Did you know most pastors and rabbis spend an average of only two hours a week in prayer?

That was a wake-up call when my rabbi shared that during Erev Shabbat a few months ago, during a series of messages on prayer. It’s certainly far less then the efforts of Johnathan Edwards, that sparked a revival in America, prior to delivering his classic sermon, Sinners In the Hands of an Angry G-d. As history tells it, Edwards, no dynamic speaker of any particular note, prayed for weeks leading up to that one sermon, and his prayer was simple: “L-rd, give me New England.”

Several hours a day for several weeks led to a revival. If most pastors and rabbis put in less than two hours a week, is it any wonder that it’s been over 150 years since America has seen a revival like that which Edwards initiated?

Of course, non-clergy are even worse on average; usually, aside from blessing their meals, even most church and synagogue attendees spend less than an hour in deep prayer each week. Many less than that.

In times of tragedy, such as floods, hurricanes or even personal tragedies like finding out you have cancer or mesothelioma, many folks wonder why G-d isn’t listening. I’m suggesting that perhaps it’s the other way around; perhaps it is us who have turned a deaf ear to Adonai.

Call it evil speech, gossip or lashan hurah, but careless words can lead to the destruction of a congregation. The problem comes when trying to determine what is evil speech and what is speaking honestly when wronged by a fellow believer.

In any community of faith, people often prefer to do business with members of their own congregation when they can, whether it be buying insurance, stair lifts, or looking for someone to do auto repair. As long as the quality of the work or service provided is solid, this usually benefits all concerned.

But what happens when something goes wrong, or the quality of the work or service provided isn’t where it ought to be? Let’s imagine a scenario where you have a person who repairs PCs. Let’s call him Chuck, after the popular NBC character on the show of the same name.

To lure business, Chuck decides to cut his prices to members of his congregation. But because he’s earning less for that work, rather than put in his best effort as he would for any other customer, Chuck either repairs PCs for congregational members on the cheap, or has a less-skilled friend do it for him, one who is prone to make mistakes but needs the work.

Now, Chuck isn’t necessarily a bad person. He’s using cheaper parts to give folks he’s close to a better deal; or he’s giving work to a friend who needs to learn the PC repair trade, and by doing so, hopes to help out both his congregational customers since this trainee won’t be paid as much for his time, while also giving the trainee much-needed experience. Chuck’s heart is good.

But because the trainee’s less experienced, or because cheaper parts are being used, the quality of the work done for congregational members goes down. Hard drives crash more frequently. Motherboard problems arise. Computers repaired don’t stay repaired as long. Some PCs even fry.

So here’s the philosophical question: If you were a congregational member whose PC fried under such circumstances, how do you handle it? Is it evil speech to warn people away from Chuck’s PC repair? Is it wrong not to warn them? Is it better to simply take your business somewhere else, or do you confront Chuck about the quality of his PC repair work?

There are few easy answers. It is for situations like this, I believe, that people turned to rabbinical interpretation. However, I do tend to think that the Brit haDasha standard for resolving conflicts among believers would probably be the starting point for a correct messianic response.