My People's Prayer Book, Vol. 1: TraditionalPrayers, Modern Commentaries--The Sh'ma and Its Blessings [Hardcover]

Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman (Author, Editor)

Book Description

Series: My People's Prayer Book | Publication Date: September 1, 1997

The first book in a momentous 7-volume series...Opens up the traditional Jewish prayer book as a spiritual resource.The synagogue service is the most familiar aspect of faith for most Jewish people. At the same time, it is often baffling to many worshipers, who have no understanding of the prayer book's history, structure, logic, evolution, and ideas. Instead of providing inspiration, the prayer book is often a barrier to prayer.This momentous new work is truly a people's prayer book, one which provides a diverse and exciting commentary to the traditional liturgy. It will help millions of modern men and women find new wisdom and guidance in Jewish prayer, and bring the liturgy into their lives.Vol. 1-the Sh'ma and Its Blessings launches this seven-volume work. The seven major sections of the prayer book are each covered in separate volumes, to be released semiannually; the series will be completed in the year 2000.My People's Prayer Book provides* The authentic traditional Hebrew text.* A modern translation (designed to let people know exactly what the prayers actually say).* 10 commentators from all perspectives of the Jewish world, among the world's most respected Jewish scholars, cover the prayer book's connections to the Bible, history, halachah (traditional Jewish law), Kabbalistic and Hasidic wisdom, feminism, modern developments, and much more.This stunning work, an important expression of the spiritual revival of our times, enables all worshipers to claim their connection to the heritage of the traditional Jewish prayer book. It rejuvenates Jewish worship in today's world, and makes its power accessible to all.Contributors: Marc Brettler, Elliot Dorff, Susan Einbinder, David Ellenson, Joel Hoffman, Lawrence Hoffman, Lawrence Kushner, Daniel Landes, Judith Plaskow, Nehemiah Polen.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Hebrew (translation)
Original Language: Hebrew

About the Author

Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, professor of liturgy at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, is widely recognized as a world-renowned liturgist and a leader in bringing spiritual innovation into modern Jewish life and worship. He is a regular contributor to Jewish Week and lectures widely to Jewish and Christian audiences. He is the co-author of What Is a Jew? (Collier) and Israel-A Spiritual Travel Guide as well as many scholarly works.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Pub; 1st edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879045796
• ISBN-13: 978-1879045798
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Jewish Life

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars just what i was looking for, February 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: My People's Prayer Book, Vol. 1: TraditionalPrayers, Modern Commentaries--The Sh'ma and Its Blessings (Hardcover)

i like this book. i wanted something to simplify the service for me and also to translate the prayers into poetic english instead of the stilted hard to read translation in the artscroll siddur. i also liked the volume 2 of the series, about the amidah.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding commentary on the Sh'ma, December 30, 2000

By 

B. McCormick "Tovias" (Virginia Beach, VA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My People's Prayer Book, Vol. 1: TraditionalPrayers, Modern Commentaries--The Sh'ma and Its Blessings (Hardcover)

This is an excellent resource for someone that is not satisfied with just rote repitition of the Sh'ma and it's blessings. This book will give you a history of where the prayers are coming from and an excellent english translation. The use of commentators from various Jewish backgrounds adds to the flavor of the book. You are not just exposed to one opinion or another but are given a wide range of views. I look forward to reading all of the books in this series.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Prayer Book Information, July 5, 2007

By 

Leon Rogson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My People's Prayer Book, Vol. 1: TraditionalPrayers, Modern Commentaries--The Sh'ma and Its Blessings (Hardcover)

It takes a bit of time to get used to its "talmudic" page setup approach. It contains a decent set of prayer commentatires by both Reform, Conservative, and Feminist viewpoints. It also has Halachic reviews, I believe they are conservative rather than orthodox.
Its really an enjoyable book to use for those who like me see prayer as an important and a uniquely positioned mechanism for expressing and deepening our faith.