Pioneering Prayerbook Commentary Premieres for Passover Season
Or Hadash, based on the popular Siddur Sim Shalom Aims to Captivate Conservative Movement and Beyond
New York, NY, March 20, 2003 - Worshipers worldwide have new reason to rejoice. With the publication of Or Hadash: A Commentary on the Siddur on April 15th -- timed to coincide with the Passover season -- a luminous new work can be added to the liturgical bookshelf.
Written by Rabbi Reuven Hammer, the award-winning author of numerous books of Jewish interest, including Entering Jewish Prayer (Schocken, January 1995); Entering the High Holy Days (Jewish Publication Society, September, 1998) and The Jerusalem Anthology (Jewish Publication Society, June 2001), Or Hadash presents a comprehensively annotated yet elegant and user-friendly approach to the siddur, or Jewish prayer book.
Drawing on the richness of Jewish tradition and sources, spanning a range of epochs and authors, Or Hadash is the first of its kind. Though it is a joint publication of the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, its appeal goes far beyond the Conservative movement.
The target audience for Or Hadash defies denominational boundaries, appealing to a wide readership, including novices to the world of prayer and rabbis alike, the observant and secular, the universalist, the curious and the questing soul-seeker of a variety of backgrounds and lifestyles.
The work was intended to educate and enlighten; indeed, Or Hadash translates as A New Light.
"This commentary was not written as an exclusively scholarly endeavor," said Rabbi Hammer, who also serves as president of the Rabbinical Assembly, the international professional association of Conservative rabbis. ":Its purpose is to help the reader -- no matter of what background -- to understand the siddur and to be able to pray from it with great sincerity and meaning."
Rabbi Hammer will introduce Or Hadash to his colleagues at the organization's annual convention in Los Angeles later this month. Two weeks later, the work will have its official release, timed perfectly for the Passover holiday, which spans April 16-24, 2003.
But the work has generated a buzz even prior to its official publication date, with portions having already been utilized by rabbis within the Conservative movement. The book won high praise at a recent gathering of retired rabbis with the well-known historian, Rabbi Abraham Karp calling the work, "the most significant contribution to Conservative theology in the last 50 years." And the revered British scholar, Rabbi Louis Jacobs, states that Or Hadash enables the worshiper not only to understand the texts, but how to actually daven (pray with devotion)."
With a foreword by Rabbi Harold Kushner, the best-selling author of such works as When Bad Things Happen to Good People, (and a Conservative rabbi), Or Hadash is based on Siddur Sim Shalom. A noteworthy aspect of the work is its gender-neutral language, especially where it refers to God.
"Thanks to the scholarly initiative of Rabbi Reuven Hammer, an invaluable resource has been added to Jewish life," stated Rabbi Joel Meyers, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly. "For communal or individual use, Or Hadash is the modern shul-goer's must-have accessory."
Rabbi Jerome M. Epstein, executive vice-president of the United Synagogue, points out that "for years, Conservative Jews have been calling for an inspiring and instructive guide to Jewish liturgy. Rabbi Hammer's easy-to-read commentary responds eloquently to that call."
USCJ international president Judy Yudof shares Rabbi Epstein's enthusiasm for the commentary. "Learning more about the origin and significance of selected prayers in Siddur Sim Shalom will make Shabbat and holiday services more meaningful for lay people," she said. "Or Hadash will become a trusted and well used reference book and educational tool in our congregations."
Or Hadash will be available through the United Synagogue Book Service as of April 1, 2003. Please call (800) 594-5617 e-mail: booksvc@uscj.org for further information.
Posted 3/03
