CCAR RESPONSA
Contemporary American Reform Responsa
171. The Lord’s Prayer
QUESTION: A rabbi
who has joined Alcoholics Anonymous discovered that the meetings concluded with the recitation
of the “Lord’s Prayer.” He personally does not feel uncomfortable with that prayer, but wonders
whether it is appropriate for him as a rabbi to participate in the recital of that
prayer.
ANSWER: As you have indicated in your letter, it is clear that the “Lord’s
Prayer” is Jewish in spirit and parallels a number of ancient Jewish prayers. This has been
discussed at some length by a wide variety of Jewish scholars from Kaufmann Kohler to Jakob
Petuchowski (Kaufmann Kohler, “The Lord’s Prayer,” Jewish Encyclopedia, VoI. VIII, pp.
183 f; C. G. Montefiore, Rabbinic Literature and Gospel Teachings; Jakob Petuchowski
and Michael Brocke, The Lord’s Prayer and Jewish Liturgy) .
The problem does
not lie with the origin of the prayer, or its Talmudic parallels (Ber. 16b f, 29b; Tosefta Ber.
3.7), but with the fact that Jesus taught it to his disciples (Matt. 6.9 ff; Luke 11.1 ff). Furthermore,
it has become the central prayer of Christianity, and, in fact, is one of the strongest bonds
between the Catholic and Protestant forms of Christianity. Although its content is neutral and it
does not contain any direct reference to Christianity, its origin with Jesus and its strong Christian
overtones makes its use unacceptable to Jews. It would, therefore, be better if Jews refrained
from its recital even in a non-religious setting like Alcoholics Anonymous. As it is recited at the
conclusion of the meeting, there is really no reason to participate. One can stand in silence, and I
am sure that this would be respected and understood. An alternative would be the recital of
Psalm 23 which has been used by a number of chapters at the conclusion of their
meetings.
July 1985
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