{"id":15155,"date":"2026-03-16T13:45:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/?p=15155"},"modified":"2026-03-16T13:45:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:45:38","slug":"why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Don&#8217;t We Say Please When We Pray?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">From the time we are young, we are taught to say \u201cplease\u201d when asking for something and that asking without it is rude. Yet in our&nbsp;prayers&nbsp;we rarely say please. Why&nbsp;is that?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Rabbi Chaim Mintz responds<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Understanding What \u201cPlease\u201d Really Means<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To&nbsp;answer&nbsp;this, we must&nbsp;first understand&nbsp;what&nbsp;the word \u201cplease\u201d&nbsp;actually expresses.&nbsp;While today it is often&nbsp;said&nbsp;simply as a matter of&nbsp;etiquette, it originally came from&nbsp;the expression&nbsp;\u201cif it pleases&nbsp;you.\u201d&nbsp;It is meant to be a way of&nbsp;showing respect to the person we are&nbsp;asking,&nbsp;and&nbsp;making&nbsp;it&nbsp;clear that we are&nbsp;asking for&nbsp;something, not demanding it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Prayer Doesn\u2019t Need the Word \u201cPlease\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In our prayers, token expressions like please are unnecessary,&nbsp;because our&nbsp;<em>tefillah<\/em>&nbsp;(prayer) is structured to achieve the same purpose in a far more powerful and meaningful way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Talmud (<a href=\"https:\/\/library.alhatorah.org\/?r1=Bavli_Berakhot_32a&amp;s1=1&amp;l1=he,en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Berachot<\/em>&nbsp;32a<\/a>) states, \u201cA person should always offer praise&nbsp;to&nbsp;Hashem&nbsp;(God) first and only afterward make requests,\u201d&nbsp;as we learn from Moshe, who praised Hashem before petitioning Him to enter the Land of Israel.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/simana-milta-hee-a-sign-for-the-new-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prayers<\/a>, we do not simply jump into a list of&nbsp;demands. Instead, we begin by praising Hashem, recognizing His greatness and that He alone is the source to whom we must turn.&nbsp;Only then do we present our requests with humility, trusting in His infinite kindness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Structure of Our Daily Prayers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This, as the Tur (<a href=\"https:\/\/library.alhatorah.org\/?r1=Tur_Orach_Chayyim_51&amp;s1=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Orach Chaim<\/em>&nbsp;51<\/a>) explains, is why we precede&nbsp;Shemoneh&nbsp;Esrei&nbsp;(the silent Amidah prayer) with the lengthy praises of&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/praising-hashem-in-every-situation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pesukei&nbsp;D\u2019Zimrah<\/a><\/em> (introductory prayers giving praise to God).&nbsp;We then&nbsp;continue with&nbsp;the blessings surrounding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/parshat-vayigash-accepting-hashems-kingship-in-times-of-deep-emotion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shema<\/a>, expressing God\u2019s creation and ongoing care of the world, His love for the Jewish people, and that He is our salvation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, in&nbsp;Shemoneh&nbsp;Esrei&nbsp;we begin with praises before making any requests. Rabbi&nbsp;Chanina (<a href=\"https:\/\/library.alhatorah.org\/?r1=Bavli_Berakhot_34a&amp;s1=1&amp;l1=he,en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Berachot<\/em>&nbsp;34a<\/a>) explains that its structure mirrors how a servant approaches a master: the first three blessings offer praise, the middle blessings present requests, and the final three <a href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/parshas-emor-thank-you-god-for-my-suffering-and-my-salvation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">give thanks<\/a>,&nbsp;as if the requests have been fulfilled.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moreover, each individual request is embedded within its own blessing of praise, emphasizing our recognition that Hashem is the source and provider of everything we ask for.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through these praises, our requests arise from genuine humility and dependence, not entitlement&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;far more meaningful than a mere&nbsp;<em>please<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What About Spontaneous Requests During the Day?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When we turn to&nbsp;Hashem throughout the day with spontaneous requests&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;\u201cHashem, help me find my keys,\u201d for example&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;we&nbsp;don\u2019t need to go&nbsp;through&nbsp;this process again, as we&nbsp;rely on the praises we offer in&nbsp;our&nbsp;three daily&nbsp;prayers, which set the tone for&nbsp;our informal requests&nbsp;as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Word \u201cNa\u201d in Jewish Prayer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a word found in our prayers,&nbsp;\u201c\u05e0\u05b8\u05d0,\u201d\u202foften translated as please. For example, in&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-do-we-play-instruments-during-hallel-and-selichot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hallel<\/a> <\/em>we say,&nbsp;\u05d0\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d0 \u05d4&#8217;&nbsp;\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e0\u05b8\u05d0&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;<em>please Hashem, save us<\/em>, and when Moshe petitioned Hashem to heal his sister Miriam, he said,&nbsp;\u05d0\u05b5-\u05dc&nbsp;\u05e0\u05b8\u05d0 \u05e8\u05b0\u05e4\u05b8\u05d0 \u05e0\u05b8\u05d0 \u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u05bc&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;<em>Hashem, please heal her now<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, this please is not&nbsp;a form of etiquette,&nbsp;clarifying that it is a request&nbsp;and&nbsp;not a demand. Rather, it is a cry of urgency, emphasizing how much we need Hashem\u2019s help right now. A&nbsp;<em>plea<\/em>, not a&nbsp;<em>please<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In&nbsp;Shemoneh&nbsp;Esrei, however, using such language is unnecessary. The very fact that each request is given its own blessing within the central daily prayer of the Jewish people already conveys its urgency.&nbsp;And&nbsp;if every request&nbsp;would&nbsp;use&nbsp;this urgent language, it would lose its impact, and the sense of urgency would be lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aligncenter tm-cta\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/sign-up.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about Jewish prayer with a study partner. Sign up to TorahMates today!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><em>Written by Rabbi Aaron Shapiro<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Have another question to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oorah.org\/asktherabbi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ask a rabbi<\/a>? You can ask Rabbi Mintz your own question by joining&nbsp;Ask the Rabbi Live on Tuesdays at 9PM ET. You can also submit your questions to&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:asktherabbi@oorah.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asktherabbi@oorah.org<\/a>, or head to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oorah.org\/asktherabbi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">oorah.org\/asktherabbi\/<\/a> to watch the latest Q&amp;As.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz From the time we are young, we are taught to say \u201cplease\u201d when asking for something and that asking without it is rude. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[598,702,8,551],"tags":[252],"class_list":["post-15155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ask-the-rabbi","category-jewish-philosophy","category-judaism-101","category-prayers","tag-ask-the-rabbi"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Don&#039;t We Say Please When We Pray? - Jewish Resources<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why don\u2019t Jewish prayers say \u201cplease\u201d? Rabbi Chaim Mintz explains the deeper structure of tefillah and how praise and humility replace the need for polite language.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Don&#039;t We Say Please When We Pray? - Jewish Resources\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why don\u2019t Jewish prayers say \u201cplease\u201d? Rabbi Chaim Mintz explains the deeper structure of tefillah and how praise and humility replace the need for polite language.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jewish Resources\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/torahmates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-16T13:45:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-16T13:45:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shutterstock_1798280407.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"TorahMates\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@oorah\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@oorah\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"TorahMates\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"TorahMates\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/df1cd798c41777159e9fee85cb392ef9\"},\"headline\":\"Why Don&#8217;t We Say Please When We Pray?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-16T13:45:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-16T13:45:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":780,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/shutterstock_1798280407.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"ask the rabbi\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Ask the Rabbi\",\"Jewish Philosophy\",\"Judaism 101\",\"Prayers\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/\",\"name\":\"Why Don't We Say Please When We Pray? - Jewish Resources\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/shutterstock_1798280407.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-16T13:45:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-16T13:45:38+00:00\",\"description\":\"Why don\u2019t Jewish prayers say \u201cplease\u201d? Rabbi Chaim Mintz explains the deeper structure of tefillah and how praise and humility replace the need for polite language.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/shutterstock_1798280407.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/shutterstock_1798280407.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":667,\"caption\":\"No please in Jewish prayer\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why Don&#8217;t We Say Please When We Pray?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/\",\"name\":\"JEWISH RESOURCES by Oorah's TorahMates\",\"description\":\"brought to you by Oorah&#039;s TorahMates\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"TorahMates\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/tm.