Positive #7 - To Pray to Hashem Every Day

12/07/21 • 5 min

In this episode, we learn positive mitzvah #7, which is to pray to Hashem every day.
The Talmud (Ta'anit 2a) explains that prayer, or tefila, is the service of the heart.
The Rambam explains that there are three components, or building blocks, to prayer:
1) Praises
2) Requests
3) Thanks
Indeed, this is how the main prayer, or tefila, is structured.
When praying, one should clear his or her mind and concentrate on their words. Prayer is a self-reflective exercise, in which we remind ourselves what is most important to us. Furthermore, by making requests of Hashem, we are implicitly acknowledging that our blessings come from God.

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Thanks for listening! Please subscribe to the podcast and the YouTube channel for more content:
https://www.youtube.com/@adamstorah

Previous Episode

Positive #6 - To Emulate Hashem's Ways

In this episode, we learn positive mitzvah #6, which is to emulate Hashem's ways, or to walk in the ways of Hashem.
How do we know what the attributes of God are? There are two groups:

The Torah explicitly states several of God's attributes:
- "Hashem is merciful" - this is referring to Hashem giving us the opportunity to repent and improve our actions, and ultimately forgiving us
- "Hashem is compassionate" - Similar to being merciful, Hashem often delays punishments for an extended amount of time, sometimes even years, to give us plenty opportunities to improve
We can learn Hashem's attributes from stories in the Torah (Talmud Bavli, Sotah 14a):
- When Adam and Eve did not have clothing, Hashem provided clothing to them. Similarly, we should provide clothing, food, and money to those less fortunate
- When Avraham was recovering after his circumcision, Hashem appeared to him. Similarly, we should visit the sick.
- When Avraham passed away, Hashem appeared to Yitzchak his son, which was a form of consoling a mourner. Similarly, we should visit and console mourners.
- When Moshe passed away, Hashem buried him. Similarly, we should bury people who passed away and do not have family to bury them.

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Next Episode

Positive #8 and #9 - To Wear Tefillin on One's Arm and Head

In this episode, we learn two positive mitzvot.

Mitzvah #8 is to wear tefillin on one's arm.
Mitzvah #9 is to wear tefillin on one's head.

These are two distinct mitzvot, but given their similar nature, they are grouped together in this episode.
We discussed three topics related to the tefillin:

Placement of the Tefillin
- Tefillin of the arm should be placed on the bicep of the non-dominant arm
- Tefillin of the head should be line up between one's eyes, placed above the hairline
Contents of the Tefillin
- Four passages or paragraphs of the Torah are written on scrolls, placed within the tefillin. These passages all quote the mitzvah of wearing tefillin.
- For the head, they are placed in four separate compartments
- For the arm, they are placed within a single compartment
How to Conduct Oneself While Wearing Tefillin
- One's thoughts should be pure and one's body should be clean

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https://www.youtube.com/@adamstorah