Why do we pray? On the one hand, prayer offers us a way to meditate on the knowledge of God and have intimate interaction with a personal creator. And for many Jews, it offers a sense of community and fulfils a need for daily connection with a venerable tradition and language. Yet for many modern Jews, prayer is at best old fashioned-or at worst, no longer necessary. In Jewish Prayers to an Evolutionary God: Science in the Siddur, author Dr. Joel Rutman provides a new way of understanding the existing language of Jewish prayer, and he integrates science with Jewish liturgy-all the while striving to preserve the passion that makes prayer matter. The aim is to enable Jews to daven (pray) with kavanna (intent), trusting that science will not pull the rug out from under their prayer. The poems also continue the ancient tradition of hazzanim (cantors) who author new prayer-poems.

Congregation Sha’ar Zahav’s first siddur appeared in 1982. It was revised in 1994and again in 2000. The richness of this siddur, like the Sha’ar Zahav community, is rooted in its integration of Jewish tradition with egalitarian, feminist, and LGBTQ-positive ideas and language. With this edition, we have sought to continue and expand the Sha’ar Zahav tradition of creating liturgy that reflects who we are. The compilers of the 2000 edition wrote: “A Jewish prayer book which had nothing in common with the traditional siddur would lack the wealth of history which connects our worship with Jewish practice around the world and over the centuries. On the other hand, many of us are uncomfortable with some of the imagery and language found in the prayer books of the major Jewish denominations in the United States. With this prayer book, we have attempted to capture the spirit of Jewish liturgy while avoiding the objectionable elements.” When Congregation Sha’ar Zahav was founded in 1977, only a handful of synagogues offered full acceptance to bisexual, transgender, lesbian, gay, and queer-identified Jews. From the outset, Sha’ar Zahav has been a community that is open to all. Sha’ar Zahav is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), and this siddur reflects many of the innovations of the Reform movement as well as the URJ’s commitment to an evolving liturgical tradition. The members of Congregation Sha’ar Zahav – the authors of most of the new material in this siddur – come from many varied backgrounds, movements, affiliations, traditions, and practices. Some identify with Ashkenazi, Sephardi, or Mizrachi traditions. Some were born into Jewish families, while some chose Judaism. We are young and old and every age in between. We have sought to reflect both our shared traditions and our differences in our liturgy. In order to create a spiritual home for all who choose to enter our gates, and in order to develop a siddur which will continue to resonate with the congregation and reflect our community’s diversity, we have tried to cast a wide liturgical net. We have drawn from the traditions we have been handed, we have sought out sources that have been hidden, and we have tapped the creative gifts of our own community. In this edition, we have been mindful of, and have sought to expand, the principles which have distinguished this siddur in the past: using non-sexist language when referring to both people and God; restoring visibility to women throughout Jewish tradition; speaking directly to the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified people; understanding the concept of Jewish chosenness as uniqueness; envisioning the Messianic time as the fulfillment of tikkun olam, the repair of the world, and seeing ourselves as participants in the holy work of repair. Siddur Sha’ar Zahav includes alternative English versions of prayers, and alternative Hebrew and Aramaic, so that our values can be reflected in all of our languages of prayer. Because of the gravity of altering wording that may be hundreds of years old, we spent considerable time developing guidelines for Hebrew prayers. In keeping with the Sha’ar Zahav tradition, we decided not to remove customary versions of prayers, but to add new versions alongside them. We did not alter any passages taken from the Torah, except to ensure gender inclusivity, which is noted in the text. Nor did we alter prayers such as the Mourners’ Kaddish, which serve so powerfully to connect us to the Jewish people across time and space. Where we did create new Hebrew versions, we followed a set of principles, which are discussed in the appendices. Siddur Sha’ar Zahav endeavors to respect the varied, and at times contradictory, sensibilities of our people and our congregation. Our goal is for all of us – progressive Jews within the Reform movement’s umbrella, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation – to see ourselves reflected in our liturgy, so that none of us experience the invisibility and exclusion we have historically encountered. Our prayer book attempts to embody the teaching that each of us is created b’tzelem Elohim, “in the image of God.” While we know that not every reading will speak to each of us, we hope that in these pages all of us will find a point of departure for prayer, and for dialogue with the Source of creation.

This book seeks to confront the challenge that science presents to the traditional pillars of Judaism. It identifies and analyzes a wide variety of issues, including some contemporary sacred cows. First, the book considers what is fact and what is fiction in the primary stories contained in Judaism’s foundational texts. Then, drawing on Jewish ethical teachings, it seeks to determine how Judaism and science can inform each other with respect to a broad range of contemporary issues, from abortion and allergies to vaccinations and violence with firearms. Finally, it peeks into the future to address issues that Judaism and science are just now beginning to discuss, such as an exotheology for aliens on distant planets, a Jewdroid who seeks acceptance in a shul, and even the fate of the universe itself. When Judaism Meets Science addresses readers of all persuasions—regardless of denomination and whether a believer or not—as the author builds a case, with specific recommendations, for the value of a reality-based Judaism, one grounded on both traditional ethics and empirical evidence that can resonate with the educated adults of Israel.

