Siddur: Transliterated Linear, Weekday

Rating:
Summary: Very Helpful for People Learning Jewish Traditonal Prayers
Review: The Seif Edition of the Artscroll Transliterated Linear Siddur Weekday [Prayers] is the younger sibling of Artscroll's popular "Seif Edition Artscroll Transliterated Linear Siddur Shabbat and Holidays." There are also a Rosh Hashanah Machzor and a Yom Kippur Machzor in the same format.

I like it. I am not an Orthodox Jew, but my late mother was. I lead a Jewish Renewal prayer group (newest, most liberal denomination in Judaism, as least as of 2003), and I always wanted to learn all of the traditional prayers, but I have always struggled with Hebrew. This prayerbook has been a big help.

The prayerbook has the Hebrew letters on the right side of each page, the transliterated Hebrew (Hebrew sounded out in English syllables) on the same line on the left side of the page, and the English translation on the next line, underneath them.

Already I am learning things about the prayers and their structures that I never learned using prayerbooks with Hebrew and English, but no transliteration. Reciting the prayers using the transliteration, while seeing the Hebrew letters and the English together, is helping me learn Hebrew. It also gives the prayers a greater spiritual power for me.

I feel very bonded to my mother's ancestors, they used these prayers. I expect to remain a happy Renewal Jew, but learning the full traditional prayers is giving me better grounding for co-leading my Renewal havurah.

The prayerbook was designed by Artscroll and the Orthodox Union for Jews who are unfamiliar with the traditional prayers, and has several essays on the various parts of the services, and helpful comments between the major prayers on what they mean, and their background.

I have ordered a copy of the Shabbat and Festivals "sibling" to this prayerbook, and plan to buy the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur volumes in the series as well.

Small problems: The prayerbook transliterations use the Ashkenazi (East European) old style pronunciation, not the Sephardic pronunciation that the Israelis and most non-Orthodox American Jews (Conservative, Reform, Reconstruction, Humanistic, and Renewal) use in prayer books nowadays. My ancestors used the Ashkenazi pronunciation, but it does have a few differences from the Sephardi pronunciation --- it is a bit confusing, though I "translate" the Ashkenazi pronunciation to Sephardi where I can do so.

The other problems: the format is a bit triangular, your eyes go from the Hebrew to the transliteration to the English. Also, while the prayerbook has wonderful essays to explain the prayers, the essays are written from the traditional Orthodox standpoint, so Jews from other, more liberal denominations must change mental perspective somewhat to absorb the information.

But these are really very small problems. I am just happy to be able to pray in Hebrew, while knowing what I am praying!