The telos of tefillah,

the Hebrew word for prayer,

is not to be reflective

about one’s heart’s software.

It’s willingness to be subjected

to judgment by Hashem,

and be, of course corrected,

God’s subjects He’ll condemn

for faults that He, the Justice who’s Supreme;

Justice has forbidden,

depriving us of self-esteem,

of innocence most sadly ridden,

not managing ourselves to mend

while lawlessly we’re livin’

in sin, by our own sins condemned

unless by Him forgiven.

Prayer gives us an awareness

that the Judge observing

us decides with fairness

just how much time we’re serving.

Prayer is an action that man performs

in hitpael, Hebrew for the reflexive mood,

echoing how “I am who I am,” informs

the Israelites how God, who cannot be viewed,

should be addressed by them when led by Moses,,

for whom to be free is not “not to be” —

— Hamletically, this poet now supposes,

reflecting on a God no one can see.

In a letter in the TLS on 12/12/25 discussing how Agatha Chritie implied that Hercule Poirot translates........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)