Speaking to God

Our most important relationship is not with our parents, not with our spouse, not with our siblings nor our children. It is with our Creator. Yet how many of us speak to Him from the heart? Why do our prayers often seem mechanical or meaningless?

Speaking to God, by the late chaplain and innovative Jewish educator, Rabbi Zev Schostak, teaches us to approach God with love and inspiration — the way we always wanted — guiding us toward developing a deeper, more personal approach to prayer. Passionate about prayer, Rabbi Schostak was devoted to demonstrating that tefillah is more than merely reciting prayers — it is the way we speak to God and develop a close relationship with Him.

He lived long enough to perfect his masterpiece, but not to see it published. This book is his legacy to the Jewish People — his gift to us.

“A comprehensive, nearly encyclopedic sourcebook for all who wish to expand their understanding of the Jewish prayer book … [will] enhance and intensify [their] emotional connection to the prayer experience.”

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb

About the Author:
Rabbi Zev Schostak was the founder and director of Legacy 613, the first organization dedicated solely to the mission of making prayer meaningful — intellectually and experientially — in the life of every Jew, young or old. In order to achieve its mission, Legacy partnered with like-minded organizations, foundations, and schools to provide vision, educational expertise, and resources in developing effective tefillah programming and instructional materials. Ordained in Jerusalem by Rabbi Yechezkel Sarna, rosh yeshiva of Chevron, and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, he also held an MA from the University of Detroit and earned permanent certification as a New York State school administrator and supervisor.

Prior to founding Legacy 613, Rabbi Schostak served as director of pastoral care at the Gurwin Jewish Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Commack, Long Island, for nearly thirty years. He also had a distinguished career as a teacher and principal at yeshiva elementary and high schools in New York and Michigan.

Rabbi Schostak wrote extensively on end-of-life bioethics and the issues of aging in halachah. He served as a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Medicine in Contemporary Society at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and was honored for his leadership and contributions to professional chaplaincy and Jewish medical ethics as the Rabbinical Council of America’s Healthcare Chaplain of the Year in 2012.