CONCENTRATING DURING PRAYERS

Question:
I am having major, major obstacles concentrating during prayers. You could say that the majority of my prayers went down the drain. What to do?

Answer:
Take a look very carefully in the book Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, and at the end of the Likutey Moharan (volume 15 of the BRI edition). There you will find many beautiful conversations about this problem. In short though, Rebbe Nachman says that it is impossible for somebody to totally concentrate and focus on the prayers from beginning to end. He would not be able to handle the immense opposition and prosecutions against him.

Also, he says that since the fixed prayers are familiar ground to the evil side, they always attack a person when passing this well-trodden path.

Some advice:

• Focus on the present word that you are saying
• Try to picture the general picture of the greatness of Hashem and why you are praying to Him.
• Another very special advice is to go with a lesson from the Likutey Moharan and try to connect and interpret the prayer service in line with the lesson. You will see awesome wonders.
• Sometimes you just feel so under attack and overwhelmed with negative and worrisome thoughts, that this itself might push you to a warrior attitude in your davening, and this can help you focus on the words through force.