The Avodah of Tefillah to Calm the Heart
We cited the holy words of the Mabit in his sefer Beis Elokim, in which he establishes a tremendous yesod: The purpose of tefillah, he says, is not to have our requests granted—but rather להורות שאין בעולם למי שראוי חסרונו לו שימלא מי ואין ,העולם בזה וכל מכל חסר שהוא ולהכיר ,יתברך לקל אלא להתפלל יתברך הוא אלא, To teach us that in This World there is no one worthy of to pray to except the Ribbono shel Olam, and to [help us] recognize that a person lacks everything in This World, and that no one can fill what he lacks except Him.
The institution of tefillah was made for us to internalize that we have nothing in This World, and that we’re dependent on Hashem for everything. When the Ribbono shel Olam grants our needs, it is a byproduct—but not the purpose of—tefillah.
This is also the reason we repeat our tefillos so many times—because we need to reiterate and repeat and internalize this truth over and over again: There’s no one in the world who can help us but the Ribbono shel Olam, and we must rely solely on Him! We must remember this, and tefillah is the vehicle that will help us do so. This is why we repeat our prayers so many times.
Recognizing That Everything Is from Him
The Sefer HaIkrim presents a very similar yesod regarding the purpose of tefillah: It is to recognize that everything comes from Him and to internalize that we have no aid and support other than Him. This is the primary purpose of prayer: to internalize that nothing and no one can help us except Hashem.
Rav Chaim Vital (introduction to Sha’ar HaMitzvos) teaches similarly that when a Yid davens, it should not be for his own needs, but to fulfill the command of Hashem, Who has commanded us to daven. And why did He command us thus? עמו ואנחנו אלוקינו הוא כי להורות לא אם עזר שום לנו ואין ,אדוניהם יד אל עבדים כעיני ,תלויות עינינו ואליו ,ועבדיו עליו בטחונו כל וישים ,יתברך ממנו, To teach us that He is our G-d and we are His people and His servants, and that our eyes are turned to Him—like the eyes of servants to the hand of their master. We have no help but from Him, and a person should place all his trust in Him. This is the entire purpose of prayer!
Transforming the Heart
The Maharal writes (Nesiv HaAvodah, Chapter 3) that this is the reason davening is called “avodah” (literally: work); as Chazal say (Ta’anis 2a), “What is the work of the heart? This is tefillah—for when one davens with the proper intention and thought, he performs the difficult work of transforming the feelings within his heart.”
We’re mortals of flesh and blood, after all, and when we rise to daven before Hashem, we are likely to think, “I really want this... and what is this for You, Hashem? It’s not difficult for You to give it to me at all! Just as You give it to everyone else, give it to me as well.” Our grandmothers would say, “Ribbono shel Olam: I don’t ask for more than You’re capable of giving!”
But the שבלב עבודה is to transform this feeling! Take this feeling and approach and attitude—and throw them away! Work on your heart—through tefillah—to understand how reliant you are on the Ribbono shel Olam, and that you have nothing in the world without Him.
Recognizing Our Reliance
A Yid must speak to himself about how reliant he is on the Ribbono shel Olam. “I need a couple thousand dollars to pay my credit card bill.... It’s not a lot of money, but I don’t have it. I must go speak with the Ribbono shel Olam about it, for I’m unable to get even this small sum without Him.”
The same applies to our prayer for health. “I daven to Hashem for good health, for I know that everything can change in one instant, R”l, I cannot manage on my own for even one moment—not in my health, and not in any other needs that I have.”
These thoughts of helplessness and reliance are the best foundation for a proper prayer. Only after we have recognized that we cannot help ourselves can we turn to the Ribbono shel Olam and ask that He should help us.
A Pleasant Prayer
This Yid’s davening is pleasant and pressure-free. He doesn’t think that he should perhaps be davening harder and with more persistence. As he davens, he recognizes more and more that he’s being led by Hashem, and he thus becomes calmer and more serene as his tefillah goes on—until he reaches Modim, when he overflows with gratitude. He gives thanks—because he has attained the pinnacle of serenity. To him, it doesn’t matter if the yeshuah has already come or whether it will come later—for he knows that he’s in the loving embrace of the Ribbono shel Olam.
He is fully confident that Hashem will put him in a good place, and he gives thanks for this—not because he’s confident that salvation will come, but because he has cast off the pressure and the worry that he carried before. He transformed himself with the great toil of the heart. He feels, “It doesn’t matter how things will turn out; it’s certain that Hashem will do what is good for me.” This is the transformation that this person has effected through his heart—and that is why it’s called ‘Avodah.’
