Yearning of the Soul
“The חסידים הראשונים waited an hour before davening” (Brachos 32b). Before we daven, it is important to consider the objectives of Tefillah, and to understand its purpose. The חובות הלבבות writes that there are five different objectives to Tefillah. The first, he writes, is the תשוקה, the yearning, of the soul to connect to Hashem – to speak to Him and to recognize His presence. The נשמה wishes to return to the place from which it originated, and that is to Hashem, the נשמת העולם, the Soul of the entire universe. Tefillah is the expression of this deep yearning of the soul.
