A question I received: In the article, “What Is Half a Shekel In the Work,” Rabash states, “If a person prays, even without understanding the meaning of the words, simply pronouncing what is written in the prayer book established by the Sages, saying these words while drawing nearer to the Creator, it is irrelevant if he knows what he is saying or not…”

Also, Baal HaSulam says in Item 155 of the “Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot,” “…even if a person does not understand what he learns, his yearning to understand draws upon him the Light of Correction.”

It follows that praying using the Prayer Book has great spiritual value, and what some say, that it is just words and tradition, is not really the case. What is your opinion about this?

My Answer: By “some,” you mean me. Yes, I do say so. Here’s why: The result of the reading depends on the reader, not on the text or its author.

Baal HaSulam says in Item 147 of the “Introduction to Talmud Eser Sefirot,” “There is no difference between the Torah of the world of Atzilut and the Torah of this world, meaning, between the wisdom of Kabbalah and the revealed Torah. Instead, the only difference is in the person who engages in the study of the Torah. Two may study the Torah, the same text and the same words, but one will perceive it as the wisdom of Kabbalah and the Torah of Atzilut, while for the other it will be the revealed Torah [of Assiya].”

Of course, the Prayer Book was compiled by the Members of the Great Assembly – the Great Kabbalists who lived 2000 years ago. If you read it in order to connect with the Creator, then you will draw the Light from the Source, of which the Prayer Book speaks. The same occurs when you study the Talmud Eser Sefirot. However, if one does not think about this because one does not have a desire to reveal the Creator, then regardless of what one reads – whether the Talmud Eser Sefirot or the Prayer Book, will give him any result.

If you want to understand what the Prayer Book is talking about, then you should use the Prayer Book of Rashash. There you will find the meaning of the prayers presented in the Kabbalistic symbols – as adherence of the corrected desire (soul) to the Creator through the system of the spiritual worlds. The same thing is discussed in Tamud Eser Sefirot and, generally, in all the Holy Books. They all speak about one’s connection with the Creator, His revelation to a person.

To pray means to reveal the Creator, the quality of bestowal and love inside you. All other prayers are egoistic and therefore, do not attract the Upper Light. They only have a psychological effect on the person who prays.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: What Is a True Prayer?
Laitman.com Post: In the Modern Era, the Psychological Support of Religion Is No Longer Enough
Laitman.com Post: Why Is Studying Kabbalah Good for You?
The Path of Kabbalah: “Prayer”
Interview with the Future: “Controlling My Own Destiny”
The Book of Zohar: “The Intention in the Prayer”

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