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Further update: Reflections on Yomim Noraim davening

A person finds that his thoughts are confused and his mind is distracted: He may not pray till he has recovered his mental composure. Hence, on returning from a journey or if one is weary or distressed, it is forbidden to pray till his mind is composed. The sages said that he should wait three days till he is rested and his mind is calm, and then he recites the prayers...

Any prayer uttered without mental concentration is not prayer. If a service has been recited without such concentration, it must be recited again devoutly. A person finds that his thoughts are confused and his mind is distracted: He is forbidden to pray till he has recovered his mental composure. Hence, on returning from a journey or if one is weary or distressed, it is forbidden to pray till his mind is composed. The sages said that he should wait three days till he is rested and his mind is calm, and then he recites the prayers...

I wonder if the much less sharp language of the poskim in OH 98 is evidence to the contrary: These more recent poskim seem to say instead that you really really need to have kavannah, but... let's talk about whether you have to pray again if you pray without. I'm not seeing a nice clear, Don't pray.

I wonder if the much less sharp language of the poskim in OH 98 is evidence to the contrary: These more recent poskim seem to say instead that you really really need to have kavannah, but... let's talk about whether you have to pray again if you pray without. I'm not seeing a nice clear, Don't pray. Still, might that be the logical conclusion?