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Dear Rabbi Steve,
It mentions in your biography section of this website that you have led
prayerbook studies. Since I am interested in learning more about
prayer, please could you recommend a good book about prayer? Perhaps
you could recommend one from the online Amazon bookseller so I could
buy the book from there and make a donation to Temple Solel at the same
time! Prayerfully, MM
Dear MM:
You ask a very good question, to which I am happy to respond, (especially
since you give us the chance in both the question and the answer to remind
people to check out web shopping via our home page -- no cost to them, and
the Temple earns a small bit, too!).
Prayer is not an easy subject, and it embraces a large range of areas.
Therefore I have 5 books to recommend, which approach the subject from a
variety of directions. Each should (soon, if not already!) be available for
purchase right here through the web site. [Note from the Webmaster:
"Just click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to order the book."]
Depending on your specific questions and preferences, I would recommend (in
no particular order):
1 & 2. "To
Pray As a Jew: A Guide to the Prayerbook and the Synagogue
Service" by Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin. For many people, this is THE text for
understanding Jewish prayer. While approaching the subject as a Rabbi
(meaning he is a practitioner of worship) and from a traditional viewpoint,
he does still deal with issues of spirituality, and does more than explain
the "whats" of prayer.
Similarly (hence, lumping them together) "Entering
Jewish Prayer" by Reuven
Hammer. He gets a little more philosophical, and definitely more historical,
but also is excellent on the nuts and bolts, again, from a traditional
viewpoint.
3. "Gates
of Understanding" published jointly by the CCAR and UAHC, is
definitely intended for the Reform audience. This collection of essays,
descriptions, explanatory and source notes is meant as a companion piece to
"The Gates of Prayer," now the normative prayerbook of the Reform movement in
North America. Besides explaining the various themes of the various prayer
services, and providing source notes for individual prayers and readings,
this book also tackles historical, philosophical, and content issues.
4. "And You
Shall Be A Blessing" by Joel Grishaver, takes no sectarian slant
at all. It is a detailed explication of the 6 word blessing formula so
central to Jewish life. However, through this investigation Grishaver (who
is a personal favorite of mine because of his knowledge, his insights into
reality, and his ability to connect both) sheds light on almost every
practical aspect of the prayer experience.
5. "The Art
of Public Prayer: Not for Clergy Only," by Lawrence Hoffman, is
in some ways the most challenging, and in others, the most useful of the five
books I have selected. Hoffman, a professor at HUC-JIR, who trains Reform
Rabbis and Cantors, takes an anthropological and sociological approach to
prayer in this book. He openly questions the effectiveness of most modern
prayer experiences, and offers solutions which are unique and challenging.
In so doing, he forces us all to look within to find what we want from our
prayer, and pushes us to find ways to achieve our desired goals.
Any and all of these should take you through the next steps of a successful
journey. But remember, most important, keep praying!!
Rabbi Steve
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