New siddur brings out the 'Wow!' of prayer
by Deborah Klee

The Jewish State
August 13, 2004

Joseph G. Rosenstein may have tapped the fountain of spiritual youth in "Siddur Eit Ratzon," his new prayer book for the morning service of Shabbat and festivals.

The third paragraph of the Shema [sic], for example, dances with a sense of discovery: "Wow! This teaching is so amazing, I cannot find enough words to describe it. It is definitely true and always will be. It provides reliable direction to my life. I love it - it is dear and precious and pleasant to me. It is awesome and powerful. It is sweet and beautiful. It is true!"

This sense of wonder reflects the journey of discovery Rosensteinexperienced over the eight years it took to complete the prayer book, from the first glimmer of the idea in 1995. "There were many moments, as I went through the siddur, where I said to myself, 'Oh! That's what it might mean! How come I didn't notice that before?'" recalled Rosenstein.

The "Wow!" moments over the course of translating the prayers were a common occurrence, he said, explaining that the insights about the third paragraph of the Shema [sic] started with noticing the sequence of adjectives.

"Why is that sequence of adjectives there?" he wondered. "Why would anyone write that?"

As he reflected on the phenomenon, Rosenstein realized that the ancient author was trying to capture the "wow" experience that "the God of our ancestors who did these amazing things is also our God, has an impact on our lives as a people and as individuals. "I tried to capture that excitement," said Rosenstein.

The sub-heading of the siddur states the goal clearly: This is "a traditional prayer book designed for those who seek spirituality and meaning beyond what they have found in the traditional prayer book."

While basically following the traditional service, Eit Ratzon moves beyond the traditional through its flowing translation and unique style of commentary.

Even the cover - designed by Rosenstein's wife, Judith - reflects the vision. An inviting canary-yellow cover glows with energy, accented by a charming line-drawing of creation.

A founder of the Highland Park Minyan, which has been around for more than three decades, Rosenstein tried out early versions of the siddur for feedback from the minyan. "It has been fun, educational, and inspiring being involved in the evolution of this siddur," said David Goldfarb, who has been a member for 15 years. He grew up Conservative, primarily in Israel until age 15.

The debut of the pilot version of Eit Ratzon was four years ago, at the bat mitzvah of Miriam Langer. "There had been about two years of photocopies before that," said Jerry Langer, involved in the minyan since 1986 and whose background is Conservative. He is also a member of Highland Park Conservative Temple and Center.

"Joe would work on it, circulating it to various people or bringing it to the minyan in the photocopy version," said Langer. "A group of people here and elsewhere gave comments and criticism - but Joe had set the deadline to produce the first version by the bat mitzvah." So in May of 2000, a young version of Eit Ratzon had its first public showing in the hands of Miriam, her family, friends and community.

"I was honored to be the sh'liach tzibbur for P'sukei d'Zimrah (the preliminary portion of the Shabbat morning service) when we debuted the siddur at Miriam Langer's bat mitzvah," said Goldfarb. "I've also very much appreciated the opportunity to assist in editing the siddur over these past few years as well as make suggestions on what to add, leave out, or modify in the text. It was an enriching experience, and for it I would like to thank Joe and wish him kol hakavod!"

The people at Miriam's bat mitzvah loved the siddur, said Langer. "We also got a lot of positive comments from out-of-towners," he said. "They enjoyed the line-by-line transliteration, some read the notes, commentary, reflections; they enjoyed the layout."

The newest version of Eit Ratzon was available in time for Langer's daughter LeeAnn, who celebrated her bat mitzvah this May. Many guests, using this siddur for the first time, expressed enthusiasm, said Langer, including those from Highland Park Conservative Temple and Center and Orthodox Congregation Ahavas Achim in Highland Park. "It's a tool to go deeper into what prayer is about and how one can approach these wonderful texts," said Langer. "I think Joe really did produce something of value to a wide community."

Joyce Leslie, who has been involved in the minyan about 20 years, described feeling "close to the siddur." "We all feel a lot of pride and affection for the siddur," she said, "which you wouldn't have if you picked one objectively. It's 'in the family' so to speak."

