תְּפִלָּה

“Prayer” in Hebrew is Tefillah (תְּפִלָּה), pronounced “te-fil-LAH.” Tefillah comes from the reflexive form of the root פ-ל-ל (pe-lamed-lamed), meaning 'to judge, to intercede.' The reflexive 'hitpallel' (to pray) literally means 'to judge oneself.' Prayer in Hebrew is fundamentally an act of self-examination before God, not merely making requests.

Tefillah (תְּפִלָּה) means “Prayer, intercession” in Biblical Hebrew. Tefillah appears approximately 77 times in the Hebrew Bible. The Psalms are the Bible's primary prayer book. Solomon's Temple dedication (1 Kings 8) uses tefillah repeatedly. Hannah's prayer (1 Samuel 2) and Jonah's prayer (Jonah 2) are famous biblical tefillot (plural).

Tefillah is pronounced “te-fil-LAH.” The word comes from the Hebrew root פ-ל-ל.

The reflexive root of tefillah reveals that biblical prayer is not primarily about changing God's mind but about changing ourselves. When you 'hitpallel' (pray), you stand before God's infinite truth and allow His light to expose, correct, and transform you. Prayer is the process of aligning your will with God's — self-examination in His presence.

Jewish tradition established three daily prayer services: Shacharit (morning, associated with Abraham), Minchah (afternoon, associated with Isaac), and Ma'ariv (evening, associated with Jacob). These correspond to the daily Temple sacrifices and ensure that no part of the day passes without turning to God. Daniel prayed three times daily facing Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10).

The Amidah (Standing Prayer), also called the Shemoneh Esrei (Eighteen Blessings), is the central prayer of Jewish liturgy, recited silently while standing three times daily. It includes praise, petition, and thanksgiving. The Amidah likely existed in some form during Jesus' lifetime, meaning He would have prayed these words regularly.