Tehillim 109:4). Although man serves Hashem in many ways, the most fundamental form of service to Hashem is Tefillah, in which a person can pour out his herar and express his complete dependence upon his Creator. Throughout the generations, the Jewish nation has relied upon prayer as the sole means of survival in times of distress ans oppression. Today more than ever, as Jews the workd over are living like sheep surrounded by seventy hungry wolves, the nation must turn to its only source of salvation, our Father in Heaven.
As precious as the gift of prayer is, it is surprising and tragic that so many people are ignorant or neligent about the observation of its laws. Lile any other mitzvah, prayer is regulated by numerous restructions, and a person cannot hope to expericenc fulfillment of his supplications unless he follows the rules, exactly as they have been formulated. In the words of Harav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, "It is an absolute obligation to be proficient in the laws of prayer, since a person who approaches the King and does not know how to behave, will certainly be expellled by the King. All those who are careless about this will eventually be held accountable, and there is no doubt that the study of these laws takes precedence over all other studies, since they apply three times a day" (Orchos Yosher, page 100).
Our primary intent is to guide the reader throught the maze of laws and customs that abound in the area of prayer, hence the title Guidelines.">
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