Petichat Eliyahu is a passage from the Tikuney Zohar in which Eliyahu HaNavi teaches Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai some of the deepest secrets of Maaseh Bereshit (the process through which Hashem brought forth the entire creation) and Maaseh Merkavah (mankind's role in Hashem's overriding plan for creation). Petichat Eliyahu is sodot haTorah (the secret teachings of the Torah) turned into tefillah (prayer). Its purpose is clearly not solely intellectual understanding but soul-connection. By soul-connection, I mean connection with our soul-mission. By soul-mission, I mean grasping the deepest implications of our having been born at this time, the period that our sages called Ikvot Meshicha or Ikveta d'Meshicha, literally, the heels or footsteps of the Mashiach, the incremental steps and round-about paths of divine providence that will lead to the Final Redemption. May we be privileged to play our role in hastening the redemption in our days, amen.