Footnote

a Like the model prayer that Jesus gave, the mourner’s Kaddish also asks that God’s name be sanctified. While there is some debate on the question of whether the Kaddish dates back to the time of Christ or even earlier, we should not be surprised by any similarities. Jesus’ prayer was not intended to be innovative or revolutionary. Each request was solidly based on the Scriptures then available to all Jews. Jesus was encouraging his fellow Jews to pray for things they should have been praying for all along.