Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

Noahide Prayer

How do I ask G-d to fulfill my needs?

Question: Perhaps I should pray to G-d more often or more fervently? And how do I nurture a habit within myself to ask G-d to fulfill my needs?

Answer: It is certainly meritorious to pray to G-d for one’s own needs, as well as for the needs of others, and for the general needs that all people have. It is also meritorious to combine these requests with thanks and praises to G-d. Read more »

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Why do you recommend prayers in which people bless G-d?

Question: How it is that a person can be in a position to bless G-d?  That is implied by the prayer from the traditional Jewish communal liturgy, “Bless the L-rd Who is blessed.” Rabbi Moshe Weiner approved that for your booklet of recommended Noahide community prayer services. Read more »

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Why is afternoon a special time for prayer to G-d?

The Prayer of Elijah the Prophet on Mount Carmel

By N.S., Dec. 20’15

There are many examples that the Hebrew Bible gives of people who prayed to G-d and were answered openly. The story of Eliyahu (Elijah) the Prophet’s late-afternoon prayer on Mt. Carmel is one of the most well-known. Perhaps this is because the prophet’s actions wrought a change in the way that the Jewish people viewed G-d. This change in perspective set the Jews on the right path. They turned their hearts from idol-worship to true service of G-d. By delving into this story, one can better understand exactly what was happening on a deeper level. Read more »

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What prayer can Noahides use to accept G-d’s Kingship? (9 languages)

Noahides are encouraged to make a verbal statement in their daily prayers that they are accepting upon themselves the faith in the Unity and Kingship of the One True G-d. This is called accepting “the yoke of the Kingship of Heaven” (in Hebrew, “ol Malkhut Shamayim”). For all Gentiles, this applies especially on Rosh HaShanah – more than any other day of the year – because that is the central theme of Rosh HaShanah as it applies for all mankind: it is G-d’s annual Day of Judgment, and it is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Hava (Eve).

To provide an authorized text for this declaration of faith, the following paragraph* was composed by Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet, o.b.m., as a recommended daily prayer by which Noahides can express their verbal acceptance of the absolute Unity and Sovereignty of G-d:
Read more »

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What should we do if trouble affects a society?

From the text of Maimonides (Rambam), Laws of Fasts 1:2-3. “…when a difficulty arises [which affects a community because of their sins], and the people cry out [to G-d in prayer to save them]… everyone will realize that [the difficulty] occurred because of their evil conduct… This [realization, and their repentance and prayers] will cause the removal of this difficulty from among them.” Read more »

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Can I pray for the soul of my deceased parent?

Can we “add” to the merits of someone who died?

The situation is a bit different for Jews compared to Gentiles. The Israelite nation arrived and camped at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah from G-d. When they encamped, it was “as one person, with one heart.” (See Rashi on Exodus 19:2.) Their complete unity with each other, and their unity of purpose, was necessary in G-d’s eyes for them to be the ones to receive His Torah, the purpose of which is to bring G-d’s unity into the world.

At that time, before G-d agreed to give them the Torah, He required that they would all take upon themselves, and on behalf of all Jews for all future generations, that every Jew would be responsible for all other Jews. This applies specifically in matters of the Torah and the 613 Jewish commandments. It is a spiritual soul-bond that extends in some ways beyond the boundaries of physical life.

In contrast, each Gentile is responsible for his or her own actions and beliefs, and stands on his/her own merits. A Gentile is not held accountable in G-d’s judgment for the independent actions and beliefs of another person. (Of course, it is wrong for anyone to mislead another person into unknowingly committing a sin, which is called “putting a stumbling block before the blind”.) Likewise, a good deed that one Gentile decides to do isn’t adding an extra merit to another Gentile, that the other Gentile didn’t have before.

But G-d hears all prayers, and He hears the prayer of a Gentile who is asking Him to please have extra mercy or benevolence on the soul of a deceased person. Surely the one who is praying for that is doing so because of some good that he or she had seen in the deceased person, and/or because of their love or friendship. A person won’t have much love or friendship for someone who is all bad (if there is such a thing). So the person’s prayer will arouse G-d to look more specifically at those good aspects of the deceased person’s life. Then those things can then be judged over again for the good to carry more weight (in light of their importance in the eyes of the person who is praying) in determining the verdict and the reward for the soul.

Also, giving proper charity adds more power to a person’s prayers, because it physically demonstrates the sincerity of what the person is asking of G-d. It also gives the person more merit for G-d to grant what is being prayed for.

