Selfless Prayer

In the Holy Temple, a Korban Olah, a Burnt sacrifice, was offered up twice daily, in the morning and at dusk. Our Sages teach that while we are in exile, “the prayers were established in place of the daily offerings.”

‘Korban,’ offering, shares the same Hebrew root as ‘Kiruv,’ closeness. The purpose of an offering is, that through it, we become closer to G-d. True closeness to G-d can be achieved when our prayers, like the Burnt Offering, are in order to connect with G-d, not for personal gain.

Our lives are sometimes “bright as morning,” with joy and abundance. At other times, they feel “like dusk,” with confusion and lacking. Like the Burnt Offering, our prayers must be offered with the same dedication to G-d, in whatever our personal situation – both “in the morning” and “at dusk.”