Tefillah Brings One Close to Hashem:
My grandfather, Rav Mordechele of Nadvorne zy”a (Sefer Maamar Mordechai) explains that prayer is the main form of “the service of the heart.” This is seen from the pasuk (Devarim 11:13): “To serve Him with all of your hearts”, which Chazal (Tainis 2A) explain to be referring to tefillah.
The explanation of this is that the heart is the seat of understanding. Through it, one can connect to Hashem and draw close to Him. The word “tefillah” also connotes creating a connection, as is seen from the verse that says that Naftali was given his name by Rochel because (Bereishis 30:8): ‘Natfuli Elokim niftalti. Hashem has joined me to my sister.” This teaches us that through tefillah, one can connect to Hashem and become close to Him.
Thus, the explanation of our pasuk is as follows: “Vayifgah”, and he arrived. When the word “arrive” is used, Chazal say that it always refers to tefillah (Brachos 26:2). “Bamakom”, in the place. The word ‘Makom” is reference to Hashem, who is known as “Hamakom”, the Omnipresent. Accordingly, the pasuk is saying that when one prays, he can connect to Hashem.
