How Does Prayer Work? A Rationalist Approach to Tefilah, or What Larry David Got Wrong (220)

Orthodox Conundrum

We stand in the middle of the month of Elul, and are moving quickly towards Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - days largely spent in the synagogue in prayer. Throughout those days as well as the rest of the Ten Days of Repentance, we ask that God grant us a year of life, goodness, and peace. While we have so much to be thankful for, we may be forgiven for looking at the past year - and the prayers we offered last Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - and wondering if our prayers failed. We may even wonder what the point of the entire exercise was.

Put starkly: does prayer work - and if it does, what does that mean?

To understand the place of prayer in Jewish religious consciousness, Scott spoke to Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum, who was a popular guest on this podcast right before Pesach. They talked about the definition of prayer, whether it can actually change God’s mind, what it means for a prayer to be successful, why praying for someone else is important, the ways that prayer can teach us about Jewish theology, how prayer can support faith, and more. They even analyzed a scene from the comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm which attacks the very idea of praying for another person, and talked about the response to Larry David’s criticisms of the institution of prayer.

Rabbi Zarum’s approach is Maimonidean and rationalist, though he is quick to acknowledge the place of mystical thought and emotions in his own spiritual life. This is a specific approach to prayer, though certainly not the only one; we hope and anticipate that you will find it interesting, important, and inspiring.

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com