but rather out of love and compassion. The punishment serves as a tikun, to atone for sins. A person can repent and the sin becomes as though it never existed. A human judge is limited and must follow the letter of the law. But Hashem looks at a person differently. Man sins because he has an evil inclination and so Hashem gives him the opportunity to do teshuva and doesn't punish him immediately. Emet means understanding a person's situation; not deviating from justice, but still merciful.

The tenth mida in Tomer Devora is emet, the eleventh is chesed. Avraham represents chesed. He went lifnim meshurat hadin (beyond the letter of the law). Because Avraham exerted himself beyond his limits, Hashem dealt the same way with him. Similarly, if we restrain our natural inclinations, then Hashem too will go beyond the laws of nature with us.

Every Jew should try to reach a higher level in avodat Hashem lifnim meshurat hadin. We should attempt to be patient with others, understand their needs, and view every Jew as important in our eyes. We should love others even if they don't deserve it, just as a parent loves his children. This is acting lifnim meshurat hadin (above the letter of the law) and it is what Hashem wants of us. The unique attribute of klal Yisrael is chesed l'avraham. When we go beyond what the law requires, we emulate Hashem and come closer to Him.

Question:   

How can I increase my kavana (concentration) in tefila? Can you provide some practical ideas?

Answer: 

Create an image that speaks to you and use it to guide you through prayer. I'll suggest one but you can use your own.

Close your eyes and picture yourself as a young child, way before you realized that your parents didn't have much control over events. Imagine your father or mother telling you, "It'll be ok." Take that moment of absolute trust and transfer that feeling to Hashem. Only He cares for you in the ultimate sense and only He can give you what you need. Any image that evokes a feeling of faith, love, reliance, and dependence will work. Take it along with you when you start davening.

It's difficult to move from an outside action-oriented world to an internal world where you have to feel absolute reliance on Hashem. Try to concentrate on the meaning of the words.

When you say Pisukei D'zimra, visualize drawing Hashem's infinity into your heart. And when you get to Shemone Esrei, think about Hashem's omnipotence and recognize that it's only Hashem's life force and essence that can give you anything at all.