Author Comments

Every page is complete, taking you from printed text to feeling, from feeling to intent, from intent toward the Presence of the Divine.
—Mitchell Chefitz, author of The Seventh Telling and The Thirty-third Hour

Joe Rosenstein's siddur is a wonderful new resource for all those who want the Jewish prayerbook to speak to them as well as to God. The gender-inclusive language and user-friendly format provides an accessible entry into the world of the traditional siddur. Even those well-versed in the traditional Hebrew liturgy will find much in this siddur to re-invigorate and renew their prayer life. Especially useful are the many aids to meditation and contemplative experience within the service. And it is refreshing to find a prayerbook free of ideology and denominational bias.
—Dr. Ellen Frankel is the Editor-in-Chief of The Jewish Publication Society and the author of The Five Books of Miriam.

I have examined Siddur Eit Ratzon and davened with it. This siddur is a superb contribution to Jewish life. The editor, Joseph Rosenstein, has fashioned a tool for spiritual experience, stimulating genuine kavvanah. It is serious and deep, yet highly usable, uplifting, and richly personal. The siddur reflects Joe's years of meditative practice and his deep knowledge of liturgy and traditional texts. He has a wonderfully light touch, conveying much without burdening the davener. His goal throughout is to intensify the prayer experience—and he suceeds marvelously. This siddur is in a class by itself.
—Daniel Matt, author of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition

Not all times are equal to allow us to enter into a true prayer-space. We need an eit ratzon, a time of gentle receptivity for our prayer. Not every siddur enables us to enter a true prayer-space. But Siddur Eit Ratzon does. It allows us to go beyond the words and place ourselves in the presence of the living God.
—Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, author of Jewish with Feeling

Your siddur is such an interesting combination of frum and free. I love it's ability to throw off the girdle constricting davening today. And, bottom line, I love this siddur. It is inspirational in the best sense of the word; it allows us to reclaim davening for the open-heart experience it was meant to be. I used it days after each other to see if I would get tired of the text. It seemed to me that there was always some new tidbit I had missed in an earlier reading. And the translations are beautiful and true, giving new resonance to the original Hebrew. Yasher koach, Joe.
—Sharon Strassfeld, co-author of The Jewish Catalog (First, Second, and Third)

Siddur Eit Ratzon serves as a "Shabbat and Festival Morning companion" to Siddur Chaveirim Kol Yisraeil, a Friday night siddur edited by the Progressive Chavurah/Siddur Committee and published by Ktav, 2000. However, Siddur Eit Ratzon goes one step further. While Siddur Chaveirim Kol Yisraeil was intended to reflect a multiplicity of practices, viewpoints, and interpretations from several contributors, Joe's single voice in the commentary and translation reflects his own thinking about critical issues of theology and spirituality. He poses and answers questions such as "Does God micromanage the universe?" and "Does prayer work?" He recognizes that modern circumstances suggest new prayers reflecting the needs of liberal Jews and communities to offer prayers of petition, praise, and remembrance. In cases where Joe has taken poetic liberties with the Hebrew texts or English translations, he notes the more traditional or literal renditions in the commentary. Often the explanations for his "changes" leave the reader to wonder if they are really "changes back" to what the prayer should have said in the first place. As we did with Siddur Chaveirim Kol Yisraeil, Joe's work with Siddur Eit Ratzon continues the process of creating a trans-denominational liturgy that makes prayer more meaningful and accessible to seekers and worshippers of all backgrounds.
—Mark Frydenberg, Editor, Siddur Chaveirim Kol Yisraeil

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