1. Prayer Through the Ages
through the
Eyes of the Sages
A compendium of aphorisms
that have stood the test of millennia
An exclusive publication of
The Holy City Prayer Society
www.holycityprayer.com
Copyright © 2007
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2. The Holy City Prayer Society is please to provide you
with this collection of sage wisdom.
We recommend printing these pages and displaying
them in your house of worship.
We pray that you derive inspiration from these pages,
and are motivated to study more about prayer, and of
course, to pray!
We hope that you will consider joining our Society, and
share our mission of advancing the value of prayer in
the minds of the general public around the world.
A portion of all membership dues are earmarked to help
needy residents of Jerusalem.
Copyright © 2007
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3. We learned: quot;To love the
Lord your God and serve
Him with all your heart
(Deuteronomy 6, 5).quot; What is
service with your heart?
This is prayer.
Talmud Taanit
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4. Rabbi Chama ben Chanina
taught: If you see that you have
prayed but got no answer, pray
again, as it is written, quot;Strive for
God, be of strong will and
heart, and strive for God. (Psalms
27, 12)quot;
Talmud Berakhot
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5. Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi
Elazar both taught: Even if a
sharp sword is placed on
your throat, don't despair
from God's compassion.
Midrash Shmuel
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6. The Holy One, Blessed Be
He, yearns for the prayers
of the pious.
Talmud Yebamot
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7. If someone has a problem,
he should tell others about
it, and they will pray for
him.
Talmud Chulin
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8. Whoever prays for his friend
and needs the same thing
himself, the person who prays
is answered first, as it is written,
quot;And the Lord made up to Job
for all his losses, after Job
prayed for his friends (Job 42, 10).quot;
Copyright © 2007
Talmud Bava Kama
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9. Our sages taught: Do not approach
prayer with feelings of sadness, or
laziness, or lack of seriousness, or in
the middle of a conversation with a
friend, or lightheartedness, or if you
were just wasting your time. Rather,
approach prayer from the happiness
that comes with doing God's will.
Talmud Berakhot
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10. Our sages taught: The early pious ones
would prepare to pray for a full hour,
then pray for a full hour, then contemplate
about their prayer for an hour. They
would pray three times a day, so this took
them nine hours. If so, how would they
have time for their studies and labor to
bear fruit? Since they were pious, their
studies would be preserved and their
labors blessed.
Talmud Berakhot
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11. After Rabbi Elazar finished his prayers, he
said: quot;May it be Your will, God, that there be
love, brotherhood, peace and friendship
amongst us, may our lands be full of
scholars, may our end be successful and
hopeful, may we merit to get to Paradise,
may we have good friends and good will in
Your world. May we rise in the morning
and find that our hearts strive to fear you,
and may all of our needs be filled.quot;
Talmud Berakhot
Copyright © 2007
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12. Throughout the world, an almost palpable spiritual awakening
is gripping more and more men and women of all religions and
denominations. This thirst for closeness to the One On High is a
widespread phenomenon, and it is growing every day. Prayer
is the central mode of communication with God, yet so many of
us feel unable to pray. Prayer is more than a skill - it is an art.
Today, The Holy City Prayer Society offers you a unique
service - the opportunity to have a prayer said for you daily in
Jerusalem, at the very site of the Holy Temple! Whether you
pray daily or once a year, often or not at all -- a prayer recited
daily especially for you in the Holy City by The Holy City
Prayer Society will raise your spiritual consciousness and help
you in your quest for tranquility.
Copyright © 2007 www.holycityprayer.com jerusalem@holycityprayer.com
www.holycityprayer.com