Jewish Liturgy As a Spiritual System: A Prayer-By-Prayer Explanation of the Nature and Meaning of Jewish Worship

Rating:
Summary: Deciphering the meaning of Jewish prayer
Review: This marvelous book obviously was a labor of love for its author, a practicing attorney, who wrote 214 pages with 814 footnotes! Its premise is that the Jewish prayer service is about consciousness -- specifically, that the order of prayer is designed to induce particular mind-states in the worshipper and create a spiritual community within the synagogue. Rosenberg makes the excellent point that those who would modify the traditional liturgy (and I count myself among them) first should understand the purpose of that being modified. Reading this book will enhance your understanding of prayer in general, and it will make shul-going more meaningful

Rating:
Summary: Deciphering the meaning of Jewish prayer
Review: This marvelous book obviously was a labor of love for its author, a practicing attorney, who wrote 214 pages with 814 footnotes! Its premise is that the Jewish prayer service is about consciousness -- specifically, that the order of prayer is designed to induce particular mind-states in the worshipper and create a spiritual community within the synagogue. Rosenberg makes the excellent point that those who would modify the traditional liturgy (and I count myself among them) first should understand the purpose of that being modified. Reading this book will enhance your understanding of prayer in general, and it will make shul-going more meaningful

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful discussion on the meaning of Jewish prayer.
Review: While other works such as Hayim Halevy Donin's "To Pray As A Jew" provide a summary of the origins and customs of Jewish prayer, Arnold Rosenberg's book gives a clear and balanced analysis of the the relationship between prayer, custom, history, and the theolgical differences existing the various movements within Judaism. Whether Orthodox, Reform, Conservative or Reconstructionist, this book offers every Jew new insights into the origins and meaning of his or her prayers.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful discussion on the meaning of Jewish prayer.
Review: While other works such as Hayim Halevy Donin's "To Pray As A Jew" provide a summary of the origins and customs of Jewish prayer, Arnold Rosenberg's book gives a clear and balanced analysis of the the relationship between prayer, custom, history, and the theolgical differences existing the various movements within Judaism. Whether Orthodox, Reform, Conservative or Reconstructionist, this book offers every Jew new insights into the origins and meaning of his or her prayers.