Are Orthodox Jews allowed to pray together with Christians?
Of course! So it is written!
We clearly learn of the importance of nations sharing prayers and songs of
praise to the Lord in sources from the Old and New Testament as well as in the
traditional prayers of the Jews.
In Psalms 96:1 it is written
“O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. "
“Bless the LORD, all His works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O
my soul". (Psalms 103:22)
The prophet Isaiah wrote in his book (56:7)
“For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations”
In the prayer "Let us praise" said at the end of each traditional prayer, it is
written " Let all creatures bless His Holy Name …all nations will bow to you and give
their pledge…and accept the burden of your sovereignty."
In the New Testament Jesus teaches the importance and the supremacy of God and
the Law he has given to Israel, as written In Matthew 5: 17-18
"Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophet; I have come not
to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and
earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all is
accomplished."
And moreover, further on Jesus shows His devotion to God, as is written in
Matthew 12: 48-50 "But he replied to the man who told him, who is my mother? And
who are my brothers? And stretching out his hand towards his disciples, he said,
here are my mother and my brothers."
"For whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven is my brother, and sister and
mother."
We have here clear and written proof, showing us indisputably that God is One
and that we are His children! We should not stay separate from one another; we
should feel that we belong to the same God! To the same Father!
My brothers and my sisters, we belong together! We all belong to the same
Father! We are all children of God! So why can we not stand in the same place
together in a church or synagogue to praise and worship Him? Why?
Let us rely on God in Heaven to open OUR eyes and hearts to the true way. We can
trust God to do what is right, can't we?
We, believe that we must do all that we can to bring people closer, to draw Jews
and Christian believers to come and praise and worship God together . We do not want to use such empty slogans as "relations between Jews and
Christians!" We are not politicians! We act! We pray together! We bow together
before the Almighty! Relations between Christians and Jews begin first with a
single common prayer!
It actually happens in Jerusalem, in our Tabernacle of David.
As an orthodox Jew of the Levy tribe, son of an orthodox family of 11
generations in Jerusalem, educated all his life in orthodox schools and
yeshivas, I can guarantee you that when the day of Salvation arrives God will
open our eyes, and if God shows us that Jesus is the Messiah, we will receive
him with love and joy! We do not turn our backs on God and His message! If He
sends Jesus as His Messiah we will have to accept Him! We will be unable to turn
our back on God!
You also can become a beacon of love and brotherhood among nations; each one of
you has the power to persuade his fellowman.
We pray from Jerusalem that you may be granted the right to see the Coming of
the Messiah and the Goodness of Jerusalem all the days of your lives.
Ronny Levy
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