When the Talmud explains that the Torah’s words; ‘to serve Him with all your heart’ refers to prayer, what part of prayer is meant? The sages say that the Amida is the primary context of prayer, consisting of praise, requests, and thanks. These are the spiritual, three times a day, meals, that keep our people connected to their roots. Therefore it follows that the more we understand not just the words, but the deeper meanings of these prayers, the more connected to our Source, and to our people, we can be. 

In these two sessions, we will extract some nuggets of inspiration from various sources, by looking at the six blessings that begin and end every Amida, and then at the specific twelve weekday prayers that encompass all our requests, both materially and spiritually, and individually and collectively.