Rabbi Yair Kobernick

Little Yossi's father told him on the first day of school to be sure to ask the teacher good questions. During the first lesson, other children to his left and his right, from in front and behind all asked questions, but Yossi couldn't think of even one question to ask. At the end of the lesson, nervously, Yossi approached the teacher and asked, "Can you help me ask you a question?"

The Shemoneh Esrei (Amida or Standing Prayer) is prefaced with the words: Hashem sefatai tiftach, u'fi yagid tehilatecha. "My Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise." (Psalms 51:17)

What is the reason we say these words before beginning the Shemoneh Esrei?

While praying, we should try to see ourselves as if we are standing right in front of the Divine Presence. If we realize who we are talking to, (the One who can do anything!!) and that He is right here in front of us AND HEARS EVERY WORD AND THOUGHT, then this may very well cause a little bit of: "Uh, how do I begin? What do I say? I get a little nervous about speaking in front of important people, all the more so in front of the Creator of the Universe, G-d." For this reason we ask before we even start: "My Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise."

Like little Yossi, we ask G-d, "Can You please help me get started"? I once attended a Yeshiva Purim play where the lyrics to a Beatles song got changed from: "I get by with a little help from my friends" to "I get by with a little help from Hashem (G-d)". The more we realize that we're not on our own, the easier it is to approach Prayer. But how? How do we internalize that we're never alone and that we as Jews are actually very close to our Creator? Perhaps the answer is by getting to know and becoming familiar with our Creator.

I would like to share some practical suggestions on how to do this:

1. Let's realize that the Creator has given us millions of signs of His existence. Just look around. Whether it's at the human body which is a phenomenal machine, or at the wonders of the animal world, or the world of plants. There is no limit in the opportunities to discover the wisdom of the Creator. Take our eyes for example. Our eyes are more sophisticated than the best camera that has ever been made. Look in the mirror and you'll see two ultra-sophisticated tiny camera's, complete with lens, shutter, automatic iris (aperture) control, with automatic focusing, where every image is processed instantly and stored away in a memory bank. Amazing! There is so much design and order in the world. It all points to the wisdom of the Creator. Get to know it. Look around and you'll find it everywhere you look.

2. Try to get used to saying the word G-d (or Hashem, or Creator, or whatever you're comfortable with) in your everyday vocabulary. Instead of saying: "Wow it's raining today", say "Wow, Hashem is making it rain today". Instead of saying, "I took my medicine and got all better", say "Hashem helped me get better".

3. If we get used to giving thanks for everything we have and everything that happens to us, then we will surely get to know our Creator better. Many Jews say the words, "Baruch Hashem" or "Thank G-d for this or that..." and this brings them closer. One particular family came up with an idea of making a giant list (on poster board) and at dinner time each family member had to say one thing that they thank G-d for. After a few years there were thousands of things written on the poster board. This made such an impression on the children that they all felt they had a close relationship with G-d. For them it's not a big deal to pray because they feel close to the One they are praying to.