The verse states, “Prepare to meet your God, Israel” (Amos 4:12). The Sages derive from this verse that one must prepare for prayer both physically and mentally.

Bodily preparation involves relieving oneself as necessary, clearing phlegm from one’s throat, and removing any other physical disturbance that might interfere with his concentration during prayer. One who feels a need to relieve himself is prohibited to pray until he does so. Also, since one must ensure that his hands are clean during prayer, he should wash his hands before beginning. This law applies primarily before the afternoon and evening services; as for the morning service, one may rely on the washing of hands performed after waking in the morning.

Preparing mentally and spiritually means commencing the prayer in a calm, deliberate state of mind. Before praying, it is desirable to give charity. Some recite the following sentence every day before the morning service:

“I hereby accept upon myself the positive commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

It is highly recommended, even for one who is completely fluent in the words of the prayer and knows them by heart, to pray from a prayer book. This will help him to concentrate better on the words.

Further reading: For more on the preparations for prayer, see A Concise Guide to the Sages, p. 457; A Concise Guide to Mahshava, p. 308.