And it will be, if you hearken to My commandments that I command you this day to love HASHEM, your G-d, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul… (Devarim 11:13)

and to serve Him with all your heart: with a work of the heart, and that is prayer, for prayer is called service-work… -Rashi

This is the source of the Mitzvah to pray to HASHEM. Yes, it’s a Commandment! HASHEM wants us to pray to HIM! Can we ask the question, “WHY?” This is not meant in a cynical sense but rather in a sincere and searching way. What does HASHEM gain from our prayers and what do we get out of praying to HASHEM? Is that fair?!

What can we possibly give to HASHEM? HASHEM owns everything? Everything is HASHEM’s! The Mishne’ in Pirke Avos 3:7 spells it out explicitly, “Give to Him what is His, because you and what’s yours is His!” As is it is stated in Divre’ HaYamim “Because everything is from You and from Your hand, we give to You!”

So, simply stated, what can we possibly give to HASHEM that is not His already? What is Davening? We may experience it all too often as the requirement to articulate a boatload of words. Even if we pronounce those words perfectly and with a clear understanding, what have we accomplished? The Chovos HaLevavos gives us a window into the mechanics of Tefillah with the following phrase, “HaMachshava Nimshachas Achar HaDibur” – “Thought is drawn after spoken words”. By saying the words of prayer our thoughts are stimulated and the emotions of our hearts are awakened.

The sages say it like this, “Rachmana Liba Boi” – “HASHEM wants the heart!” (Sanhedrin 106:). The same phrase can be read reflexively. “The heart wants HASHEM”. Our deepest yearning is to be close to HASHEM. King David, the King and spokesperson for all Jewish hearts said, “As for me, nearness to HASHEM is what’s good!”

That’s what we all really desire most. So, I think it’s safe to say that HASHEM wants the heart that wants HASHEM! That is what HASHEM desires most!

A friend of mine who lives in Israel shared with me the following episode. It was late Shabbos morning and he was stepping forward to begin Mussaf in a Shul known for its quietude and decorum. Just then, his 3-year-old son, Dovi entered the Schul and made a bee line to him and immediately started pulling on his Tallis strings, shouting in a disruptive way, “ABBA- ABBA!

My friend tried multiple times to hush him. The boy was persistent and insistent on getting his father’s undivided attention with cries of, “ABBA – ABBA!”

My friend felt trapped. What was he to do? It didn’t take long before everyone in Shul was glaring in his direction. This incident was definitely a disturbance to that reverential moment of prayer.

Some already started urging him with their protesting tones, “NU?! NU?!” He thought that maybe he should step back and interrupt his Davening. The pressure was mounting and he had no choice.

At that moment a genius idea entered his mind. With a few simple motions, like a pantomime, he imitated what his son was doing, with a heavenward look and remarkably, almost miraculously, everyone got the message.

What are we doing here in prayer, anyway!? Are we just grinding up words and spitting them out!? We are tugging on our Father in Heaven’s Tallis. Inside, and surrounding, and animating every word is a child’s shout of, “ABBA-ABBA!” As it turned out, the little boy Dovi, didn’t come to disturb the Davening that morning. He came to teach us how to Daven! Your Father, your Abba wants you to connect to Him, ABBA-ABBA! The heart of the heart of Tefilla is a call from deep within to reach our Father in Heaven. HASHEM gains our heart and we win HASHEM’s undivided attention. That might be the essence of prayer!