ב״ה Tefillah packet #27 Kiddush Levana

At the end of Kiddush Levana, we ask that a posuk from Hosheia should be fulfilled in us: “Ubikshu Es Hashem Elokeihem, Ve’es Dovid Malkam, Amein!” Bnei Yisrael will look for Hashem their Aibishter, and Dovid their king. When will this come true? In the time of the Geulah! The asked that we should be careful to say Kiddush Levana with this kavana. We should have in mind that we want this to come true QUICKLY, and that Moshiach should come right away! Don't Pick Up Your Phone Before Davening!

The Rebbe once said at a : It can happen that a Yid will wake up in the morning, and the first thing he does is to run to the telephone to make an important call. He can’t wait until after Modeh Ani, after Hodu, or after learning a bit of after davening. He needs to rush and make this phone call before the businessman leaves his house, so he won’t miss making the deal! This kind of behavior comes from not having enough emunah, and not understanding that it is Hashem Who brings us hatzlacha in all we do. If we had proper emunah, we would realize that it’s impossible that following what the Torah tells us in Shulchan Aruch should make us lose out in what Hashem wants to give us! It is impossible that davening in shul, and learning a shiur afterwards, should cause us to miss out in the parnasa that was decided for us. So why does a Yid go to the phone before davening? He isn’t going to use the phone to remind his friend to come to the — the real reason a phone was created... He thinks that his hatzlacha is based on what HE does: If he gets the businessman in time, it will be good. But the truth is that when you first daven and learn something, and only afterwards go to the phone, that is when you get Hashem’s bracha! See farbrengen Balak Mem-Daled Don't Rush Through Birchos Hashachar

The morning can be a very busy time! We have so many things to do, and it’s hard to finish everything before school or work starts. It’s fine to put on our clothes quickly, or to make our bed quickly. But there are some things we shouldn’t rush through, even when we are in a hurry. The Rebbe says that one of these things is Birchos Hashachar! Even though it is before the main part of davening, we should make sure to say this special tefillah slowly and with kavana. See Kovetz Lifnei Mi Ata Omed (from sichos of the Rebbe), p. 10 Hisbonenus — Feel Your Davening!

The words of davening are supposed to help us feel a certain way. They help us to stand before Hashem properly and ask Him to give us all we need. They help make us want to do Hashem’s Ratzon all the time! What if we are davening every day and it isn’t changing how we feel? By having hisbonenus, thinking about the words we are saying, we will start to feel it too! Thinking about the words of davening can take time. Not everyone is able to spend much so long davening. An eitzah for someone who doesn’t have extra time is to think about only one part of davening each day. The next day, you can think about the next part. This was known to be the avodah of a group of Chassidim. Every day they would have hisbonenus on one part of davening, and mark that place in their siddurim. The next day they would start to have hisbonenus at the place that was marked, and then mark a new place. See Igros chelek Yud-Tes p. 195 Work on Davening

When the Rebbe came to Paris to bring his mother, Rebbetzin Chana, to America, he saw many Chassidim there. Later, many of them came to live in America. Many years afterward, the Rebbe spoke to them at a farbrengen: In Paris, times were very hard. But these Chassidim davened properly, with kavana and with feeling! But now, the Rebbe sees these same Chassidim during davening and at the farbrengen. They now just daven quickly and without feeling. The Rebbe asked, how could this be? Now, times are much easier! There aren’t as many big problems bothering us, and we have much more Gashmius that needs to become holy through davening. Now, even MORE, Chassidim should be davening b’Avodah! See sicha of Vayikra 5752