Pittsburgh

What follows is a message written by my wife, Jill in memory of those killed in Pittsburgh. I fully concur.

When Christians pray – separately or together - they pray, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.” Or they sing, “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! 

Jewish prayer is very different, because in Jewish prayer, there is no ‘I’ or ‘me.’ Additionally, according to Jewish tradition, prayer is an act most fittingly performed in the presence of a community. In fact, certain key prayers may only be recited in the presence of a minyan – a quorum of ten adult Jews. If the quorum isn’t present, meaning if the community isn’t present, the prayers may not be said. 

When my community gathers to confess our sins on Yom Kippur, we are not just confessing our individual sins. We are confessing sins for the entire community of Jews across the entire world. “Adonai, we come to you aware of our failings. We are careless, false, heartless, insolent and joyless.  May it be your will, God of all generations, to pardon all our sins and to forgive all our wrongdoings.” And when we ask for blessings, we ask for the worldwide community of Jews as well. “Grant us life, well-being, lovingkindness and peace. Bless us, Adonai our God, with all that is good.”  

It is among the sacred duties of every Jew to show up and be counted so our prayers can be said -- so they can be said on behalf of all Jews, everywhere. Remember, there is no ‘I’ or ‘we’ in Jewish prayer. Without exception, Jewish prayer is about the greater whole – the corporate body of Jews throughout the world. 

So ~ thank you to all of you who have reached out to comfort us and our community in the last few days.  In doing so, you have comforted not only us, but Jews everywhere, all over the world.