Rav Shmuel Auerbach, one of the great Roshei Yeshivot of Yerushalayim, who passed away not long ago, was the son of the great of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, one of the great poskim of the generation. In describing his father, in his Sefer MiRosh MiKedem (page 212), Rav Shmuel writes that throughout his father's life, people would come to him, asking him for things to do for a zechut when there was a problem.
One of the things that he would often say was to work on being careful with simple Berachot such as Shehakol, Adamah, HaEtz, etc.
One line in particular was very powerful to me:
“Whenever you make a beracha, focus and feel that you're blessing Somebody, and you received from Somebody.”
As simple as this may sound it’s very, very profound.
Some people are careful to read Asher Yatzar from a card because they don't want to say it very fast. Or they look inside when they say Birkat Hamazon.. and so on..
You can be very careful with what you're saying, and say it slowly. And you might say that when it comes to prayers, “The main thing is to focus on the words.” Yes. That's all very good.
But do you actually feel that you're talking to somebody? Do you actually feel like you received something from somebody? When we make a shehakol on a cup of coffee, do we feel that? Its not enough to just read Shehakol, Asher Yatzar or Amida.
We have to feel like we are talking to Somebody; like we just received something from Somebody, and we are thanking that Somebody.
It sounds very simple, but it's truly profound, because that's what it means to have, in the words of Rav Wolbe, a living relationship with God.
God is a reality. I don't see Him, but I get things from Him, And I thank Him for what He gave me.
This is very deep.
A person can go through his whole life praying and not really feeling that I’m talking to Somebody.. We can say a beracha without really feeling like, “ I just received that.” You should feel like the waiter came to your table and served you, so you say, Thank you. You should feel the way you do when you get something from somebody; like when you go to somebody's house and they give you an expensive bottle of wine, a drink, or whatever it may be. You just received something from Somebody. Did you really feel that way when you made the beracha?
When we have a piece of watermelon, do we think, “I just received something from Somebody and I'm thanking Him for that thing.” This is an Avoda, but these simple things are what make great people great.
It’s something to think about and work on.
As the Ramchal tells us, One of the most difficult things about praying is realizing that God is here. Because our senses don't help us with this. We are physical people. We see, we smell, we hear, we taste, we feel, and none of those senses help us in our relationship with God. That's why it's so difficult. And that's why it's so profound to truly be able to feel that you're receiving something from Somebody and thanking that Somebody for that something.
Think about it. It’s not so simple.
And it’s something to work on.
Have a wonderful day.