Art of Jewish Prayer [Hardcover]

Yitzchok Kirzner (Author), Lisa Aiken (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1999

Prayer will never be the same once you read this book!

A book on prayer unlike any other -- refreshing, relevant, exciting, deep and invigorating. Each down-to-earth page is filled with stimulating insights that make prayer come alive, that transform it into the most relevant of human activities, that make it what it should and can be -- moments of strength and power, the miracle of man's ability to talk to God and know that God is actually listening.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Once you've studied this volume, prayer will never be the same. Now when I pray, flashbacks from The Art of Jewish Prayer constantly accompany me. It is for those who really want to know why they're praying and what they're saying. Rabbi Kirzner's The Art of Jewish Prayer is the book we've been praying for. --Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, Director, National Jewish Outreach Program

We desperately need a teacher and guide to lead us through the rich, challenging, and rewarding world of prayer. Rabbi Yitzchok Kirzner does this -- and much more -- in his magnificent work, The Art of Jewish Prayer. He takes us by the hand, as it were, and explores many of the layers of meaning of our basic daily prayer, the Shemoneh Esrai -- how each paragraph, each word, weaves a remarkable tapestry of spiritual striving and growth, personal and national yearning in the context of six millennia of history. After studying this book, your prayer will never be the same; nor will you. --Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, Editor, The Jewish Observer --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Jason Aronson (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876686528
• ISBN-13: 978-0876686522
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,582,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A well written and thought provoking work., December 10, 1998

By 

JoJo (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art Of Jewish Prayer (Paperback)

I have to admit, I at first purchased this book because the author had the same last name as mine! After reading it, though, I found much of the content extremely enlightening. As an orthodox Jew, I pray a lot--three times a day to be exact! Having literature that focuses on the sheer art of prayer is tremendously helpful. All too often we say words bereft of any meaning or clearity. This book examines the seemingly "mundane" verses by uncovering their historical and cultural significance. I recommend this book not only to fellow synagogue attenders but to anyone curious about the Jewish religion.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A explication of the ' Shmoneh Esreh', August 29, 2005

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Art of Jewish Prayer (Hardcover)

This work centers on the central part of Jewish prayer,the Shmoneh Esreh, or Amidah. These are eighteen actually nineteen blessings said in the three daily prayers of the weekday service. The authors provide a clear and insightful description of the meaning of each of the blessings. They discuss the meaning of the words, the relation of each blessing to others, the theme of the prayer, and its historical background.
This an outstanding introductory guide.
For me the test of any Jewish ' sefer' of this kind is whether it is possible to not simply increase one's learning through reading it, but also strenghten one's sense of the meaning and depth of the Jewish tradition.
This Sefer handily passes the test.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The book itself, March 3, 2011

By 

spiralessence - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Art of Jewish Prayer (Hardcover)

Although the book arrived in proper time (and therefore the four stars) the book itself is not very good. For the rational thinking mind I would not recommend it. The author makes many unfound statements