Exploring the prayerbook II: Special readings through the Jewish year

by Carl S. Ehrlich

This book is meant as a sequel to Exploring the Prayer Book I by Shirley Stern. Stern's book serves to give the somewhat advanced religious school student of Hebrew an appreciation of the structure, concepts, and language of the basic Jewish liturgy. In addition, Exploring the Prayerbookl includes sections devoted to some of the major prayers for special events in the Jewish Although there have been a number of books devoted to the standard Jewish liturgy, Exploring the Prayerbook ll attempts to fill a void in the curriculum of the Jewish school by devoting a full course of study to the cycle of prayers and special readings that one is apt to encounter during the Jewish year. From the Mahzor to the Megillot, Exploring the Prayer Book II not only teaches the students the peshat of these readings, but also teaches about the readings in a way that should be both interesting and stimulating. In addition to Hebrew curriculums, this book can be utilized in liturgy, prayer, and holiday curriculums. The choice of readings and their presentation have been geared to Reform and Conservative schools. All translations are the authors’ own. The attempt has been made to render the Hebrew in readable English translations, which are as close as idiomatically possible to the original Hebrew. In their writing, the authors have endeavored to avoid sexist language. However, since this book will serve some students as a vehicle for learning the Hebrew language, it was decided not to mistranslate the Hebrew in order to render the English more acceptable to our modern ears. It is strongly suggested that teachers spend time with their classes dealing with the issue of ancient texts and modern sensibilities. The students should be made aware that human thought is an evolving process. This applies no more and no less to the process of Jewish thought.

185 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986