103. Our Position During Prayer

18:5 During Shemoneh Esrei, we stand with our feet together as if they were a single leg as per the description of angels in Ezekiel 1:7, “their legs were like a straight (single) leg.” One should bow his head slightly close his eyes, so as not to glance around the room. If praying from a siddur, he should keep his eyes in the siddur. We place our hands over our hearts, with the right hand over the left hand. One should pray sincerely, with proper awe and humility, like a poor person asking for help at the door. We should concentrate on the words and be sure to pronounce them properly. Everyone should pray according to his own nusach (version of the liturgy), such as Sefardi, Ashkenazi, etc., all of which contain the same essential elements. One may not, however, mix and match pieces of different nusachs since each one is like a puzzle whose pieces fit together but which may not be interchangeable.

18:6 When saying Shemoneh Esrei, a person should be able to hear what he is saying, but he must not be so loud that the next person will hear him, as we see from Chana in I Samuel 1:13, “Her lips were moving but her voice could not be heard.”