Prayer I: Obligation תפילה (א): חיוב

Rabbi Ami said: A person’s prayer is not heard unless he places his soul in his hand, as it is said, “Let us lift our hearts in our hands” (Eicha 3:41).

Rav Himnuna said: How many great halachot are there to learn from these verses of Chana (Shemuel I 1:13)! “And Chana was speaking upon her heart,” from here that one praying must orient his heart. “Only her lips were moving,” from here that one praying should enunciate with his lips. “And her voice was not heard,” From here that it is prohibited to raise one’s voice in prayer.

“And to serve Him” – this is prayer. You say: ‘Is this prayer or is it only sacrificial service?’ The verse teaches us “With all your heart and with all your soul” – and is there service with the heart? Behold, that is what the verse teaches: “And to serve Him” – this is prayer. And so says David, “Set my prayer as incense before you, the lifting of my hands as a pleasing meal offering” (Tehillim 141:2).

1. It is a positive commandment to pray every day, as it is said, “And you shall serve the Lord your God.” From tradition they learned that this service is prayer, for it is said, “And serve Him with all your heart.” The sages said, “Which is the service of the heart? That is prayer.” And the number of prayers is not from the Torah, and the text of this prayer is not from the Torah, and prayer does not have a set time from the Torah…

2. Rather, the obligation of this command is thus: that a person beseech and pray every day, and relate the praise of God, and after that request his needs that he requires through request and pleading, and after that he gives praise and thanks to God for the good that He has bestowed on him, each person according to his capacity…

3. All should pray facing the Temple in whatever place they be…

Rather certainly the entire matter of prayer is not an obligation at all; rather, it is among the attributes of lovingkindness toward us of the Creator, may He be blessed, that He hears and responds whenever we call out to Him. And the essence of the verse “and to serve Him with all our hearts” is the positive commandment that all our service of God be with all our hearts…

Ezra and his court… arose and instituted for them eighteen (shemoneh esrei) blessings in order … the three first praise to God, the three last thanks, and the middle have in them request of all things, like archetypes of each and every man’s desire and of the needs of the community in their entirety, so that they be laid out for everyone to say and they learn them and the prayer of the inarticulate will be a full prayer like the prayer of those with clear language….

Rabbi Eliezer said: One who makes his prayer fixed, his prayer is not beseeching.

No my lord, I am a woman hard of spirit, and I have not drunk wine or strong drink, and I am pouring out my soul before God.

I will call out to God and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and afternoon I will speak and sigh and He will hear my voice.

The forefathers enacted the prayers and our sages connected them to the sacrifices.

All of Israel in all their places of settlement had the practice to pray the evening prayer and they accepted it upon themselves as an obligatory prayer.

And Rabbi Yochanan said: Would that a person would pray all day long!

(3) Women... are exempt from reciting the Shema and putting on tefillin, but are obligated for tefillah, mezuzah, and Birkat Hamazon (the blessing after meals).

And they are obligated in prayer: For it [prayer] is seeking mercy [rachamei]. What might you have said [without the mishna]? Since it is written regarding it [prayer] “evening and morning and afternoon,” it is like a positive time-bound commandment. [The mishna therefore] teaches us [otherwise].

They [women] are obligated in tefilla, in order that every single person should ask for mercy for himself.