going higher

Over time as we practice,
routine sets in.
praying, and other things
become a shell without a core.
And there's also the struggle
for concentration

With self encouragment
I focus on the meaning
and picture what the prayer
is talking about.
With the morning prayer,
I imagine Hashem providing us
with what we need
like clothing and so on,
and being grateful.

With effort,
feeling that connection to Above
as I say the words from my heart
like in Birkas hamazon,
racheim na, u'vney...

It happens sometimes that I
just say straight through.
But then I try to encourage myself
to say it with feeling.

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Prayer is a great time to talk to Hashem, ask for assistance, and say Thanks for the blessings we have, big and small.

Importance of knowing why

Many are taught what to do in regards to our tradition, and we know different information about it. - Sometimes we feel it inside, and other times we don't. What helps us to continue it is to know 'why', then we understand the importance of doing what we are taught. Here's the basics to help encourage us

Energy and spreading light
First, lets look what happens with our actions and behaviors. We know our actions have an impact on the world. But besides having a physical impact, they also have a spiritual impact, in which we either bring down good or bad energy, depending on whether we do mitzvos or aveiros. It is our choice what we do. Everyone does both of them. We all have ups and downs. What people need to do is pause and think about what effect a certain action might have, whether the action is between person and person, or one between person and G-d. For example, giving to others what they need, and lighting Shabbat candles before sun-down, bring light and blessing. But gossiping Unnecessarily about So and so brings negative energy. There are times when we need to say something about someone, but there are rules how to do it. Each mitzvah teaches us something important.
Nourishment 
Besides that, there's our neshama(soul). Our neshama needs food just like our body. Thus we have Torah and mitzvos. It's our source of nourishment and connects us to Hashem. Each bit of learning and practicing brings us closer to Him. Where as, aveiros pull us away. We might not feel inspired sometimes, and it might just feel like rituals. That's why it helps to learn the meaning of a mitzvah, and try to do the mitzvah with Joy. With continuous effort, personal prayer, and time, the feeling inside will grow. And if you need to, seek guidence from someone to help along the way. Remember, every effort counts. Sometimes, we have challenges in life. But these are to help us grow. Just like excersize can be hard but makes us strong, so too challenges in life make us stronger. This way we can receive more Divine light as Rabbi Arush teaches in "The Garden of Emunah"

Purpose
Finally, we should remember that it is our obligation to uphold the laws, traditions, ethics and values that we Jews are meant to keep, ever since that everlasting promise at Mount Sinai, and therefore be the holy nation that we should be. It is for our benefit, the Torah and mitzvos, which Hashem(G-d) gave us to bring light to the world and nourish our soul and connect to G-d. Therefore we should do it with JOY


If you want more info you can ask and read here or ask someone in person

Strengthening Kavana

For many of us, it is hard to have kavanah sometimes while praying. And sometimes we have it more than other times.

I think that inorder for us to improve in our kavanah, we need to work on strengthening our relationship with Hashem first. We should each find our own thing to help us with this. For example, it can be working on personally talking to G-d while in your room or somewhere else, or we can use song and sing from the heart which helps to lift us up, or we can make a list of things we're grateful for having, etc. This way we strengthen our connection to Hashem and improve our kavanah.

What so important about this closeness? It's because deep down, this is what our soul needs. It doesn't want to be caught up in the sea of materalism. It wants to be connected to it's Source. Thus we have Torah, mitzvos, and prayer to do that. And there are, within Jewish law, many different ways to do it. - Growth is not meant to be easy, but take effort, because then it is internally rewarding. It's kind of like receiveing an A in calculus.

Our mission here in this world is to spread goodness in the world and connect to Hashem. Of course, sometimes we mess up because we're human. However, we can and should pick ourself back up and go forward.

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Speaking of what I mentioned above about music, here's a video below of a kumzits. It reminds me of when me and my girlfriends to use sing together at my friends house. This vid is of the Yaakov chesed band and their friends.

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