What if a person does not understand the Hebrew words?
The Avudraham writes, “Most of the masses raise their voices in prayer before Hashem, but are aimlessly going about like a blind man in darkness, not understanding the words they are praying”. The first step towards davening with thought must surely be to study a translation of the prayers. Only after mastering the meaning of the words can one hope to proceed to deeper levels of concentration. May a person daven in English? • If he cannot read Hebrew, he may temporarily daven using a reliable English translation, until he is able to read Hebrew. • If he can read Hebrew, he should daven in Hebrew. In this day and age, when there is a proliferation of siddurim that provide a running translation, there is no excuse for davening in English. With persistent use of such a siddur, a person will soon master the Hebrew language, making his davening more meaningful. • In extenuating circumstances, a rav should be consulted. Is a person obligated to pray daily? The Torah commands, “And you shall
