Vayikra

As we begin Sefer Vayikra, we are introduced to the laws of animal sacrifice. The point of animal sacrifice, explains הגרי"ל חסמן, is to bring us closer to Hashem, for at the time the animal is sacrificed the owner is to be thinking in his mind how he can get closer to Hashem.
There should be a pining in his heart to attain this. הגרי"ל חסמן infers this from the gemara that explains the reason why the Torah states by both the small paltry bird sacrifice & by the large animal sacrifice, 'עלה אשה ריח ניחוח לה , a pleasing fragrance to Hashem, is to teach us that no matter how much or how little one gives is irrelevant as long as the intention is pure & directed to Hashem. Even the shoresh of the word “korban” means getting closer.
It’s this intent to get closer to hashem that makes it a pleasing fragrance to Him.

However, continues ,הגרי"ל חסמן currently, instead of korbanos, we have tefila, prayer. Just as the main point of sacrifice is intent, so, too, by prayer it’s not enough to just go through the motions. Rather it’s what your intent is; what's in your heart is what counts.  
Unfortunately, some of us pray by rote without much intent & heart. How can we get the same feeling as if watching the Kohen sacrifice our animal, to get that connection to get closer to Hashem?

There's a story told about the בבא סאלי who used to have a meal on Rosh Chodesh to which a few rabbis were invited to attend. However, the majority of people attending were the people whose hardships & pain was just overpowering. They were there to get the tzaddik to pray for them & bless them. One such person did not stop crying as he told the  בבא סאלי his tale of woe. He has seven daughters at home whom he has to marry off without a penny to his name. As well, both he & his wife had sicknesses & pain. The problems never stopped. As he was crying & begging the בבא סאלי to pray for him, all those in attendance could see how this person’s pain was hurting the בבא סאלי.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened & the בבא סאלי 's son in law walked in. The בבא סאלי looked up, saw his son in law & raised his voice to say "why did you come in? Who told you to come here?" The room was silent. Everyone was shocked! Why was the בבא סאלי yelling at his son in law? Before anyone could say anything, the בבא סאלי said it again! Why are you here?

Then he turned to his son in law & said, “repeat after me. A son in law is like a son & a son can come into his father whenever he wants". Still in shock, it took a little while until he was able to say loudly & clearly like his father in law wanted,  " A son in law is like a son & a son can come into his father whenever he wants"

After he said it, the בבא סאלי walked to the wall & cried out " Father in heaven do you hear what my son in law said? A son can come into his father whenever he wants! I want to come to You now & beseech You to help out this poor man. After an hour of davening, the בבא סאלי came back to the table & turned to the poor man & said, “I davened & I was answered.”

The בבא סאלי felt so close to Hashem like a son to a father who could ask for anything!
Maybe if we could keep the thought in our heads that when we go to daven we are going to our Father to ask for help. No matter what's bothering us, our Father is there to help. This will inspire us to put a little more meaning into our tefilos thereby bringing us closer to Hashem!