Leslie's background was non-religious. "My parents were Jewish communists, didn't believe in God," she said. "I followed tradition - and rebelled. My children go to day school." Leslie's daughter, Daliah, used an earlier version of Eit Ratzon for her bat mitzvah. "My children do two ceremonies," said Leslie, "one with the (Highland Park) Minyan, then another with Neve Shalom in Metuchen. Daliah brought Joe's siddur to the cantor (at Neve Shalom). He made one tape for her service with the minyan and another for the synagogue."

Several members of Neve Shalom also daven at the Highland Park Minyan and Neve Shalom's Rabbi Gerald Zelizer was so impressed with Eit Ratzon that he plans to use it in a course this winter on aids to prayer.

"People bring to shul occasionally other siddurim to assist them with the siddur of their respective movement," said Zelizer. "Joe's siddur enhances the spiritual part of the mechanical davening."

Rosenstein, professor of mathematics since 1969 at Rutgers University, stands in the tradition of non-rabbis of the Middle Ages who edited siddurim, said Zelizer. "You don't have to be a rabbi to be moved in prayer," he said. "Joe is very serious about the Jewish community and prayer experience. As a rabbi I'm always willing to gain insight to davening. He's a modern version of what was done in the Middle Ages. "Joe makes a conscious effort to inject feeling into formal prayer," Zelizer added. "The emotional aspect is conscious on his part. I'm not saying you can't do this with a standard siddur, but you have to drag it out of yourself. Joe helps you. Occasionally when I want to beef up my own davening at home I've used Joe's siddur personally. It's injected me with a lot of feeling for the morning prayer."

Highland Park Minyan member Bruce Birnberg said the siddur has wide appeal, as he discovered a few years ago at the bat mitzvah of his daughter, Maggie Violette-Birnberg.

"We had a number of non-Jewish guests and guests from all over the Jewish spectrum," said Birnberg. "My mother's cousin wanted a copy. He's ordained Orthodox and worked for various Jewish organizations. Someone else wanted a copy who was a committed secularist, with nothing to do with religious Judaism. It touches a lot of people."

The title of the new siddur, "Eit Ratzon," is from Psalm 69:14, a verse recited at the beginning of morning prayers: "As for me, may my prayer come to You, O Lord, eit ratzon."

The phrase "eit ratzon" has been translated "favorable time" (The Jewish Publication Society Tanakh), "opportune time" (ArtScroll Siddur), "auspicious time" (Sim Shalom) and "a time of joy and favor" (Gates of Prayer).

Rosenstein has translated the verse: "In Your eyes, every moment is the right time for prayer." This reflects the view of this Siddur:

"Whenever we call out to God, God is present," explained Rosenstein in the "User's Guide" to the prayer book.

This theological perspective is woven throughout the siddur in sidebar "Perspective" notes. At the end of the Amidah, for example, is a brief prayer, the Oseh Shalom: "May the One who makes peace in the heavens, make peace for us, and for all Israel, and for all who dwell on earth."

The "Perspective" note explains: "Although we ask God to make peace in the world, we know that God gives us the tools to do so. It is up to us to ensure that the cosmic harmony is truly reflected in our world."

The siddur can be used for prayer services, individual prayer, study and spirituality. A journey through one prayer, the Shabbat Amidah, serves to illustrate the siddur's approach. For starters, finding the Amidah is very easy. Along the bottom margin of each page - in Hebrew on the left-hand page and English on the right - is the section description, "Shacharit Amidah for Shabbat and Festivals."

The facing pages are treated as one four-column page -in this case the Amidah begins on page 58 (both the left and right pages are page 58).

From left to right the columns are: Transliteration, Hebrew, English translation, commentary. This format was developed for "Siddur Chaveirim Kol Yisraeil," as Rosenstein explained.

