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| Tefillin |
Dress For Success
For many Jews there is an association between prayer and prayer clothing: the Kippah, Tallit and Tefillin. Going to temple to pray meant grabbing one's tallit bag, such as the one in this
There is another Hebrew word which also means prayer. It is palal (פָּלַל). The root for palal (פָּלַל) is pal (פָּל) which is compromised of a פָּ (Pe) which is a mouth (80) and a ל (Lamed) which is a Shepherd's staff (30). 80+30=110.
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| The letter Pe is a mouth |
As a verb, the root means to judge, to evaluate oneself, or to intercede. It is often used in its reflexive form lehitpalel (לְהִתְפַּלֵּל), which implies a deeper sense of self-judgment, reflection, or "falling before" authority to plead a case.
An example of prayer as an appeal of intercession would be Moses when he prayed for Israel in Deuteronomy 9:26 -- "And I prayed (וָֽאֶתְפַּלֵּ֣) to the Lord and said, "O Lord God, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance, which You have redeemed in Your greatness, and which You have brought out of Egypt with mighty hand."
While tefillah (תְּפִלָּה) is the more common noun for prayer, palal (פָּלַל) emphasizes the action of petitioning or interceding, suggesting a spiritual accounting and a plea to a higher power, akin to falling to one's knees before a judge.
In the Reflexive Sense/form (hitpa'el) turns the meaning of prayer to evaluate one's spiritual state before God. For example Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:10 "She was deeply distressed and prayed (וַתִּתְפַּלֵּ֥ל) to the Lord and wept bitterly."
Crazy Talk
It seems so crazy to think the Creator of
If we begin with the premise that the Creator designed the universe not as a static system, but as a living medium of relation, then prayer might not be an interruption of natural law, but a function built into its structure. In that view, consciousness — and especially intentional consciousness like prayer — could resonate with the fabric of reality much like sound waves moving through air. Some religious and philosophical traditions have hinted at this.
In Judaism and Kabbalah, creation is sustained at every moment by divine speech — the letters and names of God form reality itself. Prayer, then, is a kind of “tuning” of human speech to the divine frequencies sustaining existence. In Christianity, the Logos (Word) that creates the universe is also incarnate — meaning divine communication and human communion are built into reality from the beginning.
Modern physics has a parallel to this thinking. Some speculate that consciousness interacts with the quantum field, suggesting a participatory universe — one responsive to observation, intention, and awareness.
This thinking reframes prayer from a request sent upward to an interaction already embedded within the structure of being. It’s not that the universe occasionally “listens,” but that it is, by design, a listening universe.
Tuning In Through Prayer
Prayer, the process of spiritual introspection, aligns oneself with the Divine Plan, and acknowledges our dependence on the Creator.
Psalm 37:4 promises that delighting in God shapes our desires to align with His plan. Hillel the Elder (Avot 2:4) teaches: "Make His will your will, so that He will make your will His will."
Alignment emphasizes transformation of the self—through introspection. Prayer reshapes human will to conform to God's preexisting purposes, as in Hillel's "Make His will your will" or Jesus' Gethsemane prayer.
Intercession, by contrast, assumes a transactional dynamic: humans "intercede" to sway divine action, implying God's will needs human prompting, like pleading for mercy or miracles (e.g., Abraham interceding for Sodom in Genesis 18).
Praying Can Feel Intimating.
Praying can feel intimidating because it confronts the deepest truth: a finite, fragile human trying to address the Infinite, Holy Creator. That sense of “Who am I to speak?” is actually very theologically honest.
Prayer exposes our vulnerability: hopes, fears, guilt, doubt. All is laid bare before One who knows everything already (Psalm 139:1–4). Prayer presses the question of worthiness: standing before perfect holiness highlights human smallness and sin (Isaiah 6:5).
Prayer is ultimately about relationship, not formula. It is more than just reciting words. It is daring to believe the Creator is personally attentive and responsive (Psalm 34:15).
How Scripture Reframes Fear
We are told to "fear God," yet God invites us to “Call upon Me in the day of trouble” (Psalm 50:15). In times of danger, rather than fearing God, we run to God for shelter and prorection. David models this in Psalms: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (46:1). The faithful "take refuge" (chasah) under divine wings (91:4) transforming intimidation into security. This portrays God as machseh (shelter), inviting flight to Him amid storms, not away.
Think Of It This Way
Instead of “I must find the right words to reach God,” think “God has already given me permission to speak.” The Hebrew letters in Pal are a mouth (פָּ Pe) and a Shepherd's staff (ל Lamed), side-by-side. Read right to left, the mouth is speaking to the Shepherd. To me, it appears that the letters (פָּל) are traveling together.
Praying Aligns Us with God's Will
Scripture presents prayer as God's own invitation and command, making the act of praying a direct fulfillment of divine desire.
The bible frames prayer not as human presumption, but as response to God's expressed will: "Call to me and I will answer you" (Jeremiah 33:3), and Jesus teaches persistence in asking because "your Father knows what you need before you ask" (Matthew 6:8, 7:7-11). Prayer has a relational purpose from creation.
Alignment Through Obedience
Commanded prayer—such as "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) or the daily tefillah in Jewish tradition—obeys the divine order, subordinating our will to His by participating in the rhythm He designed. Thus, every honest prayer, however faltering, enacts alignment by honoring God's call to relate.
Personally Speaking
For me, writing my blog posts is one way I pray. I like to be in a dark room without any sound. When I experience my deepest thoughts, I am making a connection to a source outside of me, that is inside of me. There are pauses when I wait for my muse to respond. Silence and pauses become sacred listening spaces. Jewish mystics like the Baal Shem Tov described Jewish meditative prayer (Hitbodedut הִתְבּוֹדְדוּת) as solitary spoken or written outpouring in quiet isolation. When communion is sensed, the lines between self and Source are blurred. The dark, silent room strips distractions, fostering that "outside yet inside" connection that helps the "still small voice" be heard (1 Kings 19:12).
The World Needs Prayer
I gave this post its title. The world needs prayer because we need prayer. Otherwise, a darkness comes over the world. When light diminishes, the result is increasing darkness. The darkness in this world hates the Light. The darkness is an evil that comes to rob, kill and destroy. We must not allow it to do so. We need to name it. We need to call it out. We need to increase the Light and drive that evil back into the cave where it belongs. Prayer is one of the strongest weapons we have to do so.
In King David's first Psalm he wrote, "וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ יֶהְגֶּה יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה" – "and in His Torah he meditates day and night." When life is good we pray. When life is hard we pray. Like I said at the start, there are always plenty of reasons to pray. We don't even need reasons.
Increase the Light. Happy Hanukkah 🕎
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| Lighting the County Menorah for day #2. |
