The Jewish prayer book, or siddur, remains the standard text from which children in Jewish schools learn to read. Yet many adult Jews are unfamiliar with the siddur and are confused by prayer services. Other know the prayer book's Hebrew texts by rote but do not really comprehend them. Writing for both kinds of readers in this classic devotional guide, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin reviews the basic shape of a Jewish prayer service and then begins his survey of prayers (all of which are quoted here in both Hebrew and English) with the Shemoneh Esrei, the core of every service. One of the most appealing qualities of the book is the author's penchant for reminding readers to be mindful of the practical dimension of prayer life: "Unless prayer is also accompanied by the traits of character and ethical behavior that Judaism demands, prayer is no indication of piety at all. One need only stop to consider that in real life, evil men pray too." --Michael Joseph Gross
To Pray As a Jew, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin's companion to his classic work To Be a Jew, will be reissued in September by Basic Books. The book functions as an accessible guide to the prayer book and the synagogue service, covering every detail of Jewish prayer and ritual. Donin answers such specific questions as: What religious objects are kissed before use? What are the 18 blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei? What are the roles of the gabbaim during the service? This definitive guide to the siddur, published just in time for the High Holy Days, will be deeply appreciated by a new generation of readers.
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