Belt during Prayer

Is it necessary to wear a belt or gartel during prayer?

When wearing pants, even if one's heart does not see the nakedness, it is required by law to pray with a belt, because it is said: "Prepare to meet your God, O Israel." If one is not accustomed to wearing a belt all day, he is not obligated, but it is a measure of piety to be careful to wear a belt during prayer, even if he is not accustomed to it. However, the belt on the pants that he wears all day is sufficient and still considered preparation, and there is no need to wear an additional belt. Nevertheless, if his father customarily wore a gartel, he should not change his father's custom, and some have written that this is based on mystical teachings.

The Shulchan Aruch in Siman 92, section 2, writes: "One must gird oneself with a belt during prayer, even if he has a belt that prevents his heart from seeing nakedness, because of preparation." The Mishnah Berurah in Sk 4 writes that it is a measure of piety to ensure praying with a belt, even if he does not wear it all day. From his words, it is implied that the main rule of the Shulchan Aruch is for those who wear a belt all day, and it is still considered preparation, as preparation means standing ready before the Almighty in his prayer. This is also proven from the Gemara in Shabbat 9b, which discusses the evening prayer that was voluntary before it was accepted as obligatory, from when it was permitted when he began to eat, that he did not need to trouble himself and pray, and the method of Rabbi Chanina from when he untied his belt, he was not troubled to gird himself again, and the Gemara says that he could not pray like that when he was not girded with a belt, because of preparation to meet your God, O Israel, proves that when he prays according to the law and fulfills the obligation of preparation, he did not need to gird himself with a belt, but remain in his existing belt.