Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz
I find myself so busy sometimes that I seem to lose track of thinking about God being part of my life. How can I feel more connected to God?
Rabbi Chaim Mintz responds:
The Importance of the Question
This question is as large as life itself. A Jew in this world can and should feel connected to Hashem (God). Great people feel His presence 24/7, as King David proclaimed (Tehillim 16:8): “I place God before me at all times.” Rambam writes that our forefathers — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — did not forget God, even for a moment. This feeling of constant awareness and connection to Him is something that we must all work to develop.
Prayer Cultivates a Connection
One of the main ways to cultivate this connection to God is through tefillah, praying properly three times a day. If we realize that Hashem wants to hear from us, and is here next to us listening as we talk to Him, we will begin to feel this connection. If we realize the magnitude of every prayer and stay focused, we can tap into its great potential. The stronger the feeling becomes and resonates inside of us, the more it will spill over to the rest of the day, and we can feel His involvement in our daily lives.
The problem is that many people don’t feel that way when they pray. Unfortunately, our prayers sometimes become just another thing on the “to-do list,” as opposed to being the life-changing experience that they should actually be. We have too many distracting thoughts running through our minds preventing us from achieving the connection that prayer could be giving us.
Throughout the Day
In addition, talking to God is not limited to three times a day. We recite many blessings throughout our day, and it is crucial to think about what we are saying. The great majority of these blessings serve as a constant reminder that Hashem takes care of our every need. In our morning blessings, we acknowledge that the only reason we can see, we can stand up straight, and we have clothes and shoes to wear, is because Hashem hands all this to us each and every day on a “silver platter.” Before and after eating — a seemingly mundane and physical activity — we recite a blessing, reinforcing the fact that He is the only source of our sustenance.
Nothing is Too Mundane for God
We even recite a blessing — “asher yatzar” — for our ability to relieve ourselves of our wastes, perhaps the most mundane aspect of our lives. In this berachah we thank Hashem for the efficient functioning of our highly complex bodies. In fact, in the text of the blessing we use a fascinating expression: “גָלּוי וְיָדּועַ לִפְנֵי כִסֵּא כְבֹודֶך שֶאִם יִפָתֵח אֶחָד מֵהֶם אֹו יִסָּתֵם אֶחָד מֵהֶם, אִי אֶפְשַׁר לְהִתְקַיֵם וְלַעֲמֹד לְפָנֶיך — It is clearly known before Your Throne of Glory, that if any [of the closed areas] would open, or if any [of the openings] would close, it would be impossible for us to live and stand before You.”
The great Vilna Gaon points out that generally we do not find this expression used in our prayers. It is specifically when it comes to this function of “waste removal” that we describe it as something “known before the Throne of Glory.” This is done to underscore how even the most mundane functions of our lives are taken care of by God Himself.
How wonderful it would be if we utilized the recital of these berachos as an opportunity to think about the meaning of each blessing as we say it. That will no doubt enable us to reach a greater appreciation for the endless and abundant benevolence we receive from Above.
Torah: The Ultimate Connection
Another major way of feeling our connection to Hashem is through learning Torah. Although at first glance prayer is a greater vehicle for connecting to Hashem, in truth, the study of Torah is actually greater. The difference between praying and learning is that when we pray, we talk to Hashem, but when we learn, Hashem is speaking to us, and sharing with us His great wisdom. This can bring us to even greater heights.
If you think before you start learning that “God Himself is sharing His infinite wisdom with me,” you will reach a greater feeling of closeness. In addition, this feeling will stay with you the rest of the day. You won’t be likely to forget about Hashem so quickly when you finish learning and go on with your day. And the more time a person spends fulfilling this great mitzvah of studying Torah, the more he will feel connected to Hashem.
Just Open Your Eyes
These are two of the greatest ways to get connected to God and help us see Him more and more in our daily lives. But, in truth, as the classic Chovos HaLevavos (Shaar HaBechinah) teaches, by simply looking around at the wondrous world we live in, we can see God everywhere. If we look around at the world — the trees, the grass, the sky, and even at our own marvelous bodies — we encounter wonders, all created by Hashem. If we appreciate these wonders, we will have a constant reminder of Hashem, everywhere we go and at all times.
In short: By recognizing that we are talking to Hashem when we pray and recite our blessings, and listen to Hashem talk to us when we learn His Torah, we will feel more connected to Hashem. In addition, the wonders of the world serve as a constant reminder of God.
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