Pray now, supplicate for life now, before the one Who dwells on High (Yom Kippur Shacharis Prayers)
Let me share three practical steps to help us reawaken our kavana (concentration) and fuel our prayers with passion, meaning and connection.
Step 1: Let Go of Shame
Don’t let shame block you from praying. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov once addressed an important thought that often troubles us. Are we worthy of approaching G-d and asking forgiveness or pleading with requests? The answer is imperative to remember and repeat to yourself if ever you feel the answer is no. “Never allow shame to stop you from speaking to G-d,” taught Rav Nachman. Even if you sinned, even if you failed, even if you feel distant or undeserving, you are never too far gone to pray.
So often we hold ourselves back, wondering, “Who am I to speak to Hashem after what I’ve done and said?” But Hashem doesn’t reject you. He’s waiting for you, and your tefillah, no matter where it comes from, has power.
I’ll never forget when I was a teenager and traveled with my mother to Eretz Yisrael. She had been invited to speak at a women’s prison in Ramla. The courtyard was made of just concrete and plastic chairs, situated under the blazing sun. The women were of all ages, sitting with arms folded and hard expressions on their faces, unmoved. But by the time my mother finished speaking, the atmosphere had shifted. Eyes were moist and faces had softened.
As we were leaving, one young woman approached me. “S’licha, excuse me. B’vakasha, please, can I ask you a favor?” She opened her palm, revealing a small, folded piece of paper. “All my life,” she said, “I’ve lived here in Israel, and I’ve never been to the Kotel. I want so badly to pray there, but I can’t. I’m here. Would you please take my note to the Kotel?”
I said yes and began to walk away. But then she called out again, “S’licha, b’vakasha, one more favor.” She looked at me, unsure. “I’ve never prayed before. Lo hitpalalti me’olam. I don’t even know if this is a good prayer. Would you look at it and tell me if it’s okay?”
I unfolded the note. Three simple words. Three perfect words. “Elokim, s’lach li—God, forgive me.”
It was one of the sincerest prayers I had ever seen.
Never allow shame to separate you from tefillah. If you have even the smallest desire to connect to Hashem, that alone makes your prayer infinitely precious.
Step 2: Do the Spiritual Cardio
Prayer requires effort and takes spiritual muscle. We can’t just rush through the words and expect transformation. We need to put our heart into it and focus as best as we can.
The prophet Yeshayahu warns against empty prayer: “This nation honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me...” (Yeshayah 29:13). It’s easy to recite blessings and have our mind wander aimlessly. But if we’re just going through the motions and praying by rote, it’s as if our words have no wings. If you find yourself consistently distracted, ask yourself what small change might help. Maybe it’s where you sit in shul or maybe it’s turning away from the window, moving away from chatter, or during the week, simply setting your phone aside. These small adjustments can create a big shift.
Step 3: Find Your Words
Not every word in the siddur will ignite you, and that’s okay. But some words will, and when they do, hold onto them. Someone once asked me, “What’s your favorite tefillah?” For me, it’s a Pasuk we say every single morning: “He is the Healer of broken hearts, the One who binds their wounds” (Tehillim 147:3). The next line says: “He counts the stars and calls each one by name.”
After my father passed away, this prayer spoke directly to my neshama. My mother pointed it out to me one morning. “Hashem is your Healer. And if He counts every star by name, don’t you think He sees you, knows your name and knows your pain?” Ever since, I’ve highlighted that verse in my siddur. And every time I come to it, I pause.
You can do the same. Find the lines that speak to your heart, highlight them and let them anchor you.
The Arizal teaches that whenever you pray with kavana, you give wings to your tefillos and help them ascend to Heaven. But what about the days when you don’t feel it? What happens when you say the words but they feel flat or when your mind is elsewhere?
The Arizal says: those prayers are waiting. They wait until the day when you do pray with passion and when your heart opens. On that day, those earlier prayers—those empty-seeming ones—catch a ride on the wings of your current tefillah and they soar upward together.
Why? Because Hashem sees your effort. He knows how hard it is to show up when you’re not inspired, and He cherishes the fact that you tried.
No prayer goes to waste. Every single tefillah has an address. Always remember that.
