THE SPIRITUAL STRUCTURE OF THE SIDDUR Coming home to the Siddur by way of the gospel train: or, breaking thru the siddur barrier

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1 THE SPIRITUAL STRUCTURE OF THE SIDDUR Coming home to the Siddur by way of the gospel train: or, breaking thru the siddur barrier Sharon R. Alexander, PhD Candidate University of Bern, Department of Ethnomusicology December 15, 2010 They say that Catholics don t know how to praise, While Protestants don t know how to worship. Perhaps Jews don t know how to stand in the glory. (unattributed saying) How much time have you spent in the presence of God? Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi Do you feel uncomfortable singing passionate praises to God? Does it feel too Christian, or just not Jewish somehow? Many of us are not used to worshipping in this way. But when was the last time you took a close look at the Siddur, our prayerbook? The fact is, if you look at a copy of the Mass in Hebrew, you will see that the deep infrastructure of the Mass is identical to that of the Siddur. Communion is the Amidah. Most of us, if we follow in the prayerbook at all, it is to remember to say all the prayers in the right order. But if one examines the content of those prayers, one has to acknowledge that this list of prayers was not composed to be rushed through as an obligation. Listen to a cross-section of prayers from the Jewish service and you will see that it is every bit as passionate as the gospel service. The reader is invited to examine the structure of the Jewish prayer service in comparison to Sister Ruth Heflin s discussion of the path of Praise, Worship & Glory in the Pentecostal Christian service. As Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi speaks of the four worlds, these elements of the service should be seen as transitions from one mode of perception to another. (Translations are from the Reconstructionist Shabbat Siddur, supplemented by Rabbi Marcia Prager s Shabbat Siddur.)

2 PRAISES: (T hilim) The goal of group praising of Yah is to consciously and intentionally arouse and synchronize the group field by aligning all hearts in sincere appreciation and gratitude. We ascend the mountain together singing Shir Ha ma a lot (songs of ascension). Yah is addressed in the third person. Beginning with the Birkot Hashachar. We all know the Ma Tovu, but take a look at the rest of the paragraph, which is all about entering into god s presence and bowing down in awe: And as for me, drawn by your love, I come into your house. I lay me down in a humble surrender, before your holy shrine in awe. Great One, how I love your house s site, adore your Glory s dwelling place. And as for me, I fall in prayer, my body I bend down, I greet, I bless, I bend the knee, before the One who fashions me. And as for me, my prayer is for you, Gentle One, may it be for you a time of desire, O God, in the abundance of your love, respond to me in truth with your help. Barchi nafshi (Ps. 104) Bless, O my soul, Yah, abundant One, my God, how great you grow! In majesty and beauty you are dressed, wrapping yourself in light as in a garment, stretching out the heavens like a shawl! Tallit blessing (We wrap ourselves in the fringed garment, representing the four corners of the world.) Ma yakar chasdecha/ki imcha m kor chayim (ps 36) How precious is your love, O God/For with you is the fountain of life, in your Light do we behold all light. Hareyni m kabel alai I prepare myself to take upon myself the mitzvah of the creator: And you shall love your fellow person as yourself. Modeh ani I give thanks before you, sovereign, who lives and who endures, because you have renewed my breath of life, with providential kindness. Raba emunatecha How abundant is your faithful care. Elohai n shama My God, the soul you have given me is pure. (Shechecheyanu) Thank you for physically sustaining us, allowing us to reach this time and place. Shirey Shachar Lifney g dulatach/m halech b orach Morning Songs--I stand before your greatness/ I walk amid your light, unto your room my wish is seeing you my want is to ascend, these heavens climb. Kaddish Let God s name be made great and holy in the world that was created as God willed. Psukey D zimra: Baruch she amar v hayah olam, baruch hu u varuch sh mo Blessed is the one who spoke and all things came to be! Blessed, who delivers and redeems! With praises and with melodies we celebrate your greatness, and we