Are we in a certain way connected to the souls of others, to be able to do this?

There can be an emotional bond between souls that continues after the end of physical life.

There is a bond between the souls of close family members. When it is written in the Torah about someone who passed away, it sometimes uses the expression “he was gathered unto his people”, even in regard to Non-Jews. For example, Bereishis Rabbah says that Abraham’s father Terach, who had been an idolater, repented before he died. This explains why it says in Genesis 25:8 that when Abraham died, “he was brought in to his people”. His soul was reunited with the soul of his repentant father Terach in the Heavenly paradise.

In general, a deceased person’s soul is brought to be with the souls of his deceased relatives in the spiritual realm where they are receiving their reward. We see in practice that even for Gentiles, when they are close to passing away, many say that they are being visited by their deceased relatives who have come to welcome them to the spiritual realm.

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What is the purpose of prayer?

Adapted from “Keeping in Touch: Torah Thoughts Inspired By The Works Of The Lubavitcher Rebbe,” by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger. Published by Sichos In English, and posted on Asknoah.org with their permission.

The Torah portion Vayeitzei relates that as Jacob left the Holy Land (Israel) to journey to Laban’s home where he would marry and establish his own household, he “encountered the place.” That is where he then slept and dreamt of a ladder reaching up to Heaven, with angels ascending and descending.  Our Sages explain this as referring to the future site of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. There Jacob prayed. Read more »

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Can I develop my own personalized prayer liturgy?

There is not any “official” or “universal” Noahide liturgy for any defined prayer services. On a deeper level, this is really as it should be, because a fixed liturgy could give a Noahide the mistaken impression that he or she has a religious requirement to recite specific prayers at set times of day, or at set days on the calendar, which is not the case. Rather, the minimum obligation of prayer for a Noahide is that when you recognize that you have a need, you should direct your mind to G-d and pray to Him to fulfill that need.[1] When you do that, you can gain even more merit at the same time by having full trust and faith that He hears your prayers and that He will answer in a way that will be truly and openly good for you.* Similarly, when you feel religiously inspired or motivated and want to pray, that prayer should be directed only to the One True G-d, and it can include praising Him and thanking Him,  Read more »

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Are there suggested morning prayers for a Noahide?

It’s a very good thing for a person to start the day with a deep awareness of the Creator. It is also valuable to consider the potential for doing good that G-d grants us with each new day. We are all encouraged to devote the very first conscious thought of the day to the One True G-d, as it says about the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One Blessed be He, “The whole world is filled with His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). Read more »

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Expressing thanks or requests for help to G-d

It is important to express feelings of gratitude when praying to G-d. We may already be inspired with this feeling when we start to pray. Or, we may need to reflect on our blessings for a short time in order to arouse this well-justified emotion. The book “A Time for Prayer” (pub. Yeshivath Beth Moshe, 1996) gives the following introduction to their section of “Psalms for Gratitude.” (Note: the Hebrew word “Hashem” = “The Name” is used as a vernacular replacement for the ineffable four-letter Name of G-d in Hebrew.) Read more »

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When I can’t pray verbally, can it be done mentally?

Purely mental meditation and communication directed to G-d definitely should have its time and place in every person’s life, and this is very dependent on the circumstances, time and place, etc. Rest assured that G-d is fully aware of all our thoughts at all times! So you should NOT stop meditating about and mentally praying to the One True G-d, but you should also look for opportunities of privacy when, if you have needs that you wish to pray for, you can verbalize your prayers.

You can also spend some of your time mentally reviewing what you are learning about the Noahide Commandments, Torah subjects in general, and your understanding of G-d. This means figuring out what you think you understand, what you don’t understand, how the concepts fit together, what your questions are, etc. You’ll discover what questions you need to ask, and you’ll deepen your understanding. In particular, you can read the Chassidic Discourses that are posted on www.asknoah.org, and then review them mentally and meditate on their meanings as your time allows.

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Are there traditional blessings for foods & after a meal?

The blessing introduced by Abraham:

Abraham taught his guests to say a blessing of thanks to G-d after they ate food to their satisfaction. He did this in order to teach them that there is only One True G-d. We know this from the Midrash on the Book of Genesis. Here is the Midrash (which is published as the very first lesson in our book The Divine Code):

“[Abraham] planted an eshel in Beer-Sheba, and there he proclaimed the Name of G-d, G-d of the Universe.” (Genesis 21:33) [The Sages discussed this in the following Midrash:]

“[Abraham] planted an eshel in Beer-Sheba”

[What is this eshel? The Sage] Reish Lakish said: this teaches that he made an orchard and planted in it many types of fine fruit trees [to benefit the wayfarers].

