The Ramak's Segula: How to Protect Your Prayer from Distracting Thoughts

How to Protect Your Prayer from Distracting Thoughts

Everyone who prays knows how distracting intrusive thoughts can be during prayer. They suddenly arise in the midst of one's conversation with the L-rd, causing distraction and confusion. There are several segulot to prevent distracting thoughts from interfering with your prayer.   1. The First Advice of the Mekubalim Before beginning to pray, run your hand across your forehead several times (preferably from right to left);   2. The Second Advice of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero The Ramak taught that before prayer, one should recite the following pasuk from the Torah (Leviticus 6:6): אֵשׁ תָּמִיד תּוּקַד עַל-הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לֹא תִכְבֶּה - “Esh tamid tukad al ha-Mizbe'ach lo tikhbeh” - (The fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it shall not go out.) The Maggid of Kozhnitz explains this segula through a pasuk from Parshat Mishpatim: “If a person plots cunningly against his fellow to kill him, you shall take him from My altar to die.” - “If a person plots cunningly” - the yetzer hara; - “against his fellow” - the yetzer tov, which resides within a person together with the evil inclination; - “to kill him” - through false and cunning thoughts; - “...you shall take him from My altar to die” - the remedy is to recite: “Esh tamid tukad al ha-Mizbe'ach lo tikhbeh” - (The fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it shall not go out.)   (Published with the personal permission of Rav Yaakov Doctor, from his book “At the Shabbat Table”)