What Christians Can Learn From Jewish Prayer

Trevor Peterson October 24, 2003

1 Introduction
1.1 Why should Christians study Jewish prayer?
Christianity and Judaism have a shared tradition. Both Christianity and (Rabbinic) Judaism as we know it today were born in the first centuries of this era. The religion of ancient Israel centered on a divinely ordained temple and state. In the Babylonian exile, this began to change with the rise of the synagogue as a local community for prayer and Torah study. Although the Hasmoneans had a temple and local authority, the old system was never fully restored. By the time of the first Christians, Jewish government was overseen by the Romans, and Jewish religion had fragmented into competing sects. Rabbinic Judaism, generally thought to derive primarily from the teaching of the Pharisees, and Christianity would emerge after the destruction of the temple as the most viable forms. But whereas Rabbinic Judaism would remain a primarily Jewish faith, Christianity would become predominantly Gentile in the following centuries. Jesus and his disciples probably used it. In those first decades of Christian growth, the general view of Christianity seems to have been that it was a Jewish sect. The Romans accorded it the same degree of religious freedom already allowed to Jews and saw disputes surrounding Christianity as intra-Jewish concerns (Acts 18:1416). The earliest disputes were about such matters as whether Gentile Christians had to undergo the Jewish practice of circumcision (Acts 15). Pauls regular practice, like that of Jesus, was to worship in Jewish synagogues. Undoubtedly, the earliest worship traditions of Christian communities were very similar, if not identical, to those of contemporary synagogues. This is not to say that synagogue worship today is the same as it was 2000 years ago. Certainly, there has been 1

much development over the centuries; but much of what was practiced then probably continues in some form even now. Jewish prayer uses Scripture extensively. One continuous factor seems to be the high proportion of Scripture used in Jewish prayer. Of course, this is only from the Hebrew Scriptures, since Rabbinic Judaism does not accept what we call the New Testament. But everything that is considered Scripture in Jewish tradition is also Scripture in Christian tradition, and most Protestants consider the Hebrew text to be the authoritative form. If we learn nothing else from Jewish prayer, there is a lot to be gained by reflecting on the way it uses Scripture in so many different types of prayers.

1.2 What are the distinctive features of Jewish prayer?

Rabbinic Judaism, like many other religious traditions, practices liturgical worship. This is an etymologically redundant phrase, but it is normally used to refer to worship styles that involve structured patterns of regular words and activities, as distinct from styles that tend to be more spontaneous or varied. In truth, these cannot be rigidly defined categories. Most worship settings involve a reasonable degree of structured regularity, if nothing else out of necessity. For instance, if we sang completely different songs at Bethany every week, we would spend too much effort learning the music and words and miss much of their intended significance. The distinction with Rabbinic Judaism and other liturgical traditions is that typically you could enter any Orthodox synagogue (or Catholic church, or Muslim mosque, etc.) and hear almost identical prayers in an almost identical order at roughly the same time of day anywhere in the world. Another feature shared by these liturgical traditions (at least, up until the past few decades in the case of Catholicism) is the regular use of a common language. Muslims pray in Arabic, regardless of their national language; until recently, Catholics prayed in Latin; Orthodox Jews pray in Hebrew (and some Aramaic). More liberal Jewish movements of the past century or so had moved away from the use of Hebrew in prayers, but recently there has been a shift back the other way. Today, it is not uncommon to hear a mixture of Hebrew and English prayers, although Orthodox Jews still stick to Hebrew. Jews are Scripturally required to say the ( shema) twice per day. There is also much about Jewish prayer that is intended to substitute for the temple services, which have been impossible to carry out physically since the end of the first century. Devout Jews pray three times per day (as was 2

