Jewish Men Pray

Description

A celebration of Jewish men's voices in prayer—to strengthen, to heal, to comfort, to inspire from the ancient world up to our own day.

"An extraordinary gathering of men—diverse in their ages, their lives, their convictions—have convened in this collection to offer contemporary, compelling and personal prayers. The words published here are not the recitation of established liturgies, but the direct address of today's Jewish men to ha-Shomea Tefilla, the Ancient One who has always heard, and who remains eager to receive, the prayers of our hearts."
—from the Foreword by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, DHL

This collection of prayers celebrates the variety of ways Jewish men engage in personal dialogue with God—with words of praise, petition, joy, gratitude, wonder and even anger—from the ancient world up to our own day.

Drawn from mystical, traditional, biblical, Talmudic, Hasidic and modern sources, these prayers will help you deepen your relationship with God and help guide your journey of self-discovery, healing and spiritual awareness. Together they provide a powerful and creative expression of Jewish men’s inner lives, and the always revealing, sometimes painful, sometimes joyous—and often even practical—practice that prayer can be.

Jewish Men Pray will challenge your preconceived ideas about prayer. It will inspire you to explore new ways of prayerful expression, new paths for finding the sacred in the ordinary and new possibilities for understanding the Jewish relationship with the Divine. This is a book to treasure and to share.

How to Use This Book xiii
Foreword: Men at Prayer xv
Introduction xix
Part I
The Purpose of Prayer in Judaism and
Its Structure: Praise, Petition, and More 1
Becoming a Prayerful Person 4
Does God Hear Prayer? 6
Tefillah/Script 12
The Technology of Prayer 14
Prayer as Art 15
The Essence of Prayer in Jewish Tradition 17
Prayer 20
Who Can't Pray 26
Part II
Words from the Heart 29
Yearning for God 31
Guidance for How to Live 85
A Man's Role 141
Our Physical Lives 175
Grief 203
Protection 230
Gratitude 264
Legacy 297
Acknowledgments 329
About the Contributors 331
Credits 339
Index of Contributors 350
Index of First Lines 353

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Israel Abrahams
• List of Jewish prayers and blessings
• Kabbalah
• Judaism
• Hasidic Judaism
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 30 avril 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781580237512
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Praise for Jewish Men Pray
Beautiful, heartfelt, uplifting ... will provide inspiration and guidance to anyone seeking a more intimate relationship with the Divine. I hope this spiritually elegant book is read by people of all faiths.
- Larry Dossey, MD , author, Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine ; executive editor, Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing
Offers graceful interpretations of formal prayers and creative writing of soulful rebbes who transform prayer into what it is intended to be-a service of the heart.
- Rabbi Avi Weiss , senior rabbi, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale; author, Spiritual Activism: A Jewish Guide to Leadership and Repairing the World
A rich collection.... Many men will find themselves resonating deeply with these meditations, which are certainly not for men only.
- Harry Brod , professor of philosophy and world religions, University of Northern Iowa; editor, A Mensch Among Men
Remarkable-a book of prayers to live by and turn to in good times and in challenging times.
- Rabbi Naomi Levy , author, Talking to God ; spiritual leader, Nashuva
Heartfelt, enlightening, irresistible. Part siddur, part encyclopedia, there s something here to nourish the soul of every Jewish man. I can t put it down.
- Jeff Levin, PhD, MPH , university professor of epidemiology and population health, Baylor University; coeditor, Judaism and Health: A Handbook of Practical, Professional and Scholarly Resources
This is not a book about how Jewish men pray; on the contrary, it is a meaningful, thoughtful, spiritually uplifting book of prayers composed by men ... for anyone and everyone who seeks to be inspired at any moment of the day.
- Rabbi Charles Simon , executive director, Federation of Jewish Men s Clubs; author, Building a Successful Volunteer Culture: Finding Meaning in Service in the Jewish Community
[A] rare book whose execution is as skillful as the need is deep. We need to learn how to pray as men and here is the guidance that will help us along this sacred path.
- Rabbi David Wolpe , Sinai Temple, Los Angeles, California; author, Why Faith Matters
What? Me, pray? Open this book and see if you connect. Here is help finding your voice.
- Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler , author, A Man s Responsibility: A Jewish Guide to Being a Son, a Partner in Marriage, a Father and a Community Leader
Beautifully done. I hope it will be used extensively by individuals and organized Jewish men s groups.
- Doug Barden , executive director, Men of Reform Judaism
Gives you the most sensitive, poignant and powerful words of men at prayer. It will shatter your stereotypes and lift your soul. You ll want to bring it with you to synagogue!
- Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin , editor, The Modern Men s Torah Commentary: New Insights from Jewish Men on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions

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If to believe in God means to talk about God in the third person, then I do not believe in God. If to believe in God means to be able to talk to God, then I do believe in God.
Adapted from Martin Buber (1878-1965)

To pray is to take notice of the wonder, to regain a sense of the mystery that animates all beings, the divine margin in all attainments. Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living.
Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972)

For Miryam Tzipora Olitzky, may all your prayers be heard on high.
KMO

For Antoinette (Rut bat Avraham v Sarah), the answer to my prayers.
SMM
Contents
How to Use This Book
Foreword: Men at Prayer
Introduction
Part I
The Purpose of Prayer in Judaism and Its Structure: Praise, Petition, and More
Becoming a Prayerful Person
Does God Hear Prayer?
Tefillah /Script
The Technology of Prayer
Prayer as Art
The Essence of Prayer in Jewish Tradition
Prayer
Who Can t Pray
Part II
Words from the Heart
Yearning for God
Guidance for How to Live
A Man s Role
Our Physical Lives
Grief
Protection
Gratitude
Legacy
Acknowledgments
Index of Contributors
Index of First Lines
About the Editors
About the Contributors
Copyright
Credits
About Jewish Lights
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How to Use This Book
This is not a traditional prayer book, so it is not designed to be used in place of a siddur (from the Hebrew word for order, that is, the order of prayers), the traditional Jewish prayer book. However, it is a book of prayers, reflective of male yearning for a relationship with the Divine. Thus, it can be used in a variety of ways in traditional and nontraditional settings. If you attend synagogue regularly or infrequently, we encourage you to bring this book along with you. We also recommend that you keep it by your bedside, on the nightstand, and on your desk, wherever you might find yourself at prayer or looking for words that may express how you feel at that particular moment when you reach out to the Divine. Stick it in your briefcase or backpack. Take it with you in the car, on the train, in the subway, and on the airplane. Use it as a place to begin your meditation or to initiate your formal words of fixed prayer. There are few places where prayer-a dialogue with the Divine-is not welcome.
You can open the book and randomly choose a prayer, using the words as a way to initiate your prayer. Or you can use the table of contents and select a specific section that reflects how you feel at the moment, allowing the words to guide you. You can also browse through the book and choose a phrase or sentence that speaks to you and carry that idea with you throughout the day, allowing its sentiment to help you establish a prayerful posture for your day.

Foreword
Men at Prayer
Another book of Jewish men s prayers? What could possibly justify such redundancy? After all, the Book of Psalms is a book of Jewish men s prayers. The siddur (prayer book) is overwhelmingly a book of Jewish men s prayers. Most piyyutim (medieval rhymed prayers) and most liturgical poetry have constituted Jewish men s prayers. Do we really need yet another?
Let s loudly affirm the need to welcome Jewish women s voices, and joyously celebrate the growing and superb body of poetry, song, and prayers that skilled Jewish women create with such art and depth. Still, something has shifted for men in our culture. Deep tectonic changes have distanced men from their spiritual core, estranged many of us from our own deepest yearning, our own desperate hopes. In the dull cacophony of social station and the relentless grind of economic production, men have surrendered their harps, stifled their capacity to feel, forgotten to sing.
Precisely in an age in which Jewish women are finally raising their voices with renewed strength, Jewish men have accepted the muzzle and anesthetized our own sensitivity.
Resurgent Jewish women s voices deserve living respondents. Jewish men can grasp the moment to add their contributions to the living waters of Jews at prayer. The rising tide surges now, and it invites us to swim. It will not do to simply recycle the old words-as beautiful as they are-at the expense of our own outpouring. We cannot sing in someone else s voice, nor can we petition, praise, cry out, or thank with someone else s sentiment.
This lovely collection is a response to that invitation. An extraordinary gathering of men-diverse in their ages, their lives, their convictions-have convened in this collection to offer contemporary, compelling, and personal prayers. The words published here are not the recitation of established liturgies, but the direct address of today s Jewish men to ha-Shomea Tefilla , the Ancient One, who has always heard, and who remains eager to receive, the prayers of our hearts.
These brave Jews are bucking the tide of popular convention: they are strong, but not as Western convention portrays male strength. If warriors, then these men are warriors of mind, heart, and soul. If titans of industry, then these men are stimulating a demand for integrity, spirit, and wonder with a contemporary supply. These men are tough in courage and candor, and swift in joy, anguish, and aspiration. They are resolute in gratitude and powerful in love.
Dare we follow them into a dawning light of men who can cry and laugh, sing and dance? Of women strong and sure in their vision and their leadership? Ours is a time in which the One shines forth in new ways through people previously overlooked and marginalized. We are invited-each of us-to add our own distinctive notes to the symphony of prayer, to sing unto God a new song.
These men lead by offering their prayers, speaking for no one but themselves, yet somehow restoring to each of us our own voice. Care to join them?
Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, DHL
Vice President