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/tm.jpg\",\"width\":921,\"height\":824,\"caption\":\"TorahMates\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/torahmates\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/oorah\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/torahmates\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/oorah-inc?original_referer=https:\\\/\\\/www.oorah.org\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/oorah\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/OorahKR\",\"https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Oorah_(organization)\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.torahmates.org\\\/jewish-resources\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/df1cd798c41777159e9fee85cb392ef9\",\"name\":\"TorahMates\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/26e85981eb7a7ffe0e513841f5d6b26a09f4f1ab01d3eff73b79b111f5b3a80c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/26e85981eb7a7ffe0e513841f5d6b26a09f4f1ab01d3eff73b79b111f5b3a80c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/26e85981eb7a7ffe0e513841f5d6b26a09f4f1ab01d3eff73b79b111f5b3a80c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"TorahMates\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Don't We Say Please When We Pray? - Jewish Resources","description":"Why don\u2019t Jewish prayers say \u201cplease\u201d? Rabbi Chaim Mintz explains the deeper structure of tefillah and how praise and humility replace the need for polite language.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Don't We Say Please When We Pray? - Jewish Resources","og_description":"Why don\u2019t Jewish prayers say \u201cplease\u201d? Rabbi Chaim Mintz explains the deeper structure of tefillah and how praise and humility replace the need for polite language.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/","og_site_name":"Jewish Resources","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/torahmates","article_published_time":"2026-03-16T13:45:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-16T13:45:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":667,"url":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shutterstock_1798280407.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"TorahMates","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@oorah","twitter_site":"@oorah","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"TorahMates","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/"},"author":{"name":"TorahMates","@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/#\/schema\/person\/df1cd798c41777159e9fee85cb392ef9"},"headline":"Why Don&#8217;t We Say Please When We Pray?","datePublished":"2026-03-16T13:45:37+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-16T13:45:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/"},"wordCount":780,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shutterstock_1798280407.jpg","keywords":["ask the rabbi"],"articleSection":["Ask the Rabbi","Jewish Philosophy","Judaism 101","Prayers"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/","url":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/","name":"Why Don't We Say Please When We Pray? - Jewish Resources","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shutterstock_1798280407.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-16T13:45:37+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-16T13:45:38+00:00","description":"Why don\u2019t Jewish prayers say \u201cplease\u201d? Rabbi Chaim Mintz explains the deeper structure of tefillah and how praise and humility replace the need for polite language.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shutterstock_1798280407.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/shutterstock_1798280407.jpg","width":1000,"height":667,"caption":"No please in Jewish prayer"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/why-dont-we-say-please-when-we-pray\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why Don&#8217;t We Say Please When We Pray?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/","name":"JEWISH RESOURCES by Oorah's TorahMates","description":"brought to you by Oorah&#039;s TorahMates","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/#organization","name":"TorahMates","url":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/tm.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/tm.jpg","width":921,"height":824,"caption":"TorahMates"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/torahmates","https:\/\/x.com\/oorah","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/torahmates\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/oorah-inc?original_referer=https:\/\/www.oorah.org\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/oorah\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/OorahKR","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oorah_(organization)"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/#\/schema\/person\/df1cd798c41777159e9fee85cb392ef9","name":"TorahMates","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26e85981eb7a7ffe0e513841f5d6b26a09f4f1ab01d3eff73b79b111f5b3a80c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26e85981eb7a7ffe0e513841f5d6b26a09f4f1ab01d3eff73b79b111f5b3a80c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26e85981eb7a7ffe0e513841f5d6b26a09f4f1ab01d3eff73b79b111f5b3a80c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"TorahMates"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15155"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15166,"href":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15155\/revisions\/15166"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}