Praying With Passion

P'sukei d'Zimra: Hodu The Power of Holiness

Meaning: translation…Render might to G-d, Whose majesty hovers over Israel and Whose might is in the clouds. You are awesome, O G-d, from your sanctuaries, O G-d of Israel - it is He Who grants might and power to the people, blessed is G-d.
Theme: An essential concept of the prayer
A Powerful Presence
Hashem’s holiness is powerful in our sanctuaries.
Insight: Deeper meanings…
Always Near
A fundamental question arises: If Hashem is Omnipresent, why do we single out the Shechina’s Presence in certain holy places—such as a shul during tefilla? What is the significance of the Shechina’s Presence in these sacred places if Hashem is everywhere and anywhere?
The Aruch L’Ner (She’eilot UTshuvot Binyan Tzion 3) explains the concept as follows: the Shechina, which we refer to as residing in various holy places, is not the actual entity of the Divine Presence, but an emanation of it. The Torah calls the Shechina “the Glory of Hashem”, and specifies locations in the earthly sphere where the Shechina’s Presence is apparent (Sh’mot 24:16; 40:34): “And the Glory of Hashem dwelled on Mount Sinai” and “the Glory of Hashem filled the Mishkan.”
Rav Chaim Friedlander, Mashgiach of the Ponevezh Yeshiva (Sifsei Chayim, Pirkei Emunah V’Hashgacha vol. 1, p.170, citing the Ramchal) explains that “Shechina” -  which refers to “that which resides in your midst” -  represents our relationship with Hashem.
Thus, although His Presence is indeed constant, our awareness of the Shechina is stronger when we are inspired by an occasion or a place of holiness. To the extent that we seek the Shechina, we find It.
Therefore, Eitz Yosef explains that even though the actual entity of the Divine Presence rests above, NORA ELOKIM MIMIKDASHECHA, the emanation of it is awesome here in our own shuls.
Visualize:
Images that bring the prayer to life
Where the Shechina
Shines Bright
The sun shines down upon the earth. One person, living near the equator, stands outside in broad daylight and feels intense heat beating down on his head. He travels a few hundred miles north, and the rays seem weaker. He steps into the shade of a tree and the sun’s rays are obstructed. Dusk sets in and the sun disappears below the horizon. Yet out there in space, 93 million miles away, the sun is still emanating its constant blaze of light and heat, utterly unabated. To the person experiencing the sun’s heat, it seems to change from time to time and place to place, but it is not really the sun that is changing.
The same idea applies to the Shechina; the Glory of Hashem resides in the distant Heavens, while the Shechina’s Presence on earth refers to the force of holiness and sacredness that emanates from the Glory of Hashem so far away. This explains how different degrees of Shechina rest in diverse holy places. The Ohr HaChayim HaKadosh (B’reishit 46:4) comments that the levels of kedusha emanating from the Shechina vary according to the holiness of people present, the activities in which they are engaged, and the place they are occupying.
Try this: The next time you walk into your shul or beit medrash, imagine that the room is ablaze with brilliant light, and that light is the Shechina, shining, its holiness for everyone to see.
Try this: Chazal (see Yechezkiel 11:16) tell us that because we no longer merit having the Holy Temple, our shuls serve as a Mikdash Me’at, a small Sanctuary, and our prayers substitute for the offerings. The Mishna B’rura 151:1 explains that since a shul is called Mikdash Me’at, the exhortation “and My Sanctuary shall you revere” (Vayikra 19:30) applies to every shul, each of which has the halachic status of kedusha. So holy are these way stations of exile scattered throughout the world that they will be transported to Jerusalem when Mashiach arrives (Megila 29a).

The mission of the V’Ani Tefillah Foundation is to increase awareness of the importance and power of tefillah and to provide education, inspiration, and tools for more sincere, powerful, and effective tefillah. (http://www.prayingwithfire.org)

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