On Changes in Jewish Liturgy: Options and Limitations

by Daniel Sperber

Although Jewish liturgy has its roots in antiquity, it evolved and developed throughout the ages to emerge in its present, largely standardized form. However, in some aspects, it is archaic, containing passages and statements that apply more to past eras than to the present day. In some cases, these passages may even be offensive to certain segments of our society. It is for this reason that this book attempts to delineate the parameters of halachically permissible changes in Jewish liturgy -- changes that have precedents in traditional sources and that may correct anachronisms and defuse possible conflict, thus enhancing the experience of prayer for an ever-widening spectrum of Orthodox Jewry.

Genres: Judaism

221 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2010

Reviews

[Fred]

Will write a serious review. TBA.

[Jessie Fischbein]

This book did not come as much of a surprise to me as it likely would have had I read it when it was first published 15 years ago. Now I am quite used to looking up a text online and getting a wiki with a chart with 4-5 different variants of a bracha in Amida. This book is somewhat of a collection of essays and somewhat an expansion of a theme, so some chapters repeat sources and points made earlier in the book.

I had heard about his famous approach towards the bracha of shelo asani Isha. I had not realized that was in this book when I picked it up. It was good to read it inside and see it in context.
Some aspects of the book felt like an overemphasis on women's issue, but when you realize that these essays began to address these questions that so many women have, it makes sense. I have had to address this question many times when I spoke about "Women and Torah" to graduating 12th grade girls. R' Sperber is very staunch and open that the usual answers are "apologetics." It is fascinating to see all of the different girsahs in context and how different communities in general responded to things in Tefila.

The picture you get is much more flexible, as long as you stick to the general "matbeah" the form of the beginning and end/main points (and perhaps even more flexible, depending on whose opinion). I was much more interested in flexibility in Amidah and that is why I picked up the book. I was not disappointed. R' Sperber cites many sources opposed to changes in liturgy, so he is fair. And yet his overall thesis is so compelling: that there is flexibility, there has always been flexibility, communities/gedolim have always made changes, and that shifting what we say is very important to prevent our prayers from becoming rote and stale.

[A. Housewife]

On one hand, it felt like the same theme and same refrain many times over, said in multiple ways, with multiple examples. On the other hand, it's a radical proposition. Perhaps one made less radical because of this book, published 15 years ago. I remember it being quoted. It was good to read those parts inside and also as part of the larger thesis.

Glad I got to read it and see it all in print.

[K C]

Scholarly work with interesting perspectives and historical data on how and what changes were made in the past and what should be possible now. Terrible editing, however. Much of what was in the very lengthy footnotes should have been incorporated into the text and there were items in the text (like some bibliographical citations and the definition of halacha - really unnecessary for the audience this was aimed at!) that were in the text itself. Very confusing to read and many of the points got lost in the mix.