One of the challenges that prayer presents is the monotony of it. Every time we pray we say the same thing over and over again. The question that we ask ourselves is, how do we keep our prayers fresh and interesting?
The truth is that this question is not only about prayer, which is a relationship between us and G-d. The question can be applied to every relationship. How do we keep our five-minute obligatory phone call with a parent, sibling, or child meaningful? If all we ask is “How are you?” and “How was your day?” then we can be asking the same question. OK, hopefully we are not experiencing this with a close family member, but how about the cashier in the supermarket? Is small talk real or fake?
Let us look into an interesting conversation between Moses and G-d that transpires in this week’s Torah portion, Pinchas. Moses turned to G-d and asked Him to appoint Moses’s successor; G-d responded with a command that we Jews should observe the daily offerings.
One may ask, what is the connection between appointing a new leader and the daily offerings?
Moses wasn’t just concerned about who would take over his position as leader; he was more concerned that the new leader should be a person who will connect the Jews to G-d. In response, G-d says, “I don’t want to be ‘off limits;’ I want to be like a father to his children. I want my children to be ‘calling’ on me every day.” Yes, when we call every day, we might start talking about the weather and our calls might start sounding repetitious and maybe even boring. But that continuous connection means that there is a deep, unwavering bond. This is not some kind of official duty, but a warm and loving relationship, the kind that we feel so comfortable with that we stop thinking before we talk, and the words just flow from our mouths and our hearts.
Today, prayer has replaced the daily offerings. Our daily prayers, whether it be the Modeh Ani or the Shema prayer, is our daily call to G-d. If we ever question how meaningful it is, just remember that it is as a child reaching out to their father. Understandably, we want that connection to be a significant one, but at a minimum, we want to ensure the connection is there.