Where to Pray

I went to church this past Sunday. I went to church although I am Jewish. I did not open the prayer book, I just closed my eyes and meditated.Why did I go?I went because I believe that reintegrating ourselves with God in solitude does not reinforce our spirituality in the same way that reintegrating ourselves alongside others can.To nourish the spirit to the fullest degree, we should regularly meditate in a group and listen to messages of a spiritual nature. This is what the spirit needs—and it sure needs nourishing in this hectic and destructive world that we live in.But why church and not synagogue? Because as far as I am concerned, in these spaces, we are worshiping the same God. So why not?Look at your hand. Together, different fingers join to form a hand.We can be different and still be unified. We do not need to reject diversity to unite.The difference between faiths does not lie in which God we serve, but rather, in how we serve God. Too often, one religion denounces another because the two religions integrate with God in different ways and at different times. A faith’s holy scriptures determine how its followers serve God. I feel as though these books are the source of all interfaith troubles.Who cares about how or when we pray? It is not how we integrate ourselves with God that matters, but that we integrate ourselves with God in the first place, in a repetitive and systematic way. This is why going to a place of worship—any place of worship—once a week is necessary. It is not enough to be spiritual. We must reinforce and nourish our spiritual intention regularly, whether it’s by attending a sermon, a drasha, or a Buddhist temple service.Just thinking,Ichak Kalderon Adizes