Laws of Davening Shemoneh Esray
Part 1: PLACE
7. One may not stand in front of a picture or mirror nor in front of people who are not dressed properly according to Jewish Law.
8. One may not pray in a place where there is a bad smell or waste. One should also avoid a place where there is a strong smell (like that of fresh beer) that will disturb his concentration.
(Pathway to Prayer, Rabbi Mayer Birnbaum)
A One Minute a Day Torah Thought !
This week's Torah portion is Parshas Bo. "Chazal tell us 'Open for me an opening the size of a pinhole, and I will open it for you the size of a grand hallway.'. The way for a Jew to truly become close to HaShem is by making the slightest bit of effort and HaShem will do the rest. In Mitzrayim, however, the Jews had reached the lowest point - the 49th level of impurity - and could not even muster a tiny pinhole. Thus, this one time only, HaShem himself, created the opening through which the Jewish people were able to rise up and be redeemed from Egypt!".
(Rabbi Boruch of Mezhibuzh ZT"L - Sefer Torah Tavlin)
50 Suggestions for Concentrating during Prayer!
(12) The Ramban says: Remove all worldly matters from your heart at the time of prayer and prepare your heart before HaShem: purify your thoughts and think about each word before you utter it . . . and your prayer will be pure, clear, and clean, said with concentration, and it will be acceptable before HaShem.
(Pathway to Prayer, Rabbi Mayer Birnbaum) |
