Mahzor/Machzor Lev Shalem -New Gender Neutral Conservative High Holiday Prayerbook for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur [Hardcover]

Edward Feld (Editor), Rabbi Leonard Gordon (Editor), Rabbi Stuart Kelman (Editor), Rabbi Alan Lettofsky (Editor), CantorJoseph Levine (Editor), Cantor Ken Richmond (Editor), Rabbi Robert Scheinberg (Editor), Rabbi Laurence Sebert (Editor), Rabbi Jan Robyn Uhrbach (Editor), Rabbi Jan Caryl Kaufman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2010

New Conservative machzor for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur with gender neutral translation and running commentaries that explain each prayer. This prayerbook includes the complete liturgy for the high holy days. An added feature is a full transliteration of all songs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 469 pages
• Publisher: The Rabbinical Assembly; 1st edition (2010)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003KJGD3G
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #592,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Holidays

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Mahzor for both non-Orthodox AND Orthodox Jews, July 28, 2010

By 

R. Kaiser (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mahzor/Machzor Lev Shalem -New Gender Neutral Conservative High Holiday Prayerbook for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (Hardcover)

About once a decade a major new edition of the mahzor - the prayerbook for the Jewish high holy days - comes out. Orthodox mahzorim tend to be "complete", in the sense of having as many prayers from disparate Jewish communities across Europe as possible - as long as only prayers written before 1700 are concerned. They also tend to ignore half of the Jewish community (women!), the emergence of the State of Israel, or allow for much in the way of new liturgy in the past couple of centuries (despite the fact that the traditional, historical Jewish practice was to constantly add new prayers, and occasionally remove older ones.)

In the early 1970s Rabbi Jules Harlow, of the Rabbinical Assembly, edited the now common "Mahzor for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur." Freeing itself from Orthodox constraints, it removed many old prayers that were felt to be outdated (which has its advantages and disadvantages) and allowed for the addition of newer material. There was little commentary or instruction; instead, the editors focused on the translation, feeling in most places it would be sufficient. It has somewhat fewer poems than other traditional and conservative machzorim. The translations are more poetic and less literal.

However, the Rabbinical Assembly in 2010 published a totally new replacement "Mahzor Lev Shalem." This new Mahzor presents a complete liturgy, restoring many traditional prayers that had not been included in the Silverman or Harlow editions of the mahzor, yet it also offers options to use the creative liturgical developments presenting the theology and gender-equality of non-Orthodox Judaism. It contains a variety of commentaries from classical and modern-day rabbis, gender-sensitive translations, and choreography instructions (when to sit, stand, bow, etc.)

It offers more literal translations of the prayers than previous non-Orthodox mahzorim. English transliterations are offered for all prayers and lines recited aloud by the congregation. The page layout surrounds prayers with a variety of English commentaries and readings, as one finds in classical rabbinic commentaries.

In a first, this book was designed to be used by Conservative, non-denominational and Traditional-Egalitarian synagogues and chavurot. By leaving out certain texts and choosing other included options, it also can be used in Orthodox or Reform congregations!

Truly a masterpiece, I hope this finds a place in the pews of synagogues of all denominations.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent machzor, September 19, 2010

By 

Sabrayl - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mahzor/Machzor Lev Shalem -New Gender Neutral Conservative High Holiday Prayerbook for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (Hardcover)

An excellent machzor and resource for a new age. Annotations and modern commentary make the liturgy accessible and meaningful.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New High Holiday Prayer Book, October 13, 2010

By 

Carole M. Klawansky - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mahzor/Machzor Lev Shalem -New Gender Neutral Conservative High Holiday Prayerbook for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (Hardcover)

The vendor was amazing in getting the item to me in a much faster time frame than indicated on the Amazon site. The book more than meets my expectations and I would not hesitate to order again with LevineJudaica through Amazon. It is much more than a prayer book, as it is filled with explanations, commentaries and relevance to today's world.