Praying in English – Ask the Rabbi
Q. Can I pray in English?
A. You can pray in English, but without Hebrew you cut yourself off from so much of the Jewish past, present and future, from Jewish literature, law and life, from your fellow Jew, Israel and even God.
You might say, doesn’t God understand English? Of course He does, but there are some Hebrew words with unique meanings that can’t easily be rendered in English.
One of many examples: mitzvah. A commandment? A good deed? All the above and more – but only in Hebrew…
