Creating Our World through Tefillah Tefillah is really a faith-building exercise. When we pray properly, we actually alter our own subjective world which is made up of our beliefs. The other day I was watching my son play with his new set of toy policemen. He was sitting on the rug, making all kinds of noises as he maneuvered the policemen to close in on the bad guys. He was totally absorbed in his world of make-believe. Watching him, it dawned on me that we all live in a world of make-believe because the world as we experience it is actually made of our beliefs. Our beliefs about ourselves, about the world and about God determine our experiences. If we believe that the world is an accident, we will experience life as an accident. If we believe that the world is operated under the guidance of God, then we will experience that guidance. If we believe that God loves us, then we will feel His love no matter what happens. Thus, through tefillah, we reinforce beliefs that empower us to become receptive to God’s blessings and allow them to enter our lives. The prophet Habakkuk, taught that a holy person “lives in his faith.” In other words, faith is a holy person’s orientation to life. Our faith creates the perceptual world in which we live. We don’t create our own reality—the Torah teaches that God is reality—but we do create our perception of reality, which is our perception of God. Ultimately, how we perceive God determines the world in which we live. The late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, the famed composer of many Jewish melodies, was once speaking with a woman who was extremely annoyed because her son, age of 33, was becoming religiously involved. “I don’t believe in God!” the woman declared forcefully. She undoubtedly expected the Rabbi to persuade her or lecture her about the evidence for God’s existence. Instead, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, “So don’t.” She was shocked. “How can you say that? You are a Rabbi!” “If you want to live in a Godless world,” he said, “then go ahead.” This same message also applies to us. If we do not believe in God, then we will not experience God in our life. However, the more we acknowledge God and affirm our belief—increasing our awareness of His truth through what we think, say and do—the more we will experience God’s loving presence in our world. With this in mind, let’s take a look at how the Amidah empowers us to change ourselves and fill our world with the blessings of God’s abundant presence.