Prayer v Tefillah

 In English, “prayer” comes from the Old French word preiere — to ask, to entreat. That makes sense: we often think of prayer as asking G-d for what we need. But the Hebrew word — tefillah — tells a much deeper story. Tefillah comes from the root t-f-l — to attach, to connect. It’s not a transaction; it’s intimacy. It’s not just about what we need from G-d, but about the relationship itself.