The consciousness and awareness of all-permeating Divinity, and the consequent love and reverence born there-from, are not to be restricted to the hours of communion alone.
The moments of Torah and tefilah should generate a state of mind and feeling that lasts continuously, throughout the rest of the day, even when involved with physical and material pursuits, even while attending to our bodily needs, even when in the midst of an association with people.
It is the state of mind which the Song on the relation between man and G-d poetically describes in the words of "I sleep, but my heart is awake; the voice of my Beloved knocks" (Songs 5:2).
For this very reason there are set times for tefilah, distributed over the span of the day.
One prayer will thus generate that feeling and state of mind until the time of the next prayer. The prayer of shacharit is the first thing in the morning, to exert its influence over all our thoughts and deeds of the day; and the prayer of arvit is the first thing in the evening, to hold and keep us through the night.
No less important is the prayer of minchah, in the afternoon.
It is recited in the midst of our activities, at the height of our mundane entanglements, at a moment when thoughts of the sublime appear altogether incongruous to our self-centered interests. Just then, at the very point of possible detachment, we need to strengthen our bonds.
We are told to interrupt whatever we are doing, and we are called upon to remember and acknowledge that there is a higher purpose to everything, that there is "Justice and a Judge" on whom everything depends.
Prayer thus demonstrates man's awareness of his dependence on his Creator, man's gratitude and appreciation.
For prayer is to remind us continually of G-d, to teach and remind us that G-d takes notice of us and our ways. All that is the union and conjunction implied by the word tefilah.