[The Sage] Rabbi Nehemiah said: he built an inn [for the wayfarers, for lodging, food and drink].

and there he proclaimed the Name of G-d, G-d of the Universe

Reish Lakish said: Do not read it as “he proclaimed;” rather, read it as “he caused to call.” This teaches that our forefather Abraham caused the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, to be called by the mouth of every passerby.

How? After [the wayfarers] ate and drank, they stood up to bless Abraham. He would say to them, “Was it then of my food that you ate? You ate from the food of the G-d of the universe.
[Rather, you should] thank, praise and bless He Who spoke and caused the universe to come into being.”

They would ask, “What shall we say?”

He told them, Blessed is the G-d of the universe, from Whose bounty we have eaten.”

So Abraham taught all people to recognize and call in the Name of G-d, G-d of the universe.

(From Tractate Sotah 10b and Rashi; Midrash Rabbah Genesis ch. 54)

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Is there a specific Noahide liturgy?

A Noahide can include any of the Psalms as prayers, and many parts of the traditional Jewish prayer services include Psalms. But other parts of the Jewish prayer services consist of prayers that apply exclusively to Jews, and they would even be untrue statements to G-d if said by a Non-Jew (for example, “Truly, You [G-d] redeemed us from Egypt”). There are also parts in the Jewish liturgy that are selections from Oral Torah sources (Mishnah, Talmud, Zohar, etc.), do not apply for Gentiles. Read more »

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May Gentiles address G-d as Father?

Question: Is there a problem with a Gentile / Noahide addressing G-d as “Father”? I’m considering that the Jews are called “the children of G-d” [Deut. 14:1]. Maybe that’s a distinction that I should honor in prayer?

Answer: As long as you’re saying this in your heartfelt prayers in your own words, or reading from the translated text of an appropriate prayer from the Orthodox Jewish liturgy, there isn’t any problem with this. “Our Father, our King,” is used in many prayers in the Jewish liturgy. This phrase was used in a moment of inspiration by the Sage Rabbi Akiva at a time of great trouble. It evoked a miraculous response from G-d when other prayers were not succeeding. By saying “our Father, our King,” you can have in mind that you are including yourself and all Righteous Gentiles along with the Jewish People.

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When it’s hard to pray, are religious songs OK?

Question: Sometimes it’s hard for me to recite prayers or Psalms, but I have no problem whatsoever singing out loud to certain religiously-based songs, in many cases, Psalms that have been set to music. Is this an acceptable form of prayer and worship?

It’s useful to try to define some terms. Using dictionary.com as a basis, here are some definitions for WORSHIP:

noun: (a) The reverent love and devotion accorded to G-d. (b) The religious forms by which this love is expressed.

verb: To regard with ardent or adoring esteem or devotion.

Here are some definitions for PRAYER:

noun: (1) A reverent petition made to G-d. (2) An act of communication with G-d, such as in devotion, confession, praise, or thanksgiving. (3) A specially worded form used to address G-d. (4) A fervent request.

While there is definitely overlap of the meanings, PRAYER also has the connotation of a REQUEST than you make to G-d for something that you need, such a safety, health, income, forgiveness, a sign from Above, etc. In WORSHIP, the emphasis is not on communicating your own tangible needs, but rather you open up your heart to express to G-d the love and devotion that YOU FEEL for Him. This is based on your desire put aside your liming physical perspective, and concentrate on a higher spirituality with a mixture of awe and reverence. (Chassidim especially through the generations have composed many beautiful and stirring devotional songs to express love and longing of the soul for G-d.)

Your singing out loud is probably an expression and communication to G-d of the happiness you feel in loving and adoring Him. But how many of your own personal needs do you express to Him as requests while you are singing? Your prayers for your needs are probably better expressed with an approach of humility and a feeling of emptiness – that something is missing or might come to be missing, which you need G-d to provide for you. For that, this paraphrased advice from the Mishna is very appropriate: “Do not approach to pray except with a concentrated and serious mindset.” But of course at the same time you can sing for joy in G-d’s closeness and for happiness in your faith that He hears all prayers.

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