father that she was having problems with her maid. He admonished her gently and said that she probably did not have the proper kavanos on Rosh Hashanah when davening for a good maid. We mere mortals cannot fathom the greatness and kedusha of the Baal Shem Tov and his daughter, let alone know which kavanos he was talking about. But one thing is certain: If we always keep in mind that it is Hashem Who orchestrates everything in this world, we would come to the realization that not only is there nothing too hard for Him, but nothing is too petty or mundane for us to ask of Him either. We must also remember not to underestimate the value of our tefillos. The first Belzer Rebbe zt”l refused to daven in a shul that did not have an ezras nashim. The tefillos of Yiddishe mammas are very holy and vital to the kedusha of the makom tefillah. The management of the Ponevezh Yeshiva once
And yes, you should even daven for a good cleaning lady.
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met to address the problem of overcrowding in the beis medrash during the Yomim Noraim. Someone came up with the suggestion to send the younger students up to the balcony, thus effectively eliminating the ladies section. The Rosh Yeshivah emphatically refused, saying, “Aren’t you aware that your tefillos go up to Shamayim on the backs of the ladies’ davening?” As for formal tefillah, here are some ideas that you may be able to incorporate into your daily life: Say Birchas Hashachar “inside.” It does not have to be a siddur. There are laminated cards (which look like bentchers) that easily fit into a kitchen drawer. And if your busy lifestyle precludes davening during the week, then at least try to pick up a siddur on Shabbos. And on the rare afternoon, when supper is cooking and the children are actually engrossed in a good game and not fighting, chap arein and daven a Minchah. It’ll be a short break that will give you fuel that will last you for the next few hectic hours. And once the children will be out of the house, iy”H, you will be able to incorporate a full Shacharis into your daily routine. As my mother, a”h, used to say, “Every age has its own compensation.” May Hashem listen to all of our tefillos, however, wherever and whenever they’re said, and may He bentch us all with Yiddishe nachas gezunterheit.