“May the Words of Our Mouths Be Acceptable”: Rethinking Triumphalist and Rejectionist Prayers in the Siddur

The Jewish tradition—and, indeed, the very concept of religion as an institution—faces numerous challenges for relevance in the twenty-first century. Too often religion is seen as the cause of world conflict, rather than as part of the solution. Old certainties and beliefs in absolute truths blind us to the potential for seeing the authenticity of the Other, and prevent us from perceiving our common human search for the sublime. As Jews we often look to other world traditions, demanding from them inclusiveness and pluralism, yet within our own tradition we constantly speak and pray with the language not only of chosenness but of superiority as well. Can we truly look to our tradition as a means of creating a world of peace when, through our daily prayers, we send explicit and implicit messages that deny the legitimacy of all others?¹

While the Conservative movement has embraced evolutionary change in nearly every area of traditional practice and belief, we become diffident and apologetic when any change in liturgy is brought up for discussion. We have bravely confronted changes in our stance toward gender roles and sexual orientation, so that our movement’s interpretation of halakhah reflects our values and understanding of science, yet within our halakhic literature liturgy is treated as nearly sacrosanct, essentially of a different nature than other areas of the masorah.² This diffidence is ironic, as Jewish liturgy has been in a process of flux and transformation from the moment it replaced sacrifice as the primary mode of worship. Indeed, important sections of our service, such as the Amidah, reached their final form only in late antiquity, and others became normative only in the seventeenth century or later. While we blithely challenge and change thousand-year-old halakhic norms, we seem fearful of changing a liturgy which has always been in the process of change.

The diffidence with which we face our liturgy has allowed it, more than any other area of Jewish practice or belief, to remain out of touch with changing values. While liturgical changes are to be found in Conservative siddurim, these largely reflect only three concerns: that of gender equality, peace in the world, and the possibility of rejection of the sacrificial cult.³ There are, however, many other areas (as will be discussed below) where our liturgy is not consonant with modern understandings of tolerance, respect, and appreciation of religious diversity. Yet, we read these prayers on a daily and weekly basis.⁴ We have reacted strongly to the inclusion of belittling words used against us in the liturgy other traditions.⁵ Yet, we are silent as similar words are used in our own liturgy.

It could be argued that it is unnecessary for prayer always to reflect changing values, as it has different purposes. Liturgy serves to connect us with our past, as we pray with the words of generations of our ancestors. Prayer can also challenge the very ideas it presents, as it provides the opportunity for us to ruminate on ideas that have been set forth as normative, demanding that we confront them and consider how they work in our own lives and worldview. It could also be argued that the very pluralism espoused here requires that we maintain a variety of perspectives within our liturgy, rather than eject disfavored ideas.

While these arguments are attractive, they fail to take into account one of the most significant features of prayer. Prayer may connect us to the past, yet few would claim that prayer primarily functions as a memorial to our ancestors. The words of our prayers are not simply an empty connector to the past; rather, we believe that they have intrinsic merit which, hopefully, affects the way we respond to God and to the world.⁶ It is also unlikely that the inclusion of “triumphalist” prayers will lead an adherent to challenge his or her inherent worldview. People are challenged not by texts that tend to create a sense of comfort (in this case, that the practitioner and...