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
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| The letter Pe is a mouth |
which is a mouth (80) and a ל which is a Shepherd's staff (30). 80+30=110. Joseph (Genesis 50:22) and Joshua (Joshua 24:29) lived to be 110, a sign of divine favor and a full, righteous life.
As a verb 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 common noun for prayer, palal 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 that 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 implies relationship, not formula: it is not just reciting words, but daring to believe the Creator is personally attentive and responsive (Psalm 34:15).
How Scripture Reframes Fear
God invites prayer, which means the initiative is His, not ours: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble” (Psalm 50:15). Access is given, not earned: “The Lord is near to all who call on Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18), and “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16). The Spirit “bridges the gap” and intercedes when we do not know how to pray (Romans 8:26–27).
Think Of It This Way
Instead of “I must find the right words to reach God,” think “God has already bent down toward me and given me permission to speak.” Prayer is as a combination of us reaching up and God reaching down. The Shepherd is listening for our mouth.
Praying Aligns Us with God's Will
Scripture presents prayer as God's own invitation and command, making the act of asking 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. During 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 Hitbodedut (הִתְבּוֹדְדוּת) as a form of Jewish meditative prayer, which is a solitary, spoken or written outpouring in quiet isolation—as direct communion, blurring lines between self and Source. The dark, silent room strips distractions, fostering that "outside yet inside" connection. the "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:12).
Psalm 1:2, "וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ יֶהְגֶּה יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה" – "and in His Torah he meditates day and night"
