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There are various t'fillot/b'rakhot/piyutim that make controversial or debatable claims or requests; for example:

  • Birkat hamazon includes the line na'ar hayiti, gam zakanti, v'lo ra'iti tsadik ne'ezav, v'zar'o m'vakesh lakhem ("[…] I have never seen a righteous man abandoned, his offspring begging for bread"); some communities perceive this as blaming the needy for their situation, and simply remove it.
    • For that matter, the first part is obviously untrue when recited by a woman, or by a young person.
  • The prayer for the State of Israel describes it as reishit ts'mikhat g'ulateinu ("the first sprouting of our redemption"); some communities avoid this claim by inserting shet'hei ("that it may be"), and I understand that some communities choose not to pray for the State of Israel at all.
  • V'khol ma'aminim makes a bunch of claims about what "all believe", which I think are unlikely to all be true unless the "all" we're referring to is unexpectedly narrow.

So, when we're praying with a community whose customs don't perfectly match our beliefs:

  • Should we skip things that we don't agree with, or aren't sure that we agree with?
  • If the answer is that we should skip things we're not sure about, then as a practical matter, what do we do in the very common (if non-ideal) case, among diaspora Jews, that we don't even understand a given passage?
  • If the answer is that we should recite even things that we disagree with, then what can/should our kavana be while doing so?

(Note: if the answer turns out to depend on multiple different factors, then I obviously don't expect an exhaustive listing; but some examples with explanations would be helpful.)

ruakh
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  • Related: https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/7128/should-i-follow-the-congregation-if-their-view-on-prayers-for-yom-haatzmaut-is?noredirect=1&lq=1 – Isaac Moses Sep 28 '18 at 16:19
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    "some communities perceive this as blaming the needy for their situation, and simply remove it." Which communities? –  Sep 28 '18 at 16:26
  • I'd also point out that the prayer for Israel (in the many forms it exists) is as far as I am aware recited by the gabbai, not individuals. –  Sep 28 '18 at 16:28
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    Related (if not duplicate): https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/2997/what-should-a-chazan-do-if-he-has-theological-problems-with-the-congregations-t – Alex Sep 28 '18 at 16:31
  • @DoubleAA This may sound like a duplicate, but it seems the other question is exclusively asking what a "Chazan" is to do if he doesn't agree with a communal prayer. This Q is asking what any person (and even in private) should do when they disagree with the siddur or prayer custom at hand. Although the Q does ask about cases that may involve praying with the public, it is focusing on the individual's rights/obligations and certainly not the Chazan. It seems to need its own answer. – David Kenner Sep 28 '18 at 18:27
  • @alex it is not a dupe because it is asking about private prayers vs. the other Q asking about the chazan's obligation as the community representative; IMHO. A chazan has much less leeway to conduct his prayer according to his own private views when leading the congregation. – David Kenner Sep 28 '18 at 18:30
  • @DavidKenner I didn't cast vote. I just raised the possibility. – Alex Sep 28 '18 at 18:32
  • @David we can add https://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/30344/759 and related qs as duplicates, but between those and this I think it's covered – Double AA Sep 28 '18 at 18:34
  • @DoubleAA our OP clearly asks for example, a case of na'ar hayiti at the end of Birkat HaMazon? The Dupe and your new link you showed me, also focus on the communal prayer, being loud against the community, and being chazan. This looks like it can get its own answer which would improve our community database IMHO; answering private prayer vs the siddur at home. Do we have a dupe that discusses private prayer?? – David Kenner Sep 28 '18 at 18:40
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    @ruakh Hi, +1, I liked your question and I do not think the other answers on MY properly answer your Q. If this remains a duplicate, I encourage you to re-ask your question by asking specifically about "Should we recite prayers (in private) we don't agree with when they are found in our siddur or minhag?" for example: Birkat hamazon includes the line na'ar hayiti...." as you can see, our site encourages this by saying: "If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question." Looking Forward should you feel like asking- – David Kenner Sep 28 '18 at 19:00
  • Thanks for all the links, everyone! I don't think this is a dupe of the specific question it was marked as a dupe as, but I agree with Double AA that this is sufficiently well-answered by the answers to the various questions people have linked to, so I'm OK with this remaining closed. (The answers that mention lo titgod'du, in particular, are very helpful; I was not aware of that precept.) – ruakh Sep 28 '18 at 19:54
  • @ruakh glad to hear. :) Thanks for telling us you got a good answer. Looking Forward to seeing you around :) – David Kenner Sep 28 '18 at 20:09
  • @Orangesandlemons: See http://www.jewishledger.com/2010/04/all-together-now-new-bencher-reflects-diversity-of-contemporary-jewish-life/. I've personally witnessed one congregation where (many) congregants omit this line, though I'm not sure whether they were inspired by that bencher or made an independent decision. I only learned the reason when I came across that bencher a year or two later. – ruakh Sep 28 '18 at 20:23
  • Back in the ol' days I was told not to say gam zakanti as I was too young... :-) – Kazi bácsi Sep 29 '18 at 19:47
  • In my minhag of bentching Gam zakanti is not included not bc the statement isn't true but bc from the perception of the person bentching one doesn't necessarily perceive this. In regards to v'chal maaminim every Jew believes in Gd and we are called maamanim bnei maaminim as the higher parts of the neshamah are always experiencing Gd. The prayer for the state of Israel isnt a traditional part of davening and doesn't need to be said at all especially considering the problematic part about this being connected to the redemption without mashiach. – Dude Sep 30 '18 at 18:05

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