This is an attempt to present the traditional Sabbath Eve service through an understandable, devotional approach. The Hebrew prayers have been transliterated so that even those who have no knowledge whatever of our sacred tongue will be able to follow the chants and responses. To enable the worshipper to tell at a glance when he is to read, all responses and unison readings are clearly marked. Five variations for five Sabbaths are suggested. They have been used in the synagogue and were found helpful in giving fuller and more meaningful expression to the service.

שַׁלְמֵי תּוֹדָה THANK-OFFERING

It is with pleasure that I record my appreciation to my distinguished teacher, Dr. Shalom Spiegel, Professor of Hebrew Literature, Jewish Institute of Religion, New York, who graciously read the manuscript, and whose criticism and comments have enhanced the usefulness of this book.

My thanks must also go to my friend, Rabbi Bernard Harrison, director, Councils of Jewish Students, Los Angeles, California, for his suggestions and proofreading.

My gratitude indicates no shift of responsibility, however; that rests entirely with me.

The worshippers of Temple Sinai, to whom I minister these seven years, must also receive a debt of gratitude; for three years they gave me the opportunity to experiment with this service in mimeographed form.

Finally, to those who contributed generously and financially fathered this book, my heartfelt thanks. Their names appear elsewhere.

If, through this prayer book, I succeed in touching and winning a few scattered souls for traditional Judaism, my reward will be ample.

I. SHALOM RAVETCH

Ellul 5702
September 1942

PRAYER: MEANING AND VALUE

Ⅰ

SPIRITLESS TEMPLES

Israel builds temples, but has forgotten his Maker.^[1] Hosea 8:14 וַיִּשְׁכַּח יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־עֹשֵׂהוּ וַיִּבֶן הֵיכָלוֹת “For Israel forgot his Maker and built palaces.”  Our country is dotted with huge and imposing synagogues in which the American Jew takes particular pride;^[2] One cannot help but recall Jeremiah’s sarcastic outcry against those Jews who placed so much trust in the outward beauty of the Temple. (Jeremiah 7:4)  but these exquisite structures all too often house only a handful of worshippers. The art of prayer, the Jews’ greatest form of religious expression, is no longer common to all Jews; it is all too quickly being forgotten. Too many Jews no longer know how to pray. When the average Jew enters the house of worship, he seldom contributes to the warmth and glow of religious enthusiasm that once pervaded God’s abode. Quite often he is ill at ease; he recites his ritual perfunctorily, and is numbed by the lack of religious ardor of the people about him. Many a worshipper can hardly wait for the end of the service to come, and complains when worship is somewhat longer than usual. Indeed, the temple of the spirit seems dead.

DETOUR FROM GOD

Some have contended that religious fervor is in the ascendancy during trying periods, when world confusion is thickest, when Jewish suffering is intense. We are engaged in a grim struggle for our very survival. The mind of man is confused and darkness seems to prevail. But have we moved nearer to God? Have not some cried out in despair againse Him because of the spread of injustice and tyranny, conditions which man’s complacency alone has permitted to grow? Man himself has created the misery and confusion; man has willfully detoured from the road of life.^[3] Deuteronomy 30:19 הַחַיִּים וְהַמָּוֶת נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים “I have put life and death before you, the blessing and the curse; therefore choose life.”  But many of our “modern” Jews apparently do not understand this. Unschooled in his religious tradition and weaned away from spiritual life, many a Jew too often eschews or abandons the synagogue, impoverishing himself and weakening Judaism. The result is that religious activities are held in derision and our synagogues are becoming more and more empty and desolate, thus endangering the very future of Judaism.

DECAY OF STUDY

We have failed, and we know wherein we fell short. In America, the blessed land of the free, bursting with wealth, opportunity, and hope, Judaism found the occasion to develop in freedom. But too many of us spurned this precious privilege. In the mad scramble for wealth, position, and security, the Jew’s one salvation, his one sustenance through countless eras—his Torah, his education, has been ignored. Education, the Jew’s fundamental activity through the ages, mankind’s only hope,^[4] Mishnah Peah 1:1 תַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה כְּנֶגֶד כֻּלָּם Education equals in importance all the activities combined; see Bartenuro, loc. cit.; cf. Yerushalmi Peah 1:1, where the statement is made that without education the world is lost.  has been relegated to the background and constitutes a minor item in the scheme of American Jewish endeavor. With the elevation of fleshly gods and the degradation of Jewish study has come the gradual dissolution of traditional Judaism. Tragically enough, many a Jew today does not know the raison d’etre of our existence; consequently, to an alarming degree, he is ailing with self-hate and escapism. He may hide these weaknesses behind beautiful synagogue buildings,^[5] The plea is often heard, in campaigning for a new synagogue building, that the edifice must be sufficiently imposing to impress the non-Jew; such a “god-fearing” attitude usually results io a heavy mortgage which necessitates the curtailment of important cultural and educational activities, because the members cannot do both, meet the mortgage and finance a cultural program.  but he betrays them in his spiritless worship.

PRAYER BINDS US TO GOD AND MAN

Not having been reared in the lap of Judaism, too many American Jews no longer understand nor appreciate the importance of prayer.^[6] In Midrash Eikhah Rabbah, Petichta 2 there is the statement that only education can lead back to an appreciation of the Jewish religion. וְאֹתִי עָזָבוּ וְאֶת תּוֹרָתִי לֹא שָׁמָרוּ, הַלְוַאי אוֹתִי עָזָבוּ וְתוֹרָתִי שָׁמָרוּ, מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁהָיוּ מִתְעַסְּקִין בָּהּ הַמָּאוֹר שֶׁבָּהּ הָיָה מַחֲזִירָן לְמוּטָב. Would that they had forgotten Me but had kept My Torah (cf. Jeremiah 16:11); for through occupying themselves with it, its light would have led them back‏ to the right way. cf. Yerushalmi Hagigah 1:7  Those of us who do pray know its value and are aware of its efficacy in tying man to God and to all who are created in His image.^[7] Genesis 1:27 ‎וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים  אֶת־הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ “God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him.” Abot 3:14 [רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא] הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, חָבִיב אָדָם שֶׁנִּבְרָא בְצֶלֶם. חִבָּה יְתֵרָה נוֹדַעַת לוֹ שֶׁנִּבְרָא בְצֶלֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר כִּי בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים עָשָׂה אֶת הָאָדָם (בראשית ט:ו). “Beloved (by God) is man who was created in the image (of God); but a greater evidence of His love for man is the fact that it was revealed to man that he was created in the image of God.”  For prayer not only “binds humanity to God,”^[8] Gustav Theodor Fechner, quoted in Prayer, Friedrich Heiler, p. xiii.  but binds man to man, affording us the best possible means of cultivating understanding among men by endowing them with a sense of equality.^[9] Shemot Rabbah 21:4 אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר שָׁלוֹם בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, בָּשָׂר וָדָם אִם בָּא עָנִי לוֹמַר דָּבָר לְפָנָיו אֵינוֹ שׁוֹמֵעַ הֵימֶנּוּ, אִם בָּא עָשִׁיר לוֹמַר דָּבָר, מִיָּד הוּא שׁוֹמֵעַ וּמְקַבְּלוֹ, אֲבָל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֵינוֹ כֵן אֶלָּא הַכֹּל שָׁוִין לְפָנָיו, הַנָּשִׁים, וְהָעֲבָדִים, וְהָעֲנִיִּים, וְהָעֲשִׁירִים. תֵּדַע לְךָ שֶׁהֲרֵי משֶׁה רַבָּן שֶׁל כָּל הַנְּבִיאִים כָּתוּב בּוֹ מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב בְּעָנִי, בְּמשֶׁה כְּתִיב (תהלים צ, א): תְּפִלָּה לְמשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים, וּבְעָנִי כְתִיב (תהלים קב, א): תְּפִלָּה לְעָנִי כִי יַעֲטֹף וְלִפְנֵי ה’ יִשְׁפֹּךְ שִׂיחוֹ. זוֹ תְּפִלָּה וְזוֹ תְּפִלָּה, לְהוֹדִיעֲךָ שֶׁהַכֹּל שָׁוִין בַּתְּפִלָּה לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם..‎ In prayer, all are equal before the All-present.  Yet, how explain prayer to the uninitiated?

PRAYER AN INSTINCT

Any formal or rigid analysis of the value of prayer must fail. Like God, prayer cannot be talked about. It is a thing of the inner life, of the spirit, and is too sacred and intimate to dissect. We can fix it as an instinct; we can say it is as native a desire to converse with God as it is natural for a child to speak with his parents. But we cannot anatomize it. We know what prayer is when we sense it, when we feel what it means to us, when we are conscious what it does for us. Through prayer man reveals himself to God, even as He revealed Himself to us through His Torah.^[10] Solomon Schechter, Studies in Judaism, Second Series, pp. 9, 154  For us who sense and understand prayer, it is the natural expression of our intimate relationship with our Father. For us who pray,

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye
When none but God is near.

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed,—
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.^[11] From the poem “What is Prayer?” by James Montgomery, published in The Christian Psalmist, Or, Hymns, Selected and Original (1825), pp. 384-385. 

This may not be the academician’s definition of prayer; it suffices, for it states the essential mood.

COMMUNION WITH GOD

But since most things are measured by their worth, the question is frequently asked, “What does prayer do for me?” Prayer can accomplish many things, but the highest type of prayer is not a means to an end, but the end itself. That prayer is greatest which fulfills our yearning for actual communion with God. True prayer means seeking His presence for the sheer joy of being near Him and feeling Him near us. True prayer means the desire to lose oneself in Him, to be actually in His embrace, to feel His Schechinah enveloping us, refreshing us even as water refreshes the tired and heated body.^[12] Cf. Mishnah Yoma 8:9 מַה מִּקְוֶה מְטַהֵר אֶת הַטְּמֵאִים, אַף הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְטַהֵר אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל As the bath cleanses the defiler, so does the LORD cleanse Israel.  Intuitively, we have the feeling that He enjoys such a prayer;^[13] Midrash Tehilim 115:1 שהקב״ה מתאוה לשמוע תפלתם של ישראל‎ The Holy One Blessed be He desires to hear the prayers of Israel. [Also find Midrash Tehilim 116:1.] Shemot Rabbah 21:4 מִתְעַטֵּר בִּתְפִלָּתָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַעֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת בְּרֹאשֵׁךְ (יחזקאל טז:יב).‎ The Holy One Blessed be He adorns Himself with the prayers of Israel.  one that asks for nothing but carries with it a longing to become absorbed in Him, insensible to external surroundings. I would call it praying lishemah, for its own sake, for its intrinsic value, with no selfish end in mind. Such prayer for communion with God is its own reward and needs no explanation.

THE CONSTANT FRIEND

There is another type of communion which comes from a sense of helplessness and loneliness. I need a friend and no earthly friend is to be found, so I turn to God. Abraham Lincoln was driven many times to his knees by the overwhelming conviction that he had nowhere to go, no one to turn to, but God. In time of despair and desolation we know that in Him we have one Friend who will never forsake us because of caprice, one Friend who is constant in His affection.^[14] Psalms 27:10 כִּי־אָבִי וְאִמִּי עֲזָבוּנִי וַיהֹוָה יַאַסְפֵנִי׃ “Even though my father and my mother forsake me, the LORD will take me up.”  Ability to pray and communion with God is His own gift of grace and mercy.^[15] Psalms 66:20 בָּרוּךְ אֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא־הֵסִיר־תְּפִלָּתִי וְחַסְדּוֹ מֵאִתִּי׃ “Blessed be God, who did not reject ray prayer, nor turn away His mercy from me.” 

COMMUNION WITH ISRAEL

In prayer we commune with our people. It helps us develop a sense of oneness with Israel. In fact there is the strong feeling that a prayer which does not include Jewry in its entirety is not prayer. Prayer, being our strongest weapon in our battle for existence,^[16] Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai 14:10 and Midrash Tanchuma, Beshalach 9:2 אֵין לָהֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא תְּפִלָּה.‎ Israel has nothing but prayer (for his protection against his enemies).  helps us realize, as nothing else will, that there is a reason for Israel’s entity; that the Jew has not struggled against odds in vain; that there is divine purpose in his survival and continuance in the arena of history; that however long or trying his suffering, the future does hold for him a better day, nay, a glorious destiny. Prayer will clothe the Jewish soul with hope for the coming of the LORD’s Day, when He will give to the peoples a pure heart to serve Him with one accord, and they shall not learn war any more; when out of a restored Zion, the spiritual workshop of Judaism, once again shall go forth the word of the LORD, and Israel will be a light to the nations.^[17] Zephaniah 3:9 כִּי־אָז אֶהְפֹּךְ אֶל־עַמִּים שָׂפָה בְרוּרָה לִקְרֹא כֻלָּם בְּשֵׁם יְהֹוָה לְעׇבְדוֹ שְׁכֶם אֶחָד׃ “For then ] will change the people’s language into pure speech, so that they may all call upon the LORD, and serve Him with one consent.” Isaiah 2:2-4 וְהָיָה  בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים נָכוֹן יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית־ה׳ בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים וְנִשָּׂא מִגְּבָעוֹת וְנָהֲרוּ אֵלָיו כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִם׃ וְהָלְכוּ עַמִּים רַבִּים וְאָמְרוּ לְכוּ  וְנַעֲלֶה אֶל־הַר־ה׳ אֶל־בֵּית אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב וְיֹרֵנוּ מִדְּרָכָיו וְנֵלְכָה בְּאֹרְחֹתָיו כִּי מִצִּיּוֹן תֵּצֵא תוֹרָה וּדְבַר־ה׳ מִירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ וְשָׁפַט בֵּין הַגּוֹיִם וְהוֹכִיחַ לְעַמִּים רַבִּים וְכִתְּתוּ חַרְבוֹתָם לְאִתִּים וַחֲנִיתוֹתֵיהֶם לְמַזְמֵרוֹת לֹא־יִשָּׂא גוֹי אֶל־גּוֹי חֶרֶב וְלֹא־יִלְמְדוּ עוֹד מִלְחָמָה׃ “It shall be in the days‏ come, that the mountain of the LORD’s house will be established .. . and all nations will stream to it… saying “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us of His ways, so that we may walk in His paths; for from Zion goes forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Then shall He judge between the nations, and arbitrate for many peoples; andthey shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Isaiah 42:6-7 וְאֶתֶּנְךָ לִבְרִית עָם לְאוֹר גּוֹיִם׃ לִפְקֹחַ עֵינַיִם עִוְרוֹת “I have made you… a light to the nations to open blind eyes.” 

COMMUNION WITH FELLOWMEN

In addition to communion with God and Israel, prayer will bring us nearer to our fellowmen. For prayer removes selfishness, destroys arrogance, nourishes our beings with humility and our minds with understanding. It is our best means for self-improvement. It develops a good heart, it subdues the beast in man, it brings out the godly qualities in everyone. Prayer develops in us the sense of equality. We pray, and we come to the realization that we are all children in the eyes of God; we see that neither earthly accomplishments nor misfortune can really elevate or degrade us. We pray, and we know that we are ennobled only by our moral conduct, that only he can ascend the mountain of the LORD who has clean hands and a pure heart.^[18] Psalms 24:3-4 מִי־יַעֲלֶה בְהַר־ה׳ וּמִי־יָקוּם בִּמְקוֹם קׇדְשׁוֹ׃ “Who can ascend into the mountain of the LORD? . . . He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” 

PRAYER DEVELOPS RIGHTEOUSNESS

Such communion with God and man must result in righteous living. Secular education may endow us with a sense of justice; but justice alone is not enough for the maintenance of civilized life. With justice there must be mercy; and earnest prayer, the result of religious education, does clothe us with the sense of mercy, turning our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, enabling us to feel the woes of our fellowmen and directing us to alleviate their sorrow. In brief, prayer will help us to practice righteousness which is the child of justice and mercy.^[19] Cf. Rashi on Genesis 1:1; Ahad Haam, Al Perashat Derachim, Middat Haddin Umiddat Harahamim, pp. 140-143. 

PRAYER URGES ACTION

Prayer answers “Yes!” to the age-old question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”^[20] Genesis 4:9  develops in us a sense of responsibility for our fellow’s misery and urges us to do something about it. It moves us to action for the underprivileged and makes us fight for the suffering.^[21] The Hebrew עבודה‎ AVODAH means both “worship” and “work.”  And since such activity usually means battling against selfish interests and struggling against odds, we need only turn to our Shield and Buckler in prayer, and tap His infinite source of wisdom and courage,^[22] Psalms 91:4  to be enabled to plan wisely and act bravely in our effort to establish righteousness. Prayer shows us how to bear life’s trials and troubles amid the most perplexing circumstances; for

They who have steeped their souls in prayer
Can every anguish calmly bear.^[23] From “The Sayings of Rabia” (1844) by Richard Monckton Milnes (1809-1885). 

God our Father, man our brother—that is the loftiest precept prayer can bring us. It can prepare us for everyday life; its power permeating every human action, does influence us “to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God.”^[24] Micah 6:8 

Ⅱ

ANTIQUITY OF JEWISH PRAYERS

Israel publishes prayer books, but has forgotten prayer.^[25] Attributed to Solomon Schechter.  Of no other people can it be said with greater truth that “prayer all his business, all his pleasure praise.”^[26] A line from the poem “The Hermit” by Thomas Parnell (1679-1718).  Very ancient are the prayers of the Jewish people. So old are they that their origin is shrouded in mystery. Tradition speaks of the antiquity of established prayers and refers their beginnings to the patriarchs.^[27] Berachot 26b.4 אִיתְּמַר, רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא אָמַר: תְּפִלּוֹת אָבוֹת תִּקְּנוּם The patriarchs established the (daily) prayer; Mechilta Exodus 14:10  Support for this conjecture is found in the biblical narration that tells of Abraham rising early to meet God;^[28] Genesis 19:27 וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־עָמַד שָׁם אֶת־פְּנֵי ה׳׃ “And Abraham got up early in the morning (and went) to the place where he had stood before the LORD.”  of Isaac meditating at dusk;^[29] Genesis 24:63 וַיֵּצֵא יִצְחָק לָשׂוּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶה לִפְנוֹת עָרֶב “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field towards evening.”  of Jacob interrupting his journey as night fell.^[30] Genesis 28:11 וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם וַיָּלֶן שָׁם כִּי־בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ “And he (Jacob) reached the place (sanctuary ?) and tarried there for the night because thesun had set.”  These passages, say the sages, imply that the three daily prayers, morning, afternoon, and evening were established by the three Fathers.^[31] Some explain that the Yiddish verb, Davenen, to pray, is corrupt from the Aramaic D’avunan, of our fathers; the implication being that the custom of praying thrice daily originated with the patriarchs.  Whether or not these speculations be true, the custom to pray thrice daily seems to be older than written record.^[32] Psalms 55:18 עֶרֶב וָבֹקֶר וְצׇהֳרַיִם אָשִׂיחָה וְאֶהֱמֶה‎ “Evening, morning, and noon I will meditate and moan. Daniel 6:11 וְזִמְנִין תְּלָתָה בְיוֹמָא הוּא  בָּרֵךְ עַל־בִּרְכוֹהִי וּמְצַלֵּא וּמוֹדֵא קֳדָם אֱלָהֵהּ “Thrice daily he (Daniel) kneeled, prayed, and gave thanks before his God.” Cf. Berachot 26a. f. 

PUBLIC WORSHIP

Prayer has its value no matter when or where recited. For

From every place below the skies
The grateful song, the fervent prayer,—
The incense of the heart,—may rise
To heaven, and find acceptance there.^[33] From a hymn by John Pierpont published in Airs of Palestine, and Other Poems (1844), pp. 135-136, and originally written 7 December 1824 for the opening of the Independent Congregational Church in Barton Square, Salem, Massachusetts. 

But it is public worship rather than private prayer that has been the sacred practice among Jews. Not that private devotion was ruled out; but the usage has been tephillah betzibbur, public worship.^[34] So sacred was public worship to the Jew that permission was granted in extreme circumstances to hold public worship with nine males above the Bar Mitzvah age and one minor, under thirteen. Cf. Orah Hayyim 55:4; Berachot 47b.  In order that our prayer be not selfish, nor directed to petty or narrow ends, Judaism enjoins collective prayer. Praying within the community means learning to pray for the good of the community, indeed for the good of all. Public worship in the synagogue links us with the humblest Jew everywhere. Constancy at public worship deepens Jewish consciousness and awakens us to Jewish responsibilities. The verv phraseology of our prayers stresses the importance of public worship.^[35] The phraseology in the Siddur is consistently in the plural.  Seldom do we pray for ourselves individually; most frequently for Kelal Israel, for the entire Jewish people.

THE CONSERVATIVE APPROACH

We must, therefore, do all we can to impress upon our people the full import of public worship. That is why Conservative Rabbis continue to publish independent prayer books. They are convinced that public worship must once again assume its former prominent role. This can be done only by presenting the essence of Jewish worship in intelligible terms. The fact that many attempts are made to present the conservative approach to prayer is no indication that the conservative group is divided. It shows rather a love for tradition and the awareness of the urgent need for saving that tradition by presenting to our uninformed generation an intelligent approach to worship. An understandable interpretation of the traditional service can, if you will, bridge the gap between parents and children.

FAMILIES DIVIDED

For the spectacle of the division of families in worship is a sorry one. It points to a great ill in American Jewish life. It is not uncommon to see grandparents attending services in the orthodox Shul, parents in the conservative synagogue, and children in the reform temple. I am a strong advocate of two services, early and late; at least, the family will be kept together under one roof.^[36] Late services for those who find it impossible to attend sundown worship may be said to have some traditional sanction in orthodox usage, where the late-comer has the benefit of a shortened form of public worship in the special recitation of Borchu. 

WORSHIP—NOT COMMUNITY SINGING

But late services dare not degenerate into community singing affairs as is the practice in some synagogues. We must try to inject the spirit of worship and preserve the traditional skeleton of the service. We must retain the more important elements of the service, if it be impossible to go through its entirety. Oneg Shabbat should not be set at a time conflicting with public service. Nor can parlor meetings, or “at home” on Sabbath eve or afternoon replace the worship of the synagogue.^[37] Unfortunately it is the vogue for Jewish organizations to arrange parlor meetings on Sabbath afternoons, sometimes also on Sabbath eve, for discussion and refreshments. To lend the affair some semblance of worship, the session is opened with a stereotyped “invocation” prepared by the national office, and recited mechanically; to this, the members present politely and tolerantly listen. The topics at these “shmues” sessions are seldom Jewish; too much religion has got to be avoided. Such is Oneg Shabbat. That such “Oneg Shabbats” present a definite threat to synagogue worship is self-evident. 

A PLEA FOR BREVITY

Though the important elements in the service must be preserved so that Jewish historical continuity will not be destroyed, the late service must aim for brevity. And in the interest of true worship, brevity is by no means counter to Jewish tradition. Rabbinic literature is replete with suggestions that indicate the practice of brevity wherever it is demanded by circumstances. Perhaps the most classical example is the one that speaks of the disciples of Rabbi Eliezer who complained that one of their colleagues would at times prolong his prayers, while at other times he would shorten them. The teacher found nothing wrong with that, reminding his overzealous students that Moses at one time prayed for forty days and forty nights;^[38] Deuteronomy 9:18, Deut. 9:25, Deut. 9:26 וָאֶתְנַפַּל לִפְנֵי ה׳ כָּרִאשֹׁנָה אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה…וָאֶתְפַּלֵּל אֶל־ה׳‎ “And ] prostrated myself before the LORD . .. for forty days and forty nights . . . and I prayed.”  while at another time his prayer consisted of exactly five words.^[39] Numbers 12:13. וַיִּצְעַק מֹשֶׁה אֶל־ה׳ לֵאמֹר אֵל נָא רְפָא נָא לָהּ׃‎ “O God, pray, heal her.”  As a matter of fact, the rabbis seem to laud the short prayer of the righteous.^[40] Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Vayassa 1:14 and Mekhilta deRabbi Shimon ben Yochai 15:25 (Exodus) שֶׁתְּפִלַּת צַדִּיקִים קְצָרָה. The prayer of the righteous is brief. 

TALMUDIC SUPPORT

The Rabbis never insisted that the value of prayer is proportionate to its length. The Havinenu prayer,^[41] Singer, Authorized Daily Prayer Book, p. 55.  which is a brief summary of the middle thirteen benedictions of the Amidah,^[42] Singer, Authorized Daily Prayer Book, pp. 44-54; see Sh’mone Esre in glossary.  is perhaps the finest plea for shortened worship. It was devised for those whose prayer was not fluent,^[43] Mishnah Berachot 4:3 רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, אִם שְׁגוּרָה תְפִלָּתוֹ בְּפִיו, יִתְפַּלֵּל שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה. וְאִם לָאו, מֵעֵין שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה׃ If he is fluent in prayer, let him recite the Sh’mone Esre; if not, let him recite the abridged form, (Havinenu). Shegurah has two meanings; fluent because of a quiet mind, and fluent because of the ability to recite Hebrew. See n. 61, p. 72.  for those who found it difficult to recite long prayers in Hebrew. This is directly applicable to that large body of American Israel, who unfortunately lack the necessary preparation of early days to enable them to Participate intelligently in worship. God Himself seems not to object to shorter prayers under certain adverse conditions. Witness the liberal attitude of our Talmudic teachers who make God rebuke Moses for indulgence in long prayers at the Red Sea. “There is a time for long prayers and a time for short. My children are in misery, the sea shuts them in, the enemy is in hot pursuit, and thou indulgest in lengthy prayers?”^[44] Shemot Rabbah 21.8 רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה, עֵת לְקַצֵּר וְעֵת לְהַאֲרִיךְ, בָּנַי שְׁרוּיִם בְּצַעַר וְהַיָּם סוֹגֵר וְהָאוֹיֵב רוֹדֵף, וְאַתָּה עוֹמֵד וּמַרְבֶּה בִּתְפִלָּה, דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִסָּעוּ.  Who will say that these conditions do not obtain today? The sea of indifference threatens to overwhelm us, the enemy is in hot pursuit, but the Jew floundering in ignorance, is still complacent. Certainly this is the time to revise and shorten the prayers, while holding to their traditional tenor, in an attempt to save Jews for Judaism.

COMPETITION

There is something else to consider. Years ago when the synagogue was the central institution in Jewish life and existence was leisurely, the vast body of prayers was welcomed by Jews. It is not so today, and many a Jew insists that services be condensed. Lengthy services seem burdensome to many; and we do have in our tradition the principle that the congregation should not be wearied.^[45] Taanit 14b.1 רַבִּי אַמֵּי: הֲרֵי אָמְרוּ אֵין מַטְרִיחִין אֶת הַצִּבּוּר יוֹתֵר מִדַּאי.‎ The congregation should not be wearied more than is necessary.  We should undoubtedly emulate Rabbi Akiba, who, though he prayed in great length privately, shortened his prayers in public because he deemed it important not to burden the congregation unduly.

SERVICE OF THE HEART

We can do no better than close the discussion on brevity by quoting a Rabbinic dictum: It matters not whether one’s prayers are long or short, so long as he directs his heart to his Father in heaven.^[46] Shevuot 15a.8 מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֶחָד הַמַּרְבֶּה וְאֶחָד הַמַּמְעִיט, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁיְּכַוֵּין אֶת לִבּוֹ לְאָבִיו שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם!‎ One may do much or little; each will be rewarded so long as the heart is directed to his Father in heaven.  Not length of service but earnestness of prayers recited is important. Worship must be intelligent; it must be eloquent not so much with words as with fire and enthusiasm of the spirit.^[47] Cf. Isaiah 59:21 רוּחִי אֲשֶׁר עָלֶיךָ וּדְבָרַי אֲשֶׁר־שַׂמְתִּי בְּפִיךָ לֹא־יָמוּשׁוּ מִפִּיךָ “… My spirit which is upon you and My words which I have put in your mouth…” The verse seems to imply that the first prerequisite to prayer is the spirit, rather than the words.  That is the true meaning of avodah balev, service of the heart.^[48] Taanit 2a.11 וּמְנָא לַן דְּבִתְפִלָּה — דְּתַנְיָא: ״לְאַהֲבָה אֶת ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וּלְעׇבְדוֹ בְּכׇל לְבַבְכֶם״, אֵיזוֹ הִיא עֲבוֹדָה שֶׁהִיא בַּלֵּב — הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר: זוֹ תְּפִלָּה. Which is the service of the heart? You must answer: Prayer! This does not mean that silent meditation is more important than audible recitation of prayer. It is another way of saying that there must be feeling, or kavvanah.  Whether audible or silent, prayer must proceed from the heart; it must be alive with feeling and understanding.

KAVVANAH

He who will consider brevity a sacrifice, may find it atoned by greater kavvanah.^[49] Kavvanah comes from the Hebrew root כון which means to aim, to direct, to draw a straight line. Kavvanah has the meaning of attention (understanding the prayer), intention (approval of the ideal implied), and devotion (zealous attachment to that ideal or cause and the attempt to realize it). In its highest degree, Kavvanah signifies the drawing of a direct line of communication between worshipper and God.  Kavvanah means a penetration into the meaning of words and prayers, an understanding of what we pray for, an attachment to the ideal implied in the prayer recited, and an earnest desire to see its fulfillment. Kavvanah means: I am fully aware of the meaning of this prayer and unequivocally subscribe to its message.^[50] See “Omen” in Glossary, p. 76.  Without Kavvanah, prayer is valueless. And the importance of kavvanah is so great that we need have no fear about shortening the prayer. The rule must be: Better a little with understanding, than much in ignorance.

PIETY THROUGH HABIT

In short, our thoughts must go with the words we utter; our prayers must not resolve into mere lip-service. Often we hear the plea: Come to worship regularly and it will grow on you, attendance will become a habit. While this type of attitude has its value for gathering our people under a Jewish roof on the Sabbath, it is far from commendable. We do have the right to hope that through constancy of attendance, though in the spirit of habit, true piety will eventually result.^[51] Pesahim 50b.5 דְּאָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: לְעוֹלָם יַעֲסוֹק אָדָם בְּתוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹת אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ, שֶׁמִּתּוֹךְ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ בָּא לִשְׁמָהּ.. Man should busy himself with Torah and good deeds, even though not for their own sake, i.e., without any interest or love for them; for by engaging in the study of the Law and in good deeds, even for a selfish purpose, he will arrive, by continued practice, at the stage of doing these things for their own sake. See n. 6, p. 68.  But this is not the type of worship we should aim for. Making of service attendance a habit, a routine, does not mean worship. At best it is a duty discharged unwillingly and under compulsion. Rabbi Simeon rightly pleads for supplication rather than routine; he appeals against lifeless, mechanical prayer.^[52] Avot 2:13 רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי זָהִיר בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וּבַתְּפִלָּה. וּכְשֶׁאַתָּה מִתְפַּלֵּל, אַל תַּעַשׂ תְּפִלָּתְךָ קֶבַע, אֶלָּא רַחֲמִים וְתַחֲנוּנִים לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם 

KAVVANAH IN BIBLE

At all times, prophet and sage insisted on kavvanah in prayer. Before he can address God, David must put away all the troubles of his kingdom, his mind must be at ease, he must be ready for prayer.^[53] 2 Samuel 7:18 וַיָּבֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד וַיֵּשֶׁב לִפְנֵי ה׳ The usual translation is “And (David) sat down before the LORD,” because the reading is Vayeshev. But there is the more significant Rabbinic reading of Vayashev, “and he quieted his mind,” implying that David attuned himself for prayer. Yerushalmi Pesahim 5 end.   Jeremiah deplores the fact that people mouth prayer without giving thought to the words uttered.^[54] Jeremiah 12:2 קָרוֹב אַתָּה בְּפִיהֶם וְרָחוֹק מִכִּלְיוֹתֵיהֶם׃‎ “Thou art near in their mouths but far from their thoughts.”  Amos asks Israel not only to return to God, but to make some preparation for that return.^[55] Amos 4:12, הִכּוֹן לִקְרַאת־אֱלֹהֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל׃‎ “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.”  On the other hand King Rehoboam could never approach God for he lacked the element of Kavvanah.^[56] 2 Chronicles 12:14 וַיַּעַשׂ הָרָע כִּי לֹא הֵכִין לִבּוֹ לִדְרוֹשׁ אֶת־ה׳׃ “… (Rehoboam) did not set his heart to seek the LORD.” 

KAVVANAH IN TALMUD

For the Rabbis, prayer called for a definite state of fitness. They taught that one should never rise for prayer in any other than in a humble and serious disposition.^[57] Mishanah Berachot 5:1 אֵין עוֹמְדִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ כֹּבֶד רֹאשׁ.  One whose mind is trammeled with worldly care dare not pray.^[58] Eruvin 65a.10 אָמַר רַב חִיָּיא בַּר אָשֵׁי אָמַר רַב: כֹּל שֶׁאֵין דַּעְתּוֹ מְיוּשֶּׁבֶת עָלָיו אַל יִתְפַּלֵּל, מִשּׁוּם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בְּצָר אַל יוֹרֶה״. Anyone whose mind is unsettled should not pray.  An intoxicated person is forbidden to pray because his mind is temporarily deranged and he cannot possibly concentrate on the meaning of the words uttered.^[59] Berachot 31a.27 ״וְקוֹלָהּ לֹא יִשָּׁמֵעַ״ — מִכָּאן שֶׁאָסוּר לְהַגְבִּיהַּ קוֹלוֹ בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ. ״וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ עֵלִי לְשִׁכֹּרָה״ — מִכָּאן שֶׁשִּׁכּוֹר אָסוּר לְהִתְפַּלֵּל.  Samuel’s father upon returning from a journey, would wait three days before undertaking to pray, for his mind had received too many impressions and could not concentrate on prayer.^[60] Eruvin 65a.17 לָא מְצַלֵּי תְּלָתָא יוֹמֵי. שְׁמוּאֵל לָא מְצַלֵּי בְּבֵיתָא דְּאִית בֵּיהּ שִׁיכְרָא.  Fluent prayer, which is possible even for the most learned only when all other thoughts are barred from the mind, in itself suggests its being accepted; whereas careless mouthing of prayers in itself indicates that they deserve to be rejected.^[61] Mishnah Berachot 5:5 אִם שְׁגוּרָה תְפִלָּתִי בְּפִי, יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁהוּא מְקֻבָּל. וְאִם לָאו, יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁהוּא מְטֹרָף׃ If my prayer is fluent in my mouth I know it is accepted; if not, I know it is rejected. There can be no question that Shegurah here means fluency as a result of concentrating upon the meaning of prayers, that is, reciting them with Kavvanah. It cannot mean a knowledge of reading Hebrew prayers, for Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa, responsible for this statement, can certainly not be accused of ignorance of the mere reading of prayers, See n. 43, p. 71. 

