Before we get begin to pray we need to verbalize our commitment to fulfill the positive commandment of loving our fellow Jew. Why do we need to verbalize it why isn't it sufficient to simply think it? The answer is because in the world of thought in the spiritual world the world of the soul there is no distinction between one Jew and another. It is only in this physical world when the soul finds itself in a body do we speak about distinction. Therefore we need to verbalize it bringing it down into this physical world that in this world we accept upon ourselves the obligation of loving our fellow Jew.