The Arizal's Powerful Secret for Better Prayer: Why Love for Others Comes First

Every morning, before the first words of the Shacharit prayer left their lips, the holy Arizal asked one thing of his students.

Not a mystical meditation. Not a complex Kabbalistic intention.

He asked them to love.

Rabbi Chaim Vital records in Sha'ar HaGilgulim (Introduction 38): "My teacher of blessed memory instructed me and all the members of our group that before the morning prayer we should accept upon ourselves the positive commandment of 'Love your fellow as yourself,' and intend to love every Jew as one loves one's own soul. Through this, one's prayer will ascend included with all of Israel, and it will be able to rise and bring about rectification Above."

This testimony, recorded by Rabbi Chaim Vital in the name of his teacher, is more than a recommendation. The Arizal uses the language of instruction and warning to emphasize its importance.

According to the Arizal's teachings, all Jewish souls are interconnected like the organs of a single body. Therefore, a prayer that emerges from a heart lacking love for fellow Jews rises incomplete.

In contrast, someone who consciously accepts the mitzvah of "Love your fellow as yourself" before praying connects himself to the entire Jewish people. His prayer is no longer the prayer of an individual alone. As a result, it gains a unique power to ascend and bring spiritual influence into the higher worlds.

How Do We Fulfill "Love Your Fellow as Yourself"?

The essence of this mitzvah lies in a sincere inner intention to love every Jew "as oneself" — just as a person naturally loves himself.

The Rambam writes: "Every person is commanded to love each and every Jew as he loves himself, as it is stated, 'Love your fellow as yourself' (Leviticus 19:18). Therefore, one should speak in his praise and be protective of his property just as he is protective of his own property and concerned for his own honor. One who gains honor through the disgrace of another has no share in the World to Come." (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De'ot 6:3)

Why Is It So Difficult to Love Others?

There are two primary reasons that often distance us from loving others.

1. People Have Hurt Us

Sometimes we are hurt by the words or actions of others, and feelings of resentment or even hatred develop in our hearts.

The remedy is to remember that ultimately all events are directed by God, not by human beings alone.

As the Sages teach: "A person does not stub his finger below unless it has been decreed above." (Chullin 7b)

This perspective does not excuse harmful behavior, but it can help us release some of the bitterness and anger that prevent love from growing.

2. We Judge Others Harshly

People are often quick to assume the worst about others.

One practical solution is to imagine that the person in question is your own child, parent, or close family member. Suddenly it becomes much easier to judge them favorably and to search for a compassionate explanation for their behavior.

The Special Importance of Loving Friends

The Arizal added another dimension to this teaching: the love of one's close companions.

He taught: "Especially regarding the love of our companions, each of us should include himself as though he were one limb among these friends."

The Arizal deliberately uses the imagery of a body. One limb does not feel that it is "helping" another limb. It simply recognizes that they are part of the same organism.

This was the model the Arizal sought to create among his students — not mere cooperation, but unity; not simply closeness, but shared identity.

Why Specifically Before Shacharit?

The morning prayer opens the day and sets the emotional and spiritual tone for everything that follows.

A person who begins the day with thoughts of love for fellow Jews carries a different perspective into every interaction, every conversation, and every decision throughout the day.

We often think that prayer is solely a matter between a person and God, but the Arizal teaches that this is not enough.

A prayer that emerges from a heart closed to others cannot function on the same level as a prayer that comes from a heart filled with love and connection.

When a person approaches prayer with genuine love for every Jew, he arrives not as an isolated individual but as part of something much larger than himself.

According to the Arizal, it is precisely this sense of unity that gives prayer its extraordinary power to ascend and bring spiritual influence into the higher worlds.