According to Jewish law, we bow at the beginning and the end of the first blessing. There are also two more times—four times total throughout the entire Amidah—when we are supposed to bow. The Talmud teaches that if you see a person bowing more than the required times, then you are to teach him not to do it. Why does the Talmud specifically says, “teach him not to do it” rather than “tell him not to do it (because it is the law)?” We bow before God only as a preparation to stand before Him with proper humility. But, nonetheless, we must stand with confidence. If a person is bowing too much, he is confused about the nature of his relationship to God. It is not enough to tell him the law; we must help him understand that the goal of Torah is to stand before God, rather than to stoop or cower. God lovingly empowers us to stand confidently in His presence; He does not want us to be spiritual weaklings. This basic truth is not only expressed in prayer, it is also evident in the laws surrounding ritual purification such as the washing of the hands. The law requires that when we wash our hands in the morning or in preparation for eating bread, we have to do it b’koach gavrah—with human strength. To facilitate this, we must fill a cup with water and use it to pour over each hand rather than just putting our hands under a running faucet. Jewish law also requires that the cup, which cannot have any cracks, have a flat bottom so that it can stand on its own without tipping over. These laws hint to us that to be pure, we too must be whole and able to stand on our own. Spiritual purification is an act of power and assertion, not an act of weakness and surrender. We don’t serve God because we are weak and afraid that He will step on us if we don’t. We serve God because we are strong, and we recognize that He has empowered us to play a significant role in establishing His kingdom and manifesting His presence on earth. Unlike Judaism, many religions teach that spiritual purification can only be achieved through complete surrender and realization that we are nothing in God’s presence. But Jewish law insists that spiritual purification can only be accomplished through our own assertion. Tefillah is no different. If a person is bowing too much while praying, he has it all wrong. He thinks that prayer is about submission before God. But the Amidah—which literally means “standing”—is really about establishing ourselves as God’s significant other and bonding with Him in love. Our two preparatory and two concluding bows humble us just enough to enable us to accomplish this with the appropriate reverence. The great Hassidic Master, Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa (1765-1827) would advise his students to always carry a precious gem in one pocket and a bit of dirt in the other pocket. Whenever they were feeling down, they were to reach into the pocket with the gem and realize they were also jewels in God’s eyes. Whenever they were feeling overconfident and haughty, they were to reach into the pocket with the dirt and realize they are also a piece of dust and to dust they would return. Along this same line, we are taught not to bow too much before God. Torah is not about self-effacement. Torah empowers us to diminish our egos and thereby become powerful, radiant souls, standing in the loving presence and radiance of God. Unlike Buddhists, we Jews do not strive for total self- nullification. Just the opposite—we strive to reveal our sacred self and stand tall in the presence of the Ultimate Self, thus fulfilling our loving covenant with God just like our forefather Avraham.