Goldfarb, who is fluent in Hebrew, enjoys the four-column format. "I very much like the sense of flow in the siddur," he said. "There's typically very little jumping around necessary from page to page - yet one could easily shift from column to column. The English translation, though not necessarily literal, is accessible, meaningful, sensitive, and 'davvenable' - and I very much appreciate all that Joe put in to making it so. Joe's translation is a quantum leap from that in the Silverman siddur the Highland Park Minyan was using up until four years ago, and has facilitated my revisiting the Hebrew text in a deeper, more meaningful way than before."

The fourth column on the siddur page - the commentary - falls into seven main categories: "Guideposts" discuss the prayers; "A Guide to the Spiritual Journey of the Morning Prayers" indicates key transition points; "Perspective" flags the reader at points where this siddur is distinctive from traditional siddurim; "Alternatives" offer texts of the prayers and ways to conduct the service; "Comments" provide insights on prayers and verses; "Kavvanot" help to focus prayer; and "Meditations" help the spiritual journey.

An index in the back of the book lists the Guideposts, Perspectives and Meditations. A glossary at the back of the book also helps the reader.

Back to page 58, and the Amidah, the commentary on this page includes two "Guideposts" and one "Alternative" in the last column. Across the top of both pages, a spiritual journey guide box orients the reader within the larger context of the morning service.

"The spiritual aim of the morning prayers is to bring us to the realization that God, however understood, can make a difference in our lives," the guide explains.

"Now that we have completed our preparations, we are ready to begin the Amidah, to build on that realization, to move ourselves into God's presence." The guide briefly explains how the earlier prayers act as preparation for this "audience" with God, and how the encounter itself has four phases - introductions, substance, gratitude and leave-taking.

The transliteration is based on modern Sephardic Hebrew and North American English, includes stress marks over accented syllables and is in a very clear font. Syllable divisions are indicated with unobtrusive dots. A pronunciation guide on the last page of the siddur provides easy reference.

The Hebrew font is similarly clear and follows both the transliteration and translation line by line, in meaningful phrase divisions. The English translation is original. Much of the prayer service is woven of biblical passages, and Rosenstein indicates this by placing parenthetical citations at the end of such quotes.

Additionally, Rosenstein attempted to make the English "davenable" - possible to say or chant.

The egalitarian perspective of the siddur is immediately apparent in the first blessing of the Amidah which, in Hebrew as well as English, blesses "Our God and God of our ancestors, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, God of Sarah, God of Rebekkah, God of Rachel and God of Leah."

An asterisk alerts the reader to a related Guidepost, which explains, "You are the 'God of our ancestors,' but You are also 'our God,' whom each of us has struggled to understand and accept."

Continuing with the first blessing, one sees philosophical alternatives bracketed in the body of the text: "You remember the loving acts of our ancestors, and will lovingly bring [a redeemer / redemption] to their children's children, for redemption is Your essence."

The "Alternatives" commentary explains, "Judaism traditionally understands God's redemptive promise as being personified in a Messiah, here referred to as a redeemer (go-eil). We may instead focus on the process, interpreting the promise as redemption (g'ul-lah), and affirm that through our partnership with God, the Jewish people, indeed the whole world, can be redeemed, and that better days lie ahead."

The first blessing concludes, "You are a Ruler who helps, saves, and protects [and remembers]. We bless You, Adokai, Who protects Abraham and [helps / remembers] Sarah."

Unique to Eit Ratzon is the option of including a new additional petitionary prayer. This prayer is placed after "Mikaddesh HaShabbat" and before "R'tzeih." The "Perspective" explains: "The traditional Shabbat Amidah does not include 'petitionary prayers,' although they appear in each weekday Amidah, since the Rabbis of the Talmud thought it inappropriate to petition God on the Shabbat. Our ancestors, by and large, said the Amidah each and every day, so this was not a problem."

Rosenstein includes the weekday Amidah in this siddur, at the end of the book. "Many of us, on the other hand, say the Amidah only on Shabbat and thus rarely recite petitionary prayers," the "Perspective continues. "How can we become engaged in the practice of bringing God into our lives, of speaking to the One who hears prayer, of tapping into the strength of the One that is the source of all strength? It is time to acknowledge this reality and reinstate the opportunity for petitionary prayer in the Shabbat Amidah."

