Out Of This World by Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser

"Moshe made a serpent of copper and placed it on the pole; so it
was that if the serpent bit a man, he would stare at the copper serpent
and live" (Bamidbar 21:9). The sages ask, "Does a serpent cause death
or life? Rather, when they looked upward and subjected their hearts to
their Father in Heaven they were healed, but if not, they died"
(Rashi).

Rabbeinu Yonah comments that when davening, one should
imagine that he is standing in Heaven. He must ban from his heart all
worldly pleasures and material enjoyment.

The Tur (Ohr HaChaim 98:1) says that the chassidim (righteous)
and the anshei ma`ase (men of deed) would have great kavanah
(intent) and concentrate on their tefillos (prayers) until they were able
to separate themselves from the physical world.

One of the most difficult nisyonos (tests) that we face daily is to
daven with proper kavanah. The Rokeach says that it is the main test
of a person every day.

Our sages give us a hint as to how to attain that kavanah, to be
able to separate ourselves from the world around us. As long as a
person is grounded to the physical world, it is hard to elevate oneself
to the proper level of concentration that is required for tefillah.
Therefore, the first step in tefillah is "Da lifnei mi ata omed" — "Know
before Whom you stand."

The Midrash Shochar Tov tells us that when we daven, an angel
waits in shul and gathers up all our tefillos into a bundle and takes
them to the Heavenly Throne. If a person could keep in mind at all
times that the Ribono Shel Olam (Master of the Universe) is listening
to every word of his tefillos, he would be compelled to take his kavanah
for tefillah to the next level.

Rabbi Simcha Zissel of Kelm said that the challenge of tefillah is
that we overcome our natural inclinations and thoughts, leaving
behind all concerns of this world. Rabbi Simcha Zissel quotes the
words of our Sages: "In the way that person conducts himself, Heaven
will respond in kind". Just as a person is able to dispel all foreign
thoughts and to have kavanah during tefillah, so will the attribute of
Hashem`s mercy overcome the attribute of strict justice.

The Divrei Chaim often spoke told his chassidim that during
Tefillas Shemonei Esrei, one should either keep his eyes closed, or look
directly into the siddur (prayer book). Once, the chassidim witnessed
the Divrei Chaim davening Shemone Esrei and his eyes were open and
seemingly moving around the room.

After davening, a chassid approached the Divrei Chaim, "Rebbe,
didn`t you tell us that during Shemone Esrei, we should either close
our eyes, or keep them on the siddur?"

The Divrei Chaim answered, "Yes, of course."

The chassid continued, "I am sorry, but I noticed that the Rebbe`s
eyes were wide open and not looking in the siddur during Shemone
Esrei."

The Divrei Chaim replied to the chassid, "They were? I didn`t
even know." The Divrei Chaim was so elevated and separated from
this earthly world, that he had lost cognizance of his physical being.