Rabbi Howard Morrison

Many of us come to shul every Shabbat; many of us attend once or twice a month; some of us attend Minyan almost every day; others attend shul on Holy Days and/or special lifecycle occasions; Still others pray privately at home. Regardless, Why? Why do we pray at all?

The story is told of two friends, Reuven and Shimon. They come to shul together almost every Shabbat. Reuven comes to talk to God, and Shimon comes to talk to Reuven. It is true that some of us come to pray a lot and shmooze a little, and others come to shmooze a lot and pray a little.

Just over a week ago, on the third day of school, a terrible tragic shooting took place at a Catholic parochial school in Minneapolis during the school assembly's recitation of Mass. In the aftermath, there has been a debate, at least in the U.S., about the veracity of prayer.

I for one affirm the importance and need for prayer, all the time, and at specific times of joy, sadness, anger and disbelief. Prayer is not about necessarily getting all we want. Prayer is something mature and nuanced. In Hebrew, the term for prayer, Tefila, stems from the infinitive, L'Hiptalel, which means to look within the self. Prayer is as much looking within, finding the Godliness within ourselves, inasmuch as looking into the heavens for a cosmic supernatural presence.

Jews pray at three specific intervals of the day, based on the life experiences of our founding patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Early in the morning as Abraham prepares to sacrifice his son Isaac, Abraham prays. In the late afternoon, while still grieving for the loss of his mother and not speaking a word out loud, Isaac is found meditating in the open field. All alone at night for the first time in his life, fearing that his brother Esau is out to kill him, Jacob prays to God. At first, Jacob bargains with God. Twenty years later, a more mature Jacob prays to God once again fearful of Esau, but this time praying out of a sense of modesty and appreciation. Thus, we pray every day - morning, afternoon, and evening, based on the founding patriarchs facing real life challenges and experiences.

Whether we pray in the context of a group or alone, most of our prayers are couched in the plural. We pray for more than ME. We pray for WE. Sometimes that WE is the Jewish people, and sometimes that WE is the entire world. We are part of something greater than ourselves.

For some, Prayer reminds us of eternal timeless truths.

For some, Prayer connects us to other realms - a higher presence, connecting ourselves to the past/present/future.

For some, Prayer is done out of a sense of obligation and purpose.

For some, Prayer refines human character.

For some, Prayer is a form of spiritual discipline, or meditation, or group connection, or celebration, or group support.

Prayer does not guarantee a Divine response of YES or the granting of a miracle.

In Jewish history, when the first holy Temple was destroyed, our ancestors prayed, knowing that God was with them in the fire; that God was exiled with them; that God shared their pain. That theology has continued for the last 2500 years.

We pray that God listen to us. But we also pray that we should listen to the words ourselves: When we pray for health, what are we doing towards health? When we pray for peace, what are we doing towards peace? When we pray for justice, what are we doing towards justice? When we pray for compassion, what are we doing towards compassion? and the list goes on.

Books and books have been written on prayer. My Monday night class in person and on livestream after the Holy Day season will be a deep dive into prayer. This morning, just a few weeks before the High Holy Days and a week plus after a tragedy which took place in the context of prayer, I dedicate my brief remarks to the power and importance of prayer. I have shared with you many different ideas of why Jews pray, and there are more. I encourage each of us to find a meaningful purpose in our prayer life so that our coming to shul or praying at home is not merely to emulate Shimon talking to Avraham, but also to emulate Avraham talking to God.

May the memories of the two children murdered last week be for a blessing, and may the injured and their families find physical and emotional healing.

May the memories of the Jewish people lost over the last two years, and the memories of our own personal loved ones lost be for a blessing. 

May God hear our prayers, and may we hear them as well.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison