by Johanna Ginsberg
NJJN Staff Writer

January 29, 2009

Gail Friedman of Mountainside loves the way the Sh’ma is spread across two pages. “It’s so clearly celebratory and special,” she said.

Steve Saltzman of Fanwood is drawn to the interpretive translations of Hebrew prayers and psalms. “There are many that are very spiritual, personal, and they can add a lot of meaning to the service,” he said.

But Phyllis Lieberman of North Caldwell was not thrilled with the change in English translation of a prayer she knew well that proclaims, “Open my lips that my mouth may declare Your glory.”

After 40 years of saying “glory,” the new version says “praise.” “I wanted my old book back,” she said.

All are members of synagogues that are integrating Mishkan T’filah: A New Reform Siddur, the Reform movement’s first new prayer book in more than 30 years, into their services. Thirteen months after it was first rolled out by the CCAR Press, the publishing arm of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, local Reform synagogues are ready to adopt the new volume and replace Gates of Prayer, its 30-year-old predecessor.

But doing so is a delicate operation for a congregation, where some worshipers treat prayers and prayer books as old friends, and some either don’t appreciate or don’t agree with changes made to reflect evolving ideologies and attitudes.

Congregants need to get used to Mishkan T’filah’s new two-page spread, a dramatic shift from the format of the previous siddur.

Gone are the stage directions — Gates of Prayer’s “stand,” “sit,” and “read responsively”; in Mishkan T’filah, choices are left to the prayer leader.

Some of the new work’s language represents a return to traditions once eschewed by the Reform movement, like the recitation of “mehayeh meitim,” referring to God “who resurrects the dead.” That had been rendered “mehayeh hakol” in Gates of Prayer, referring to God “who gives life to all.” Although original drafts changed the language, the final version of Mishkan T’filah offers worshipers a choice between “meitim” and “hakol.”

Most of all, perhaps, the new prayer book reflects the current era’s diversity in its attention to gender-neutral language in references to God, multiplicity of voices and options, and Hebrew transliteration for every prayer.

Temple Har Shalom in Warren dedicated the new siddur at kabalat Shabbat services on Jan. 23; Temple Emanu-El in Westfield, where Friedman is president, has been using the book for about a year; and Temple Sholom in Scotch Plains, where Saltzman is president, has been using a version since the siddur was first piloted in 2003, and received its first order of the completed siddur last summer, with more to arrive in the next few weeks.

All three synagogues were among the 278 congregations that piloted the initial draft of the prayer book before its publication in the fall of 2007. Although some synagogues introduced the siddur right away, others decided to wait or faced printing delays. The siddur is already in its third printing.

‘For everyone’

Several rabbis have called the adoption of a new prayer book essential to the religious health of the movement. Rabbi Joel Abraham at Temple Sholom said, “It’s important for the Reform movement to continually revise its prayer book. And from a historical perspective, it’s fascinating.”

He said the new prayer book, like each one that preceded it, offers “a snapshot of where we want to be. It talks about who we are as Jews.” He pointed out that the old Union Prayer Book, a late-19th-century predecessor to Gates of Prayer, offered little with regard to Israel or tikun olam, a notable contrast with Mishkan T’filah. He also pointed to other liturgical changes, specifically, “mehayeh meitim.” Abraham said the phrase can now be accepted “as metaphorical language.” Its inclusion in Mishkan T’filah “reflects a tilt toward tradition just for its own sake.”

Rabbi Randi Musnitsky of Har Shalom expressed her overall satisfaction with the siddur.

“I really like the diversity and the ability to have one volume that contains Shabbat and all of the holidays and includes special prayers for all occasions. It’s one source to use, rather than having to create or add additional sources.”

Her congregants, she said, are “grateful” for the transliterations. “I know there is some concern that it will keep people from wanting to learn Hebrew or will allow people, including kids, to fall back on the transliteration; up until now I haven’t seen that. Rather, it makes it a prayer book for everyone,” she said.

Musnitsky has also been “surprised at the ability of the congregation to move into the new prayer book” since it was introduced in September. The dedication on Friday included a candle-lighting ceremony and a presentation of new siddurim to the temple’s sixth-graders, underscoring the evening’s theme of transformation.

A few people had some misgivings about the book. While Musnitsky liked having everything in one volume, Saltzman found it simply “too big” and “too heavy.” His congregation, as a result, ordered the slimmer version including just kabalat Shabbat and Shabbat morning services.

Mark Nussenfeld of Fanwood, ritual practices chair at Temple Sholom, loves the transliteration, which, he said, would help many congregants, but he wondered about the layout. Because of the two-page format, he said, some prayers “are too spread out,” particularly the Aleinu.

Abraham, who was generally pleased with the volume, acknowledged that he wishes there were more commentary and explanation of the choices in the liturgy. “I’d like the prayer book to be more of a study tool,” he said.

And he has his own ideas about what might bring the siddur into the technological era. “I’d love to see an electronic prayerbook,” he said, something like Kindle, the wireless reading device. “Everyone could be on the same page, but use it how they want to. There would be different symbols to press — push one button for a transliteration, and a transliteration would pop up. Press another button for musical notes, push one for choreography, the next for background of the prayer. Now that would be ideal.”

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