Parshat Vayikra: Prayer
by Rabbi Lobel

The Book of Leviticus mostly discusses the laws regarding sacrifices. What is accomplished by making an offering to G-d?

Leviticus begins with the verse, “when a person among you brings a Korban (offering) to G-d.”(Leviticus 1:2) As the Sforno explains, the words “among you” have been added to teach us that a sacrifice can be offered by anybody but will only be accepted by a person who acts humbly and doesn’t try to distinguish himself from the rest of the community.

The Talmud (Berachot 26B) teaches us that the daily prayers were fashioned along the same lines as the korbanos. Just as a person must offer the korbanos with humility, so too must a person pray with an understanding that he’s speaking to G-d. In the Amidah (silent prayer) we describe G-d as “The Great, Mighty, and Awesome G-d, the Supreme G-d that bestows kindness.” Why? Is G-d persuaded by flattery? Does He enjoy hearing how “awesome” He is? No. The words are for our sake, not G-d’s. They remind us that we are standing before the Almighty and beseeching the King of kings. As the Duties of the Heart explains, it’s the realization that no other source could either help or hurt an individual without G-d’s allowance.

Prayers and sacrifices are designed to help us build a relationship with G-d. The opportunity to have a personal relationship with the Master of the Universe is an extraordinary gift. When exalting G-d during prayers the main purpose is for recognition of who we are praying to. With that mindset we pray that G-d will receive our prayers.