Responsum: On Praying in Aramaic

A Ga’on

992

Question: You asked regarding the statement of R. Judah in the name of Rav: A person should never request his needs in the Aramaic language. As R. Yoḥanan said: If anyone requests his needs in the Aramaic language, the ministering angels pay no attention to him. The rabbis did not object except to say that a sick person is different, as the divine…

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This anonymous geonic responsum was included in a series of responsa sent from Baghdad to the Jewish community in Qayrawān, Tunisia. The Babylonian Talmud (b. Sabbath 12b) recommends against praying in Aramaic because such prayers cannot be understood by the angels. The questioner wonders why so many prayers are nevertheless recited in Aramaic. The gaon responds by offering some broad theological and ritual context and ultimately rejects the premise that angels do not know Aramaic.

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Early Medieval Discussions of Prayer

8th to 12th Century

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