Daniels practice during the exile)( morning), ( afternoon), and ( evening). These three services, if possible, are prayed in a minyan a minimum quorum of ten men. (Women are required to pray and may participate in the services, but they are not obligated to pray at any specific times and therefore are not counted for the quorum.) There are also prayers for when one rises in the morning and before bed at night. There is a grace said after meals, and various other blessings said as the occasion arises. Festivals and fasts have their own services, and the Sabbath in particular has a number of additional elements. Jewish prayer includes specific postures. Some prayers must be said standing up; others are recommended to be said sitting down. (Exceptions are made if a person is traveling during the time for prayer.) Some prayers involve taking a few steps forward or backward, and a special type of bowing. Jews pray facing Jerusalem (East, in this hemisphere; cf. 1 Kgs 8:29ff), usually toward a window (again, after the pattern in Daniel). Jewish men pray with their heads covered by a special shawl and while wearing (tefillin)small containers with leather straps that they bind on their hand and forehead, containing Scripture passages, according to Deut 6:8. Prayer follows what is called a ( siddur)a prayer book. It can be purchased in various sizes, usually with Hebrew but in many cases including English translation on a facing page. Most of the material for this series comes from the Artscroll Siddur, which is available through Amazon.com and is relatively inexpensive. In addition to the prayers and basic instructions, there are helpful notes explaining the significance of various elements, citing Scriptural references, and providing background information. A siddur is usually specific to some major tradition. You should be aware of Ashkenazic and Sephardic, two major regional traditions in Judaism. Ashkenazic refers to the tradition that was centered historically in central and eastern Europe. Its common spoken language for centuries was Yiddish, and it is the more well-represented tradition in America. Sephardic refers to the tradition that began in Spain. In 1492, all Jews were ordered to leave Spain, and many of them migrated along the Mediterranean coast as far as Palestine. They took with them the contemporary Spanish language, which became frozen in exile as Ladino. The two groups have different pronunciation of some of the Hebrew sounds, most evident in a word like Sabbath, which is pronounced by Ashkenazic Jews as Shabbos (accented on the first syllable), but by Sephardic Jews as Shabbat (accented on the second syllable). Today, many Jews from Ashkenazic descent now pronounce Hebrew with the Sephardic sound, which is essentially the system used in Modern Israeli Hebrew. But the Siddur preserves the traditional 3

pronunciation and some other minor differences between Ashkenazic and Sephardic prayers. (There is apparently some possible confusion between siddurs labeled as Sephardic. One type can refer to that used by Hassidic communities, which is different from what was outlined above.)

1.3 So what?
I think it is easy for us as Evangelicals to think this sort of thing is at least a little bit silly and at most a legalistic perversion of worship. To be sure, there are some negative effects to which liturgical worship is prone. The repetition can become such a routine that it loses meaning for the participants. The rigid format can stifle creativity in worship. It is usually more complicated than non-liturgical formats, and is such a routine for the regulars, that newcomers and outsiders easily feel lost. On the other hand, as already mentioned, the routine can also make it easier for participants to focus on the significance, since they do not have to think much about the procedure. Indeed, the amount of meaning that a participant gets out of the service depends more on an act of the will than on the format. The regularity also produces a continuity over time and space. Any Orthodox Jew can walk into any Orthodox synagogue and basically know how things are going to work. And they know that what they are doing this week has been done by their people for centuries past. The liturgy has had a chance to develop over time, to increase in depth and substance. There may not be a lot of room for spontaneous creativity, but the cummulative effect of drawing on the creativity of past ages is a powerful thing in itself. The difficulty presented for newcomers to try to adjust is a real problem. But if they are seriously seeking something different, they should also be able to see that others have grown comfortable with the various elements, and the process of helping them to adjust can be a learning experience in itself. Im not trying to say that we ought to do things exactly the same way. But I do think we stand to learn some important lessons. The sense of continuity with the past and with the larger community of believers is one thing; the depth of accummulated wisdom over centuries of development is another. And we should keep in mind too that the worship ordained in Scripture was highly structured. Whatever else we may say about the pros and cons involved, we at least know that it was valued by the one we worship.

2 /
Two of the most commonly-said and well-known prayers in the siddur are the shema and the amidah. The shema is recited at least twice daily in compliance with the command in Deut 6:7 to speak these words when you lie down and when you rise up. It expresses the core belief of Judaism. The name comes from the first word of Deut 6:4, the imperative meaning hear! This verse is the basic content of the shema, but it is normally recited in context, along with some preparatory blessings. The core of all three daily prayers is the amidah, which comes from the Hebrew root ,meaning to stand. This prayer must normally be said while standing in one place, without significant pause or interruption. In the regular service, it is recited silently (in a low voice, but still spoken) to oneself (cf. 1 Sam 1:13), then repeated by the leader. Another name is the shemoneh esrei, which is simply the Hebrew number 18. This name refers to the 18 benedictions that make up the prayer. This is a historical designation, since over time the number grew to 19. (The number 18 when written as a numeral is ,which are the letters used to spell life in Hebrew. This is a very popular number in Jewish tradition, including the giving of monetary bar mitzvah gifts in multiples of 18.) In each benediction, the most central idea is the last stated. The prayer opens with a recitation of Ps 51:17 (19), which is followed in context by an acknowledgement that the heart condition is more important than sacrifice. 1. In the first blessing, the forefathers are remembered for their individual relationships with God and their obedience without command. This prayer is linked to Gods calling of Abraham. 2. The second and 3. third blessings correspond to the sacrifice of Isaac and Jacobs vision of the ladder. 4. The fourth prayer begins a set of thirteen requests, first asking for wisdom, which is necessary to know what else to ask for. It is associated with the wisdom Joseph needed to rule Egypt. These thirteen requests are replaced on the Sabbath and holy days with a single prayer about the nature of the day, to show that the concerns of daily life are laid aside.