ḤASIDIM ON KAVVANAH

As no other group in our day, the Ḥasidim knew how to pray. Their ecstasy, their concentration during prayer, were unparalleled. The ‘Yud’ (Rabbi Jacob Isaac [Horowitz, ha-Ḥozeh mi-Lublin]) interpreted proper prayer to be an absolute absorption of self to the extent that one is oblivious to outside stimuli, “that you do not feel a knife thrust into your body.”^[62] Newman, The Ḥasidic Anthology, p. 327.  This is kavvanah at its best; an ideal no man can reach, but for which every mortal should strive.

LEADS TO‎ HUMILITY

When the “Apter” (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heshel) prolonged his prayers unduly, he explained that the very opening words, “I give thanks before Thee,”^[63] The very first prayer recited upon rising. מודה אני לפניך, וגו׳  made him ponder, “Who is He, and who am I to give thanks before the LORD?” Such a sense of unworthiness of appearing before God confronts him long before he can pray.^[64] Newman, The Ḥasidic Anthology, p. 330.  That is Kavvanah at its highest.

BRIDGE TO GOD

For the Ḥasid, prayer is the bridge that carries man to God,^[65] Newman, The Ḥasidic Anthology, p. 334  but that bridge must be solidly builא and set in a strong foundation. Kavvanah is that foundation.

HOPE FOR JUDAISM

Services then, must be so planned, and our traditional prayers so arranged, that we may hope for a regenerated spirit in the “dry bones’’^[66] Ezekiel 37:1-14.  of the estranged Jews of our generation.

Ⅲ

USE OF HEBREW

Israel knows languages, but has forgotten Hebrew. The importance of Hebrew, the language for Jewish prayer, cannot be overstressed. Hebrew is the language of holiness, saturated with sacred memories since the day man first heard the voice of God from Mount Horeb. Even those who do not understand Hebrew are stirred by its rhythm and majestic cadences. Those who know even a little Hebrew will readily conceive how futile, how unreliable even the best translation must be. Often the best translation distorts the fundamental concepts of our faith. No other language can equal Hebrew as a vehicle for prayer. Moreover, Hebrew is common to all Jews, and has been throughout the ages the mortar that cemented Israel. If we are in earnest about keeping the historical continuity of our people, if we want to develop the sense of Jewish oneness, Hebrew is the only instrument for that task.

HEBREW—NOT MUMBO JUMBO

But Hebrew must sound like Hebrew; words must be pronounced clearly, and not degraded to mumbo jumbo. The Hebrew prayers and responses should not be rushed, and maimed. For the sake of those who do not read Hebrew, every word in the prayer book should be transliterated. The ancient chants and sacred responses would then be easily followed. More than that, through frequent repetition these transliterated prayers will be learned by heart, and thus in turn enable some to read and understand Hebrew. Others may not remain satisfied with such a minimum requirement of intelligent worship, and will turn to more serious and rewarding study of our language and tradition. Thus they will gain an authentic understanding and feeling for the sacred literature and heritage of Israel. The transliterator’s labors will be amply repaid if he were to earn even a few for such study or love of the Holy tongue.

SUPPLEMENTARY PRAYERS

Supplementary prayers are important and find a place in every service; but they cannot be clothed with the dignity of our ancient Siddur, which even a Christian reader found incomparably superior to “the half-dozen or so great liturgies of the world” which he examined.^[67] G.E. Biddle, quoted in A Book of Jewish Thoughts, Hertz, p. 160.  Supplementary prayers, designed for special occasions only, lack the immortal qualities of the standard prayers and should not be included in the prayer book. Many Rabbis often have special prayers in the vernacular, and a good practice it is; but these should be set apart and marked clearly as additions. Printed alongside the sacred Hebrew prayers, these transitory accretions may assume in the eye of the uninstructed some of the sanctity and universal validity of traditional prayers. There is not only the danger that they might overshadow the Hebrew language of the prayers, but also that they might supplant the basic and imperishable teachings of the old prayers with fleeting fashions of the day.

* * * *

The ancient prayers of the Siddur deserve ever again to be heard in the Tents of Jacob. The process of recreating the Jewish spirit along traditional lines will be slow and arduous. But we dare not give up hope. We must continue to labor in an effort to re-attune the soul of American Israel to prayer.