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Friends,

 When I attended my first JACS' Retreat I was asked about saying the Lord's Prayer. I did not have an answer at the time. However, because of that question I spent over two years at Rabbinic School doing research on this subject. Ultimately, I wrote my rabbinic thesis on the subject. Attached is the Introduction to my Thesis. I hope that this will provide another resource when people struggle with whether to say the Lord's Prayer at the end of a meeting.

 L'shalom,

 Rabbi Stephen

 Someone posed this "simple" question to me who was starting the process of recovery from alcoholism. The struggle for an answer has been a major focus of my rabbinical studies these last two years.

 I must admit that my immediate thought was, "NO! This is THE Christian prayer. A Jew should not even think about it!" However, before I could speak, I remembered Pikuakh Ha'Nefesh, the high Jewish value of working to save a life. Here, a life was clearly in jeopardy! Alcoholism is a fatal disease if left untreated.

 Rather than give a quick answer on a topic unfamiliar to me, I replied that I did not know and promised to research the issue. This thesis comes out of that research. As I have discovered, the answer to his unpretentious question is anything but easy. Furthermore, it becomes even more complicated when the question moves to a larger world.

 Essentially, my research indicates that every word, phrase, and concept within the Lord's Prayer exists within Rabbinic Judaism. The prayer could easily have been found within the pages of Talmud and Midrash. However, one must also acknowledge that the prayer's context is the Christian Bible, not Talmud! Further, this is THE Liturgical Christian Prayer, not just any other prayer. Solely based on these two facts, it seems impossible not to acknowledge and designate this a "Christian" Prayer.

 Nevertheless having just said all that, the answer to the question depends on a number of issues: First, and foremost, Pikuakh Ha'Nefesh. Will abstaining from uttering the Lord's Prayer potentially be dangerous to a person (as with someone new in their recovery from alcohol)? Second, does the person have the knowledge (or desire to learn) to help recontextualize this prayer? Third, what appearance will be given if one is seen saying the Lord's Prayer? Fourth, does the person in question have the intellectual capacity to understand how to recontextualize this prayer (i.e., someone in college versus a first grader or even eighth grader)?

 Ultimately, the answer must be determined on a case by case basis. The answer is - it depends where a person is in their recovery.

If they are NEW they SHOULD say it to prevent the "uniqueness" of the illness from taking over. The more time the have in program, the more they might wish to consider another prayer.

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