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The Rabbis’ Struggle with Personal and Private Prayer

Tue, December 18, 8:30 to 10:00am, Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center, Beacon Hill 2 & 3

Abstract

The proposed paper deals with one aspect of the Phenomenology of Jewish liturgy as reflected in classical rabbinic literature – the great merit ascribed to public prayer in the Synagogue and its supremacy over the private prayer of individuals. Not only did the rabbis repeatedly praise public prayer (e.g. Bavli Berakhot 5b-8a), but often we encounter reluctant if not negative attitudes toward people who pray on their own (ibid.), even, and maybe especially, if the prayer is described as genuine and heartfelt.
I will discuss a few possible reasons for preferring the public prayer of the synagogue, and argue that beyond reflecting the desire to create a proper national and communal awareness, it also serves to identify and mitigate extreme political and religious attitudes.
Moreover, the strong emphasis on public prayer reflects a desire to control and regulate the way people interact with the divine, precisely because of the great efficacy ascribed to the spontaneous prayer of the individual; and thus danger when uncontrolled.

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