My People's Prayer Book, Vol. 2: Traditional Prayers, Modern Commentaries--The Amidah [Hardcover]

Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1998 | Series: Vol 2 (Book 2)

My People's Prayer Book provides diverse and exciting commentaries to the traditional liturgy, written by some of today's most respected scholars and teachers from all perspectives of the Jewish world. They explore the text from the perspectives of ancient Rabbis and modern theologians, as well as feminist, halakhic, medieval, linguistic, biblical, Chasidic, mystical, and historical perspectives.

With seven volumes published semiannually until completion of the series, My People's Prayer Book will provide a new translation of the authentic Hebrew prayer book text with commentaries for the daily and Shabbat liturgy.

This stunning work, an empowering entryway to the spiritual revival of our times, enables all of us to claim our connection to the heritage of the traditional Jewish prayer book. It helps rejuvenate Jewish worship in today's world, and makes its power accessible to all. The My People's Prayer Book series belongs on the library shelf of every home, every synagogue--every sanctuary of prayer.

Introductions tell the reader what to look for in the prayer service, as well as how to truly use the commentaries, to search for--and find--meaning in the prayer book. Accented with beautifully designed Talmud-style pages.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

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

Product Details

• Hardcover: 213 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Pub (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 187904580X
• ISBN-13: 978-1879045804
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,154 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Prayerbooks
  • #95 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Jewish Life

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very nice compendium of commentaries on "the" prayer., December 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: My People's Prayer Book, Vol. 2: Traditional Prayers, Modern Commentaries--The Amidah (Hardcover)

This book is the second in a series on the Jewish prayer book. It makes the intricacies of the history and meaning of the most important Jewish prayers accesible to people with little prior knowledge and interesting to people with previous experience in the area. All the comments are very good, except maybe for Ms. Falk's, who sounds to me extremely removed from Jewish mainstream. The book has an interesting presentation, Talmud-like, with commentaries around the prayer being studied; once you get used to it it's alright. The Hebrew font is very easy to read, and the translation is indeed beautiful and faithful to the original. The only "minus" is that the book contains a few "typos" which one careful reading before the actual printing could have detected.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars well done, May 19, 2003

By 

Michael Lewyn (Forest Hills, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My People's Prayer Book, Vol. 2: Traditional Prayers, Modern Commentaries--The Amidah (Hardcover)

A good guide to the Amidah from varying perspectives. Unlike another reviewer, I liked the fact that the book had some "outside the mainstream" views as well as more traditional views. I hope that the authors of the next generation of Conservative and Reform prayerbooks take a hint from this book and put in more commentary to explain what our prayers are all about; a recent set of Orthodox prayerbooks, the Artscroll series, have already done so.

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it, June 11, 2009

By 

Leon Rogson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My People's Prayer Book, Vol. 2: Traditional Prayers, Modern Commentaries--The Amidah (Hardcover)

This entire series seems very good. I have read and used this book and the Shema volume. Both were an excelent compendium of modern Rabbis commenting on some of Judaisms most important prayers.
In particular the various view points expressed (Halakhic, Historical, Modern) were of great interest to me.
Leon