Class Notes: Prayer & Hanukkah

Enjoy…

“Who is for the lord, follow me.” – Mattisyahu: a battle in the story of Hanukkah

Essential message of Hanukkah: The power of light over darkness. Be willing to fight with your life to protect what you believe in. Having a meaningful life is more important then life itself.

Sin: Hebrew: To miss i.e. when we ‘sin’ we’re searching for pleasure and missing the mark or going about getting pleasure in the wrong way.

In the first line of the Shema we say god’s name twice, why? The first time we’re choosing him and no other, the second time we’re acknowledging his unity. When saying the Shema one should focus on the love of Hashem.

1st line of the Shema:
Shema: Internal focus
Israel: what am I doing this for? Why am I here? I’m a servant of god, I serve god.
A’n’i: He is my master, Hashem is was and always will be, the infiniteness, implies giving no limitations.
Eloheinu: strict justice, power comes from truth
A’n’i: What the four letters in gods name represent
Ehad: god is in all directions, the oneness, everywhere, if nothing else existed god would still exist.

When saying the Shemoneh Esrei one should focus on the recognition of greatness, fear and awe of god.

Three essential parts to prayer:
1) To praise, the recognize the greatness of god
2) To depend on god, to ask of him
3) To thank god

Before prayer one must remove all thoughts, you can’t just think it you need to say it in this way our hearts and mouths become one.

When a person prays with the right intentions they leave this world and go to god, picture yourself in the Holy of Holies, imagine standing before god.

Baruch: means expansiveness, a source of openness, may Hashem please be expanded in through this prayer. The power of prayer is it can bring about Hashem in this world, though your words/actions/blessings. May your awareness be expanded.

Five tools for prayer:
1) Anticipate that god wants to help you and only wants what’s best for you: he has the power and wants to give it to you.
2) After you expect to be given, be shocked when you don’t get it and think about why you not getting what you want, and respond to god.
3) Listen and pay attention to the lessons god sends your way.
4) Focus on what you want, be clear, don’t ask for things you know you shouldn’t have / are doing the wrong thing. Don’t fool yourself about your motives.
Within this step try to get to the root, ask yourself why you really want something, and then ask for what you actually want. When god gives it to you you’ll have an easier time recognizing it.
5) Make and effort try hard, the more you work on it the more it will be worth to you and the more you will grow. Ask how much am I really prepared to sacrifice? What’s it really worth to me.