5. The fifth prayer deals with repentance and is linked to Reubens sin against his father. It follows the prayer for wisdom, because wisdom leads to right direction. 6. After repentance comes the prayer for forgiveness, which is associated with Judahs sin against Tamar. 7. The seventh prayer leaves sin in the past and looks forward to redemption. It commemorates the ministry of Moses to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt. 8. The eighth prayer corresponds with Abrahams circumcision (an event normally done on the eighth day of life) and the healing that God provided. It follows the spiritual restoration of redemption with physical restoration. 9. After the body is healed, the mind turns to finances, and the ninth prayer addresses this issue. It recalls the way that God prospered Isaac when he was forbidden from going to Egypt as Abraham had done in time of famine. 10. The prosperity of the ninth prayer calls to mind a restoration from exile to the place where God intended to prosper his people. The tenth prayer asks for this restoration and corresponds to the reunification of Jacobs children in Egypt. 11. Since such a restoration requires leadership and justice, the eleventh prayer, corresponding to the giving of the Torah commands, asks for the judges of Israel to be restored. 12. The twelfth prayer is the extra that makes the count today 19 instead of 18. According to tradition, it was added around the end of the first century, after the destruction of the temple and the removal of the Jewish leadership to Yavneh. Corresponding to the destruction of the Egyptian army at the Red Sea, it asks for Gods judgment on enemies and heretics. The objects in mind are Jews who know enough to do what is right but either willfully rebel against God or try to lead other Jews astray. It comes here in the sequence partly because the original cause of its inclusion was the threat of the Sadducees, who had been part of the Sanhedrin, and partly because of the prayer for the righteous that follows.

13. The thirteenth prayer asks for Gods blessing on the righteous and corresponds to the death of Jacob in Egypt, when he knew finally regarding Joseph that God had been faithful. It also contains a later addition, as converts to Judaism were not mentioned until severe persecution brought to light their significance. 14. The fourteenth prayer, for the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple, corresponds naturally to the completion of Solomons temple. It follows the prayer for the righteous, because the presence of God is seen in them even now. 15. The fifteenth prayer, for the glory of salvation, corresponds to Israels song of deliverance after the Red Sea. It follows naturally from the desire for a restored temple. 16. The sixteenth prayer, for God to hear, corresponds to the time when God heard the cries of Israel in Egypt. It anticipates the heightened level of prayer that will be possible when salvation is realized. It also makes sense in this position as the last of the personal requests, because it expresses the ultimate desire of all prayer. 17. The seventeenth prayer asks for the restoration of Gods presence and corresponds to the restoration of his presence among Israel in the tabernacle. Because this need of Gods presence applies to all humanity, it is not considered a personal request; instead, it is categorized with the last two benedictions as thanksgiving for what God has done and will do. 18. The eighteenth prayer, the prayer of thanksgiving, corresponds to the opening of the temple gates to the ark, in fulfillment of Gods promises to David. It follows the presence of God with thanksgiving. 19. The final prayer, for a blessing of peace, corresponds to Gods promise to settle Israel in the land under Joshua. It follows naturally from his presence with his people.

3 Occasional Prayers
3.1 /
One of the major features of Jewish life comprises its various feasts, fasts, and festivals. Overshadowing all of them is the weekly Sabbath rest. Sab7

bath is a gift from God to his people. Its coming is anticipated as a groom anticipates his bride. Its departure is prolonged before the next week begins. The sabbath services contain the usual prayers of every other day, but several new elements are also introduced. Similarly, there are unique prayers for various occasions throughout the year.

3.2 Other Occasions

In addition to those prescribed seasons of the year when special remembrance is made, or note is taken of Gods goodness, there are seasons of life that everyone observes. From birth, to maturity, to marriage, to death, special services and prayers mark the flow of life here on earth.

4 Affirmations and Blessings

4.1
The kaddish is recited several times during each public service, traditionally by those mourning the death of a close relative within the past year. For this reason it is often referred to as the mourners kaddish, although that can seem like an inappropriate label. There is nothing specifically about mourning in the prayer; rather, it is an affirmation of the sovereignty of God. The kaddish is one of the few prayers in the siddur that is entirely in Aramaic, rather than Hebrew. It is difficult to know why Aramaic was chosen, although some speculate that at the time this prayer was introduced, Aramaic was the primary language of the Jewish communities, and it was desirable to have this affirmation in the language of the people. Whatever the reason, its traditional language has been maintained over the centuries.

4.2
In addition to regular prayers, there are several blessings normally included in a siddur. These are often short proclamations that help one to remember the goodness of God in every setting. It is said that a devout Jew ought to say at least 100 blessings every day, most of which are accounted for by saying the prescribed prayers. Others are filled in by looking for specific opportunities. One of the longest and most regular of the blessings is the grace after meals. Although there are blessings to say before consuming various types of food or drink, the real prayer of thanksgiving over a meal is said afterward, according to the order found in Deut 8:10. 8