Partners In Prayer - Siddur

My friend shared an insight of how she used the Nielah prayer as a Shmira, a protection for all that we have gained and to not lose it. (E.N.B.L.R) A few days later I learned from Rabbi Weinberg, n''y to think of the Nieela prayer we say on Yom Kippur as a lock box. It is a lock box where HaShem takes all your accomplishments and all your aspirations and all your positive visualizations, and all your commitments and He puts them in a lock box for you. And that we have an opportunity to treasure all the things placed in your lock box and also that Hashem knows many, many more things that you can't imagine that he places in your lock box.   When I said the Bracha of Borei Nifashos , Who Creates living things.. I imagined this Bracha going in my lock box.  I then began to see the Bracha as "my lock box" I get to create.  I realized this lock box is my gift I get to take with me throughout the year.  It is my reminder of each moment being a once in a life time opp...

      Much has been said about whether a person should eat or drink before davening in the morning. Among the considerations is the classic “Do you eat to daven or daven to eat,” or in other words, are you taking a little nourishment before davening so that you have the energy and are not distracted, and can daven with greater concentration, or are you just rushing through your davening—hungry or not—so that you can eat as soon as possible? The opinion that spoke to me (and this is just me) was that black coffee is pretty much accepted by most, which for me is a great thing, because I have loved black coffee for many, many years.   This morning, as I enjoyed that first (actually second) cup of coffee and was beginning to focus on my davening, I recalled the lessons from Rabbi Weinberg on the bracha of Shehakol Nihyeh Bi’dvaro (see REVERSE RIPPLE) and Borei Pri Ha’eitz (see ORANGE CONCENTRATE).   We learned of the exponentially expanding pieces that ...