Cyberthought by Rabbi Zelizer -- September 17, 2008

Frequent questions to the Rabbi about Judaism. His answers will be appearing as Cyberthoughts over time.

Question # 7
Q. Do I have to be in synagogue to pray?

A. The story of the little girl at the beach on Shabbat morning who asked her father "Why aren't we in synagogue praying?" The father answered the girl "Sweetie, you know that we don't have to be in the synagogue to pray. We can pray here at the beach." To which the little girl responded "We could pray here at the beach Dad, but we won't will we?" The point of that story is that of course one does not have to be in the synagogue to pray, but in the Jewish context one has to be in the synagogue to join a religious community in prayer. That is what a minyan is all about. The purpose of structured prayer is to provide an environment and context in which one can and probably will pray, not must pray.