To whom does a Jew pray?
Can He be described? Does He have a name?
No, there is no description with which to imagine Him, no name with which to grasp Him.
Even the pronoun “Him” implies too much to be true—as though He could be a third party, absent or present. Even the title “Infinite Light” misses the mark, as though He were only light.
But He is not light. He is the source of light. At the source of all light, there is no absence or presence, no being or not being.
There is only “You.” Here, now, known to all beings. And yet beyond the grasp of any knowledge.
It is truly inconceivable, certainly outrageous, but we puny, mortal creatures turn to the heavens and beyond the heavens and say, “You.”
As Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch wrote:
You, that all know of You.
You, that all put their trust only in You.
You, that all plead only to You.
You, that no creation nor emanation knows who and what You are.
And so we pray to You alone, for You alone, the Unknowable, are known to all.
We have a hint, a clue to the description of G_d through His qualities that emanate from Him. The ultimate depth of His love, compassion, mercy, giving, truth cannot be felt until we reach that level of being.
We do know that the power of the 'Prayer of Many' requires minimum 10 souls that can yield the correct combinations of 10 qualities that form His holy structure.
Our sages inform, this prayer is always heard.
An individual prayer requires more effort to feel yourself connected in mutual love to others to form the holy structure of qualities.
Prayer has a specific format in the order of praise to open the prayer, the request, and then closed with gratitude.
This is how to pray from the depth of your heart. G_d feels your heart.
Hi, Brenda
You are correct, and I agree with you! My perspective was from the viewpoint of a young child. As we mature and grow spiritually with understanding, we seek to keep that awe and wonder of a child of GD who is beyond. Thank you.
Blessings!