Yaakov Avinu told Yosef (Bereishis 48:22): “I have given to you one portion (Shchem) above your brothers, which I took with my sword and with my bow.” Rashi explains that “sword and bow” actually means with prayer and supplication. The Shem M’Shmuel (Rosh Chodesh Kislev) quotes his father, the Avnei Nezer zy”a, as explaining that the power of a sword or bow depend upon the efforts that go into their usage. The higher the sword is held aloft, or the longer the string of the bow is pulled back, the more powerful the blow will be. The same is true of prayer. The more a person prepares before he prays, the more perfect and powerful his prayer will be.
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