Prayer Skills-Yesod v’Shoresh haAvodah

The 18th of Adar is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Alexander Ziskind.  It is very good if you mentally translate each word of prayer, or two together, or sometimes three words together when the matter is extended. You should not take four words together even if it seems to you that they naturally go together. Stick to three words at a time and no more. There are many benefits in this method.

The first is that you will be protected from foreign thoughts because your mind will be fully occupied with the holy thoughts of translating the words. (Yesod v’Shoresh haAvodah, Gate 5, chapter 3)