I am a gentile/goyim (is it disrespectful for a gentile to use the word goyim?) and I have been looking into Judaism a bit but one thing that kinda puts me off is the reciting of prayer. Talking to god should be (in my opinion based from the bible/torah) a personal thing, each human should have a personal relationship with god, but reciting prayer seems very impersonal to me. Are Jews allowed to say their own prayers and just talk freely to god? And why do Jewish people recite prayer?
I personally prefer that we all refer to non-Jews as non-Jews. Although the term ‘goy’ literally translated in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and Rabbinic literature as ‘nation,’ it tends to be used as a slur or microaggression against non-Jews.
Jews are encouraged to talk to God if they feel that it would be spiritually fulfilling. Several Progressive Jewish Synagogue’s actually insert moments for personal prayer and reflection into their worship services.
But that being said, Jewish liturgy is extremely important to the Jewish people because it is our tradition. (We are a tradition-based people) Beyond our typical weekday and Shabbat services (in the evening, morning, and afternoon), we have liturgical elements for all of our holidays, life cycle events, for learning, and for daily life.
How did this tradition get started? (Sorry for paraphrasing Tevye so much ;) ) As with most Jewish traditions and practices, I turn to the Talmud. In tractate brachot 26b, we learn two different interpretations as to why Jews pray three times per day. According to one authority, they can be traced back to descriptions of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the book of Genesis. According to a second authority, they correspond with the sacrifices in which the Kohanim (Ritual Priests) made in the Temple in Jerusalem. I would argue that although the first opinion is cute and clever (I suggest clicking on the link above), the second opinion makes more sense historically. When looking at our liturgy (throughout the year) carefully, it is clear that we base much of what we do on the Temple cult. One of the greatest examples of this phenomenon is in the Avodah service during Yom Kippur where we literally recreate (using liturgy) many of the Yom Kippur rituals from the ancient period.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to always reach out.