The prayer opens, "Creator of the Universe: We acknowledge Your influence in our lives by bringing before You our needs and our hopes, our concerns and our aspirations." Then follows a poetic series of hopes: "When we are perplexed, help us find clarity - for You grace us with understanding. ... When we have lost our way, help us find direction - for You guide our steps. ..." These conclude with acknowledgement of God and praise to God - without using the Name of God which is used in the weekday version of this blessing - "for always being receptive to our prayers, for compassionately listening to all of our prayers."

The traditional Amidah continues and a boxed "Meditation" on gratitude is offered within the "Modim." The 5- to 10-minute meditations are designed so that they work as silent, individual meditations, or as guided meditations led by the prayer leader. A meditation on Shalom follows the closing blessing of the Amidah, "Sim Shalom."

Addenda to the siddur include a guide for the meditation leader and a sample meditation service - along with a guide for leading a traditional service.

At the end of the Amidah, a boxed "Closing prayer" serves to reflect on the spiritual journey made in the morning service, from the very first prayers through the Amidah. In English, the prayer includes a stylized Hebrew graphic ("Shiviti") of the opening words, "Help me keep Your presence directly in my field of vision at each and every moment.

Shiviti is also the name Rosenstein chose for the publishing company of the siddur.

Judy Richman, who grew up Conservative, joined the Minyan when she moved to Highland Park this year. "I so love the egalitarian model and the loving, caring, supportive community," she said. "I taught myself how to lead Shacharit this year, and had the opportunity to do that in the encouraging environment of the Minyan." Eit Ratzon has enhanced that experience. "I especially love the painstaking, thoughtful translations, kavvanot and guided imagery superimposed on Joe's understanding of the underlying spiritual journey of Shabbat morning services," Richman explained. "For me, this siddur is a wonderful blend of keva (formal prayers) and kavannah (focusing thoughts), both traditional Hebrew t'fillot (prayers) and beautiful kavannot and commentary."

What's next for Rosenstein? He will continue working with "Eit Ratzon" - perhaps with an eye to tweaking it for adult education or for use as a companion to other prayer books.

His next big project, however - which was put on hold as he finished the siddur - is a series of guided meditation tapes based on different Jewish prayers. Such meditations appear in abridged form in the siddur, but the tapes will be for half-hour long meditations. One tape is already available, with meditations on Psalm 23 and Psalm 27.

Rosenstein also is active in his "day job" - professor of mathematics at Rutgers University. For the past 15 years his focus has been on K-12 mathematics education. Rosenstein recently received a major grant from the National Science Foundation to create and direct "MetroMath: The Center for Mathematics in America's Cities." "This is a center for learning and teaching, a collaborative effort involving Rutgers, the University of Pennsylvania, the City University of New York," Rosenstein explained.

MetroMath centers are in Philadelphia, Newark, Plainfield and New York City. "The goal is to find out what are the critical things that need to be done to improve math education in the cities and to develop leaders," said Rosenstein.

He also has been active in Jewish learning and teaching all hislife. He is founder and former chair of the National Havurah Committee and its annual summer institute. When asked about the connection between his interest in mathematics and in the study of prayer, Rosenstein thought for a moment.

"As a mathematician I learned to ask questions," he said, "and to search for answers, not to be satisfied with quick answers. I learned to think a lot. "And I learned to go back and forth between the big picture and the small picture."

The "Wow!" experience of discovery that Rosenstein felt as he translated the siddur is available to anyone, he said. "The notion of personalizing prayers is important to our tradition," he said. "What each person might do is write their own prayers, based on the themes of traditional services. This applies to people wherever they are in the spectrum of Jewish observance.

"On the one hand each prayer should be meaningful, focused - kavvanah," continued Rosenstein. "On the other hand, since the Rabbis wanted prayer to occur, they talked about the importance of praying at prescribed times - keva. The challenge is to make keva kavvanah.

"We tend to go the other way around," he said. "We tend to routinize our lives - we are conservative (small 'c') creatures. The challenge is to make prayer meaningful, exciting.

"Translating or writing a prayer for oneself is very much within our tradition - try it!"

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