Q&A: Is Intention Required in Prayer?
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Is Intention Required in Prayer?
Question
What does the Rabbi say about the following Jewish law? And does he accept it?
* (a) 1) One who prays must (b) have intention in all the blessings, * and if he cannot have intention in all of them, then at least * 1'] he should have intention (c) 1) in the first blessing of the Amidah; if he did not have intention in the first blessing of the Amidah, even though he had intention in all the rest, he must go back and pray again.
Answer
A question like that should be deleted. If you have a concrete question, please formulate it.
Discussion on Answer
You need Rabbi Chaim's three intentions in Laws of Prayer, chapter 4. From this Jewish law here there is not even the slightest hint of devotional cleaving.
Sorry.
From what I know of the Rabbi, there is no need for intention in the sense of devotional cleaving in prayer, but only the intention to fulfill one's obligation.
In the wording of the Jewish law here, it sounds like there is an element of intention also in the first sense.
Does the Rabbi accept that, and if not, what does the Jewish law mean to say?