I envy the Israeli who speaks Hebrew as her common language and the same language in her religious worship. As an American Jew, I have used English as my everyday means of communicating and thinking; for religious worship, I have used English and Hebrew.
For most of my life I have worshipped in a Reform synagogue. I have appreciated the predominant use of English in prayer, study and worship. While I can read Hebrew slowly and can translate some words and concepts, I am unable to do serious thinking in Hebrew. Over the past two decades I have been increasingly disappointed with the increasing use of Hebrew in Reform services.
This change in religious services has resulted in a decline in my ability to have successful prayer experiences and to learn text information. I find that Torah and Talmud study, which are conducted outside of religious services in English, represent my most appreciated and reverent religious experiences.
For me, prayer is one of the most difficult challenges I have in my religious worship. When I am able to succeed in prayer, I feel rewarded and uplifted. These events rarely happen when the longer prayer is said in Hebrew because I cannot fully understand the meaning of the prayer.
Some of my friends on either side of me at services, who represent an important part of my religious experience, feel rewarded in hearing the prayer in Hebrew, even though they don’t understand the Hebrew. In our congregation I would estimate that 30 percent of the congregation can read Hebrew. I spoke with my rabbi about what percentage of members could read, translate and think in Hebrew. He thought it would be less than 5 percent.
I am deeply distressed that the Jewish population in the United States and in all other countries around the world, except for Israel, is declining. The reasons for this critical problem are diverse. Perhaps one partial explanation may relate to the use of Hebrew, which the vast majority of people outside of Israel don’t understand in religious services.
This disconnection may have contributed to Jews becoming disengaged and eventually lost from the Jewish community. Jewish young adults, after confirmation tend to “get lost” until they marry and have a child. Before coming back they may hover around the synagogue, but usually don’t come in for services — they attend Jewish-oriented classes, courses, entertainment, community centers, dating services and political action committees, as well as doing tzedakah in the community, and connecting with the Jewish Community Federation and their young adult groups.
Why do they not come to services? I don’t know, but I will speculate that the use of Hebrew as the primary language of communication at services may be a part of the problem. Most young people live in milieus filled with immediate useful information, music, communication, entertainment and education. If one source isn’t providing what is wanted, that can be remedied by another site or source.
Attending a religious service where 60 percent to 90 percent of the experience is provided in language some young people can read, but only a small percentage of them can fully understand, may feel they are being dumbed down and are wasting time. The words used to describe their experiences at services: irrelevant, boring and not spiritual. When young people are questioned about what life events have held them to their Jewishness, the answers are usually going to Jewish camp or taking a trip to Israel — not their synagogue experience. It has been noted that when a Jewish family doesn’t affiliate with a synagogue for two generations, they are usually lost to the Jewish people.
Judaism contains the essence and direction of God, which is timeless in its validity and value as a way of life, and which can be the means for the world to survive in peace. God understands all languages. When Jews fully understand Judaism in whatever language, they remain Jews. When lovers whisper their most intimate and profound thoughts to each other, they use their common language. Should prayer and God get less?
William L. Schwartz is a retired internist and volunteer in San Mateo.