Should a man say a tefilla, should he pray even though he does not know the meaning of the words?
ANSWER:
Yes, because that's Hareini es marayich (show Me your appearance, Shir Hashirim 2:14), that's a Jewish way of life; a Jew has to learn to show devotion to Hashem. If he stands up and he bows down to Hashem, that itself is a demonstration of devotion. If a Jew says the words, he knows he's speaking to Hashem; it's a demonstration of devotion. Therefore by all means he should pray even though he does not know the translation.
However, isn't it a great pity that a Jew should waste the opportunity? Because from prayer you can come to greatness. You develop your soul, your emotions, your intellect by prayer; prayer is really a study of great principles.
Who made the prayers? There are selections from the Chumash, there are selections from Tehillim, and some are composed by Anshei Knesses Hagedolah, the great sages, so every word is imbued with deep meaning.
Therefore every Jew should make an attempt to understand, all his life to study more and more deeply the meaning of the prayers. But he shouldn't wait until he does, because right now it's a virtuous achievement to pray.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures.
To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
Important Numbers
