Breaking down the word his'palel, we have to examine a couple of root words which are related to tefillah in Hebrew:

• Balal = the infusion of a substance that unites two disparate parts of a mixture into one new whole
• Palal = to judge, to arbitrate between two parties, to infuse justice and truth into a dispute and thus unite the opposing parties in harmony

Now, when we put the reflexive prefix his'- on the front of the word, we get:

• His'palel = to pray, to re-infuse the proper perspective into yourself, to remind yourself of vital truths and embrace them so that they unite disparate parts within you.

- the unity of communal prayer
- early indicators of standardized communal prayers
- Exodus 33 ("each would stand at the door of his tent")
- Numbers 24 ("how goodly are your tents, O Jacob")
- 1 Kings 8 ("and they pray toward this place")
- Daniel 6 ("three times a day", praying toward Jerusalem)

- where two or three are gathered
- beit din
- minyan/edah: what makes a community

Question: Is liturgical prayer scriptural? Is it proper to have prayers with set wording? Doesn't that make it reciting and not praying?

Answer: We have a whole book of written prayers in the Psalms, which millions of people use when they pour out their hearts to G-d. We also have the express command of the Moshiach: when his disciples asked him to teach them to pray, he did not tell them to speak whatever was in their hearts, but he gave them a set liturgy, which is commonly called the Lord's Prayer.

Question: Isn’t it wooden and lifeless to pray words all together written by someone else centuries ago? Shouldn’t prayer be an expression of the individual heart’s spontaneous cry?

Answer: When you listen to someone praying in public, and you respond 'Amen' at the end, how is that different from reading that person’s prayers from a book? And if you will read a clergyman's prayer from 200 years ago, or a psalmist’s prayer from 3,000 years ago, why not a rabbi’s prayer from 1,800 years ago? How is a Jewish prayer book any different from a hymnal, and its repeated verses any different from a hymn's chorus?

Some further thoughts: How can you ensure that what is coming out of your lips is not falsehood or blasphemy (G-d forbid)? By guarding what you say and thinking it over before speaking, to be certain that your words are in accordance with His will. That is best done by speaking words which you know to be true, because they are found in His Word.

Question: Does praying the same prayers every day count as "vain repetitions"?

When you read the Bible, do you read it through only once, or multiple times? When you pray from the Psalms, do you make sure not to go back to the same Psalm twice? When you quote your favorite verses, are you worried about repeating them more than once? And when you sing a hymn, don't you repeat the chorus several times throughout the song? Psalm 136 (to give one example) is extremely repetitive, ending each line with the same exact words, and it is also one of the most beautiful chapters of praise in the Bible. It seems to have been designed to be chanted responsively by the congregation.

Y'shua's words were, "Do not use vain repetitions as the Gentiles (nations) do…" (Matthew 6:7), not 'as the Pharisees do' or 'as the other Jews do'. The "vain repetitions" to which he referred can still be seen in Eastern religions where they recite a phrase or mantra hundreds of times over in order to enter a mental state of ecstasy. His words have nothing to do with condemning lengthy recitations of the Psalms or other Biblical passages. Rather, we are commanded, "You shall meditate therein day and night" (Joshua 1:8).

“Blessed is he that considers the poor: Hashem will deliver him in time of trouble. Hashem will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and You [Hashem] will not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. Hashem will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: You [Hashem] will overturn his whole bedridden state with its sickness.”
(Psalm 41:1-3)

“Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but tzedakah delivers from death.”
(Proverbs 10:2)

“The soul that blesses shall be made fat: and he that waters others shall be watered also himself.”
(Proverbs 11:25)

“Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but tzedakah delivers from death.”
(Proverbs 11:4)

“He that is gracious to the poor has loaned unto Hashem; and his matured investment He will fully restore to him.”
(Proverbs 19:17)

“Is it not [My desire for you] to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? when you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your healing shall spring forth speedily: and your tzedakah shall go before you; the glory of Hashem shall be your rearguard.”
(Isaiah 58:7-8)

It is a well-understood principle in Jewish thought that while the Temple is no longer standing, our prayers and acts of charity serve as equivalents to the offerings that were brought in the Temple.

How can we understand this? Are we saying that the sacrificial service has been replaced or superseded by prayers and charity? No; but prayers and charity, when properly done, accomplish some of the same ends as the offerings.

Were the sacrificial offerings ever meant to take away sin? According to the letter to the Hebrews, no.

"It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin." (Hebrews 10:4)

If not, then what did they do?

"Temple and Offering do not in themselves bring about the grace of G-d, but are only to be, and only wish to be, means of showing the way to gain the grace of G-d." (Rabbi S.R. Hirsch)

If offerings are symbolic, then we have to ask ourselves: What message was the offering was supposed to impress on our minds and hearts? And the next question is: can we continue impressing this message on our minds and hearts even when we no longer have the ability to bring the offering?

The essential point when someone brings an offering is faith, the acknowledgement of the symbolism of the offering, and the subjection of the heart to G-d.

"The sacrifices of G-d are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O G-d, thou wilt not despise." (Psalm 51:17)

These acts of the heart, made concrete by a physical act, can be mirrored in our prayers (subjecting our heart) and in charity (using our bodies and possessions in accordance with His will).

———