Paperback Large Font: 7th Edition Revised 28, February 2018. Many times we wonder what prayers should we do when we go to bed, when we leave our home in the morning and how do we pray daily? What prayer should I do if I have a ritual bath before a sabbath or after a funeral? What prayer is for affixing a Mezuzah or the Ten Commandments as commanded? What do I do if one of my loved one's dies? Each year you wonder how to do the Passover prayers and what is the procedure. This book also covers women's ritual purity laws, niddah to give you an understanding into women's ritual purity during their menstrual and child birth cycles. Prayers to do during the seven annual festivals and important halachot (laws/customs) of our fathers. Unlike other prayer books Rabbi Simon takes time to explain small details that are important and often ignored. He gives you some power prayers to deal with your enemies, you have prayers answered and have favour of God in your life. This book contains some of the most powerful prayers that you can use in your life available upon this earth today. This contains everything you need to know for daily prayers and festivals, death, burials as an essential resource. A prayer that you do so you never run out of food. What to do on festivals, how to handle certain situations, Shabbat halachot, Festival dates, and the 72 Names of God chart for your homes. The text has transliterated Hebrew for beginners. This is one book you should not be without written by Rabbi Simon Altaf for All Israelites worldwide and proselytes to the true faith of Abraham to Guard the Torah.

Paperback Large Font: May 3, 2015 latest release. Many times we wonder what prayers should we do when we go to bed, when we leave our home in the morning and how do we pray daily? What prayer should I do if I have a ritual bath? What prayer is for affixing a Mezuzah? What do I do if one of my loved one's dies? Each year you wonder how to do the Passover Aggadah and what is the procedure. This book also covers women's niddah laws to give you understanding into women's ritual purity. Prayers to do during the seven annual festivals and important halachot (laws/customs) of our fathers. Unlike other prayer books Rabbi Simon takes time to explain small details that are important and often ignored. He gives you some power prayers to deal with your enemies, you have prayers answered and have favour of G-d in your life. This contains everything you need to know for daily prayers and festivals, death, burials as an essential resource. A prayer that you do so you never run out of food. What to do on festivals, how to handle certain situations, Shabbat halachot etc. The text has transliterated Hebrew for beginners. This is one book you should not be without written by Rebbe Simon Altaf Hakohen Beyth Tzadok for All Y'sra'elites worldwide and proselytes to the true faith of Abraham to uphold Torah.

The debate between divine action, or faith, and natural selection, or science, is garnering tremendous interest. This book ventures well beyond the usual, contrasting American Protestant and atheistic points of view, and also includes the perspectives of Jews, Muslims, and Roman Catholics. It contains arguments from the various proponents of intelligent design, creationism, and Darwinism, and also covers the sensitive issue of how to incorporate evolution into the secondary school biology curriculum. Comprising contributions from prominent, award-winning authors, the book also contains dialogs following each chapter to provide extra stimulus to the readers and a full picture of this ?hot? topic, which delves into the fundamentals of science and religion.

Hebrew University Professor Emeritus and Israel Prize recipient Eliezer Schweid (1929-2022) is widely regarded as one of the greatest historians of Jewish thought of our era. In Siddur Hatefillah, he probes the Jewish prayer book as a reflection of Judaism's unity and continuity as a unique spiritual entity; and as the most popular, most uttered, and internalized text of the Jewish people. Schweid explores texts which process religious philosophical teaching into the language of prayer, and/or express philosophical ideas in prayer’s special language – which the worshipper reflects upon in order to direct prayer, and through which flows hoped-for feedback. With the addition of historical, philological, and literary contexts, the study provides the reader with first-time access to the comprehensive meaning of Jewish prayer—filling a vacuum in both the experience and scholarship of Jewish worship.

There is an architecture to the Siddur which is truly a work of splendor. It was not created by one hand, nor at one time or in one place. The Siddur records the Jewish People's joyous searching for God, but it also records their longing for redemption, even as the text frequently marks suffering and hostile surroundings. This work is intended to form the background for a meaningful devotion to prayer, during the week and on the major festivals. It will help guide the novice through the different prayers and make these prayers more understandable and fulfilling. It will also give the daily davener a sense of where these prayers came from, how the rabbis developed them, and even their deeper purpose and meaning.

To pray is to touch the face of Heaven.Prayer is a divine privilege extended to all humanity. We have been given the right to enter into the presence of the God of the Universe ¿ the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But when we approach an awesome God, what words do we bring as our offering? What praises and exultations do we offer? How do we approach Him with our deepest feelings and our most urgent needs?The Tefillot Tamid siddur is designed as a tool for those who are beginning their journey into Messianic Jewish prayer. We have specifically created this abbreviated, introductory siddur for those who desire to begin a life of prayer, but need a place to start. This siddur is designed to be used for Shacharit (morning) and Mincha (afternoon) prayers during weekdays. The Tefillot Tamid siddur is designed to help one become familiar with the core prayers of the set times of daily prayer.It is not only our duty, but also our privilege to enter daily into the Divine Presence. Through this constant interaction, our souls are tethered to the Holy One of Israel. Through these continual, daily appointments, our souls are fed and our spirits are revived. Just as a person would not consider going days without food, we should also consider it equally damaging to go days without prayer to nourish our souls. Our prayer for you is that your prayers ascend to the Throne of Heaven, and that you are transformed in the process.