A Guide to Jewish Prayer

by Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz

Book Overview

From one of the world's most famous and respected rabbis--"a practical explanation of Jewish worship from a spiritual slant" (Detroit Free Press).

For both the novice and for those who have been engaged in prayer for years, here is the one guide needed to practice Jewish prayer and understand the prayer book. From the origins and meaning of worship to a step-by-step explanation of the daily prayers to the reason you're not supposed to chat with your friends during services, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz answers many of the questions likely to arise about Jewish prayer. Here are chapters on daily prayer; Sabbath prayer; prayer services for the holidays; the yearly cycle of synagogue Bible readings; the history and makeup of the synagogue; the different prayer rites for Ashkenazim, Sephardim, Yemenites, and other cultural/geographic groupings; the role of the rabbi and the cantor in the synagogue; and the role of music in the service.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805211470
• ISBN13: 9780805211474
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: Schocken Books Inc
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read

This is a classic, a must read for anyone interested in understanding the history, form, structure, and rules of Jewish prayer. For beginner, intermediate, or advanced readers. If you're looking for a concise handbook geared towards those unfamiliar with the beliefs, practices, and guidelines of Orthodox Judaism, you should try The Outsider's Guide To Orthodox Judaism It's a great gift for your "outsider" friend, boss, or coworker.

A help to better prayer

There are a number of good books on the subject of Jewish Prayer. Seth Kadish's ' Kavvana' perhaps does most to explain the actual problems a Jew faces in praying in the proper way. There are books by Haim Donin, by Rabbi Munk who provides great insight into the meaning of the prayers, by many others. Rabbi Steinsaltz is a great Talmid Chacham and his work provides a most detailed explanation of the meaning of prayer and of various individual prayers. I have read parts of the work and learned from them . I highly recommend this work for all those who would know its meaning in a richer way.

excellent guide

As most books of Even-Israel (or Steinsaltz) this is a highly readable book, clearly explaining the traditions and regulations of prayer. Read it once to get a basic grip, and then keep it as a reference work.

Steinsaltz is a Great Gift to us All

The above reviewer spoke for me. I'll only add that for beginners or those not steeped in Judaica, or for those not Jewish, who want to get his work, I recommend starting with "The Thirteenth Petalled Rose." It's short, exquisite and an excellent introduction to this also great book

Accessible

Our Talmud group studied from Rabbi Steinsaltz's translations. He is a tremendous scholar, but writes accessibly for the layperson. Where some rabbis of this stature are cool and arrogant, R. Steinsaltz is warm. Most importantly, he makes *you* feel like a scholar, even if you don't read a bit of Hebrew.--Yitzhak Ya'akov ben Yosef