To Pray as a Jew: A Guide to the Prayer Book and the Synagogue Service

by Hayim H. Donin

Overview

A distinguished guide to Jewish prayer

Why do Jews pray? What is the role of prayer in their lives as moral and ethical beings? From the simplest details of how to comport oneself on entering a synagogue to the most profound and moving comments on the prayers themselves, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin guides readers of To Pray as a Jew through the entire prescribed course of Jewish liturgy, passage by passage, ritual by ritual, in this handsome and indispensable guide to Jewish prayer.

Unexcelled for beginners as well as the religiously observant, To Pray as a Jew is intended to show the way, to enlighten, and hopefully to inspire.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541618169
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	08/13/2019
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	459,464
Lexile:	1200L (what's this?)
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin (1928-1982) established himself as an incomparable teacher and interpreter of Jewish laws and practice through his classic books To Be a Jew, To Pray as a Jew, and To Raise a Jewish Child, all published by Basic Books. For twenty years he was Rabbi of Congregation B'nai David in Southfield, Michigan, where he was also Adjunct Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Detroit. Rabbi Donin held a Ph.D. in Education and was also the founder and president of the Akiva Hebrew Day School in Detroit.

Table of Contents

The Quest for Spirituality
To Feel at Home in the Synagogue: Knowing What to Do
The Shemoneh Esrie: The Amidah of “Eighteen” Blessings
The Amidah for the Sabbath and Festivals Kedushah and Other Additions to the Amidah
The Shema and its Blessings
The Verses of Song—Pesukei d'Zimra (The Introductory of Prayers)
The Morning Blessings—Birkhot Hashahar (The Preliminary Prayers)
Supplications and Other Supplementary Prayers
The Kaddish
Responses in Prayer The Torah Reading Service
Welcoming the Sabbath: Kabbalat Shabbat
Prayers for Special Occasions
The Grace After Meals: Birkat Hamazon
The Blessings Before Eating: Birkhot Hanehenin
Home Prayers for Sabbaths and Festivals
Rules Relating to the Prayer Service
Epilogue: The Ethical Dimension of Jewish Prayer

Editorial Reviews

A lucid and sensitive guide for those who would like to pray Jewishly but don't know how.... A boon to both Jewish teachers and laymen.

Hadassah Magazine

To Pray As a Jew, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin's companion to his classic work To Be a Jew, will be reissued in September by Basic Books. The book functions as an accessible guide to the prayer book and the synagogue service, covering every detail of Jewish prayer and ritual. Donin answers such specific questions as: What religious objects are kissed before use? What are the 18 blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei? What are the roles of the gabbaim during the service? This definitive guide to the siddur, published just in time for the High Holy Days, will be deeply appreciated by a new generation of readers. (Sept. 15) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

"A lucid and sensitive guide for those who would like to pray Jewishly but don't know how....A boon to both Jewish teachers and laymen." —Hadassah Magazine

From the Publisher