(יז) ה׳ שְׂפָתַ֣י תִּפְתָּ֑ח וּ֝פִ֗י יַגִּ֥יד תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ׃
and let my mouth declare Your praise.
And Isaac went to pray in the field towards evening, and he lifted up his eyes and he saw, and, behold, camels coming.
כִּי כֵן חוֹבַת כָּל הָעֲשָׂבִים וְכָל שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה, כְּשֶׁאָדָם עוֹמֵד לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, שֶׁאֲזַי הוּא בִּבְחִינַת דְבַר ה׳, שֶׁהוּא שָׁרְשָׁם הָעֶלְיוֹן, אֲזַי הֵם מַחֲזִירִין כֹּחָם לְתוֹךְ הַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁהוּא שָׁרְשָׁם הָעֶלְיוֹן... וְזֶה בְּחִינַת (בראשית כ״ד:ס״ג): וַיֵּצֵא יִצְחָק לָשׂוּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶה – שֶׁתְּפִלָּתוֹ הָיְתָה עִם שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה, שֶׁכָּל שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה חָזְרוּ כֹּחָם וְנָתְנוּ אוֹתָם בְּתוֹךְ תְּפִלָּתוֹ, שֶׁהִיא שָׁרְשָׁם כַּנַּ"ל:
Every blade of grass and “every plant of the field” (Genesis 2:5) is obliged to do this. When a person stands in prayer—and thus attains the Word of God, their supernal root—[the plants] put their power back into the prayer, which is their supernal root... This is the meaning of “Yitzchak went out laSuaCh (to speak) in the field” (ibid. 24:63)— his prayer was with the SiaCh (plants/speech) of the field. All the plants of the field took their life force and instilled them in his prayer, which is their root.
(13) So Moses cried out to ה׳, saying, “O God, pray heal her!”
Spontaneous Jewish Prayer: A Historical Trajectory and Implications for Today
Arielle Poster Moffic
(From Ch. 1 Spontaneous Prayer in the Bible)
"What we can say about spontaneous prayer [in the Bible] is that it is personal, specific, and arises from a particular situation in life. It may be uttered silently or aloud. It may be said by and for the pray-er or on behalf of another person. It is directed to God. It is said as an expression of thanksgiving, in lament, and for help. In the Bible it is often portrayed as directly efficacious. God hears and acts.
Written or fixed prayers and incantations meant for ritualistic occasions, although they can be imbued with a spontaneous quality, are not at their core examples of spontaneous prayer. With this said, "spontaneous" need not refer to prayer that is said aloud or silently only once, never to be uttered or thought again. When a pray-er recites a prayer written by another, his or her prayer can still be spontaneous in that the emotion or kavana can be personal and specific and the pray-er can appropriate the prayer for his or her own unique situation in life. Psalms can function like this. There is fluidity between spontaneous and fixed prayer."
From Catherine Madsen, The Bones Reassemble: Reconstructing Liturgical Speech
(Here Madsen argues against those who would rephrase intellectually problematic sections
of the liturgy so that they would accord with our reason.)
"... [W]hat happens when we respond to a formula like “Blessed are you, Adonai, redeemer of Israel” is not ... “intellectual processing”; it is emotional ingestion. We make such a formula “ours” not by abstract paraphrase but by attaching it to our own experience of deliverance. We become willing to address a personal God not by fudging the definitions till we come up with one we can tolerate, but by momentarily needing so badly to thank something that we have to say “you.” Belief, assent, is the wrong paradigm; it is what the kabbalists called d’veikut, cleaving."
About God
There’s not a thing
I could say about God that would be true.
And not a thing I could say to God that wouldn’t be.
I only know what happens when we meet.
- Nancy Flam
Methods for Hitbodedut
1. Return to speech - just like how in meditation we return to breath, in Hitbodedut, we return to speech. Keep talking; if your mind drifts away, simply return to speaking.
2. Mantra - with continuous repetition, speak out your favorite verse from Tanach, cry out with a Name, or repeat a colloquial saying that helps you feel connected. This can be a great mode for Hitbodedut. Say the words with different tones, emphases, and rhythms. When it feels right, sprinkle in your own words too.
3. Song - sing a song or wordless melody repeatedly, while maintaining a focus on connecting, on being before the Creator, and reflecting on your life. As you move through the music, observe what feelings and thoughts well up.
4. Simply speak - as you go out, simply set out to reflect and be in conversation. This is an open ended option that can lead in many directions.
5. Turning Torah into Prayer - think of a torah teaching that really resonates with you - reflect and speak about how you wish to integrate this teaching, and your desire to bring this teaching into your life. What are some obstacles you face before getting there?
(15) May the words of my mouth and the prayer of my heart be acceptable to You, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.