Of Prayers and Wicks

תפלה (prayer) is the essence of ones thirst for God. It is rooted in the word פתיל (wick), which is formed by twisting two thin threads until they become one. So, too, prayer is a person's wrapping himself around the light of God to unite with Him. Creating a wick is creating a tie, as the Ramba"m writes that if one twists two threads to form a wick on Shabbos, he is considered to have transgressed the prohibition of tying. Through prayer we tie ourselves and literally unite with Him.

The ultimate purpose of prayer is complete unity; we unite with God to become one. Prayer is a movement towards unity. The highest points of prayer, reciting the ד of the word אחד in recital of the Shema, or the mentioning of the word באהבה in the first blessing of the Shemoneh Esray, are each moments of complete unity with God to truly become one.

We conclude our prayers with והיה ה' למלך על כל הארץ ביום ההוא יהיה ה' אחד ושמו אחד, and God will be the King over the entire Earth, on the day God will be One and His name will be One, as it is an expression of the Unity which is the goal of prayer. Israel is part and parcel of God and our souls are connected to him. This is not just truly of Jews, but the entirety of Creation contains within it sparks of holiness which are naturally connected to God. The entirety of Creation proclaims the honor of God which fills and is found within everything.