Connection Requires Being Mentally Present

Kavana (the Hebrew word for concentration) and focus when davening to G-d and doing Mitzvot (G-d’s commandments) teaches us the importance of being present when we want to make connections with others. The Sages decreed that in certain parts of davening (prayer) like the Shema, the Amidah, Pseukei D’Zimra, and Kedusha we shouldn’t interrupt our prayers to converse with others while praying as our prayer is supposed to be a conversation with G-d. Just like people don’t like it when we get distracted and want to talk with us when they are middle of a conversation with us, we shouldn’t do the same thing with G-d. Our actions, thoughts, and words are the garments of the G-dly soul according to the Tanya. People gain so much about us from our words, our actions, and our thoughts. Our actions aren’t meaningless, and people can decide whether to have a stronger relationship with us based on how focused we are on them. The emphasis on Kavana in prayer and Mitzvot emphasizes that when we want a connection with G-d and other people in our eyes we have to be physically and mentally present. We have to intend to want to have a connection and relationship rather than going through the motions.