Pregnant Woman Shot in Last Week’s Attack Describes Saying ‘Shema’ Before Rescue.
“Adi Zohar, who was severely injured in a shooting attack last week as she traveled on Route 1 near Maaleh Adumim, spoke Sunday about the miracle she experienced. "Thank G-d, I am slowly recovering," Zohar told the media from her hospital bed. "I had a great miracle, and I want to focus on that. I got my life back.” […]“”He looked at me, I tried to slide down in my seat and I thought about my fetus and I said, 'Shema Yisrael,' and he fired at me, I saw blood on my shirt.” In the first News reading of this incident, I read that Adi said she didn’t know the formalized prayer, she just said it FROM MY HEART! Current article: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/385792
This is what PRAYER was before it was “formalized”. Speaking to G-d from one’s heart; full of emotion and entreaty. This, I propose, is what Hashem wants from His Children, Am Yisrael.
Prayer is returning to its roots
The ancient Israelites were taught by Avraham Avinu, and passed down from Yitzchak Avinu to Yaakov Avinu how to 'pray' (speak) to our Creator. Avraham is credited with Shachris, Yitzchak would be known for Mincha, and Yaakov Maariv.
Because of the dispersal of our ancestors from their Land and the only home they knew, Eretz Yisrael, prayerful words were "formalized" and written down for all Israelites and Yehudim henceforth to be read daily in communication with HKB"H, our Father in Shamayim.
No longer did we have the Shechina close to us in our Temple. (IY"H we hope to see the third Beis soon)
An explanation from Chabad.org:
there was not always formal prayer in Judaism. Until the time of Ezra, each person would pray according to his ability and eloquence. A person who was so inclined would offer many lengthy prayers and requests, and one who was less articulate would pray less. Some would pray once daily; others, several times.
After the destruction of the First Temple and towards the end of the Babylonian Exile, the Jews were dispersed in Persia, Greece and other lands. The Jewish children born in these foreign countries spoke a peculiar mix of Hebrew and other languages, and were unable to express themselves coherently in any one language. In the words of Nehemiah: “Their children spoke half in Ashdodite, and did not know how to speak the Jewish language. Rather, [they would speak] according to the language of various other peoples.”2
This greatly hampered their ability to pray to G‑d in unadulterated Hebrew. When Nehemiah’s co-leader Ezra and his court saw this, they formalized the 18 blessings of the Amidah, which is the heart of the daily prayer service. (The formalized Amidah leaves room for one to express personal requests and prayers.)
At that time, they determined that this formula of standard prayer be said thrice daily, corresponding to the Temple sacrifices.
In truth, even in the centuries between the patriarchs and Ezra, some people prayed three times a day. For example, King David declared, “Evening, morning and noontime, I speak and moan, and He hearkened to my voice.”3 Concerning Daniel, the verse states, “Daniel . . . came to his house, where there were open windows in his upper chamber, opposite Jerusalem, and three times a day he kneeled and prayed and offered thanks before his G‑d, just as he had done prior to this.”4
Thus, Ezra, together with the Men of the Great Assembly, instituted and formalized the prayer routine that had already been practiced by a select few.5
Concerning prayer, the Torah states, “And serve Him with all your heart.”6 The sages explain: “What is the service of the heart? This is prayer.”7 Thus, while the words and order are extremely important, don’t lose sight of the fact that the most important ingredient in prayer is the part that comes from your heart. [about the "Heart", see below from Mayim Achronim]
see also Prayer is returning to its Roots PART II (separate post)
It has been assumed that the source of all thought, prayer, and heart, stemmed from the BRAIN, and that the heart was just another organ. But we can read from recent scientific studies that the heart contains a "mini brain". This is important in many respects, especially when determining "time of death" in halachic terms.
In this respect, see also Mishkan Kabbalah = "Although Binah is a mental faculty, it is also associated with the heart. Today, scientists know that the heart has a neural network of its own, and may indeed play some role in our emotions and unconscious. The heart has even been called “the little brain” by some researchers. Thus, Binah is a fitting place for the circulatory system. Binah is described as the “mother” that gives birth to the Sefirot below and keeps them nourished....."
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