3 praise and glorify you.blessed are you, Yah, the sovereign hailed in songs of praise. Hodu l adonay (ps. 105) Give thanks to the Magnificent, call on the name.sing songs of God celebrate the holy name.tell among the nations of God s glory, amid all peoples, of God s wondrous acts.the skies recount the glory of divinity, God s handiwork the heavens dome declares. Mizmor Shir/Shiru L adonai (Ps. 30/Chronicles) Sing Yah a new song Lam natzeyach (Ps. 19) A song of triumph.the skies recount the glory of God. Torat Yah/Yih yu L ratzon The Torah of Yah it restores the soul/may the utterances of my mouth be pleasing, the conceptions of my heart, before you. Hodu L adonai Ki Tov (ps 136) Give thanks to the most powerful of powers who alone performed great, wonderous deeds.praises to the heaven s God. God s love is everlasting. Shir Ha ma alot A song for the ascents. (Climbing the stairway to meet God): Mizmor Shir L yom Hashabbat (ps 92) It s great to give thanks to Yah, to sing praises to Your name, highest One! Tov l hodot la Yah l shimcha elyon It is good to thank you, O God, to sing to your great name. Ma Gadlu (ps92) How vast are your works Yah, so very deep your thoughts. Esa eynay (ps121) I lift up my eyes. Where does my help come from? From the maker of the heavens and the earth. L ma an achay v rey ay This is the house of the Lord. I wish the best for you. Ashrey yoshvey veytecha od y hallelucha. Selah. (ps 145) Richly happy are all those who dwell in your house. May they continue to praise you.(about entering into the throne room of God and sitting at the foot of God s throne) Halleluyah (Ps. 148) Hail Ya from the heavens, praise God in the heights. (Calling on all of creation to praise God.) Halleluyah (Ps. 150) Praise Yah in his holy space. Praise him with instruments and song. Ps 100 Ivdu Et Hashem b simcha Serve Yah with gladness, come before the Holy One dancing and singing. Baruch Adonai L olam Blessed is Yah eternally. Amen. Amen. Kol han shama Let every living thing Yah s praises sing. Praise Yah! Nishmat kol chai l varech et shimcha All breathing life adores your name. All living flesh is raised to ecstasy each time we become aware.

4 Ilu finu maley shirah kayam And were our mouths oceans of song we would never have sufficient praise for you. Shochen ad marom God s presence felt to the heights. Holy is his name. Yishtabach shimcha/ b tishbachot eyl hahoda ot, adon haniflaot habochyr b shirey zimra. Melech eyl chey ha olamim Your name be praised eternally, our sovereign, you who are divine, and powerful, and great, and holy, throughout all the heavens and the earth.blessed are you, Yah, the sovereign divine, so great in praises, God of all thanksgiving, source of wondrous deeds, who takes pleasure in our song and melody. Blessed is the one who lives eternally. Chatzi Kaddish Let Yah s name be made great and holy. WORSHIP: (T filah or Avodah Shel Balev) The call to worship is the Bar chu Bless Yah the blessed, forever. Here we enter into Yah s presence. Worship in Hebrew is avodah, service, as in a servant s service to his master. We bow to Yah in awe and humility. We transition to addressing Yah as You, in intimate I-Thou relationship. Bar chu Bless Yah the blessed, forever. Yotzeyr Ohr /Ohr Chadash the sovereign of all worlds, who fashions light and creates darkness, maker of peace and creator of all. Kol Hakol yaducha/hameyir La aretz Let all beings acknowledge you, all cry praise to you, and all declare: There is none as holy as Yah! All that is will thank You! All will praise You! And everything calls out: None are Holy like Yah! Bringer of light, with tender care, upon the earth and it inhabitants, in goodness you renew each day perpetually Creation s wondrous work.none resembles you, our saving force, throughout all lifetimes and all worlds. Va havienu Gather us in peace, from the four corners of the earth. You draw us close to you in love. El Adon (an alphabetical ode to god s greatness and how his creations praise and serve Him in their harmony and rhythm.) Titbarach May you be blessed, our rock, our sovereign, our champion, creator of the holy beings, and let your name be praised eternally, majestic one, the fashioner of ministering angels. All of them are standing in the heavens highest realms, and giving voice, in awestruck unison, to words of the living God, the sovereign of all worlds. All of them adored, all brilliant in light, all great and mighty all of them perform, in awe and dread, the will of their creator. And all open their mouths in

5 holiness and purity. With song and melody they bless, they praise, they magnify, they raise aloft, and sanctify, and proclaim sovereign. Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh. Yah Tzeva ot m lo kol ha aretz k vodo Baruch k vod Yah mim komo In an ecstasy of spirit, with pure speech and holy melody, all of them respond in awe as one, and cry: holy, holy, holy, is the ruler of the multitudes of heaven. The whole world overflows with divine glory! (Everything is saturated with the Divine Presence!). Blessed be the glory of Yah, wherever God may dwell! Ahava Raba ahavtanu With an abounding love, you love us, Yah, our God; with great compassion do you care for us. (Alt: You keep such great love overflowing towards us.) V haeyr eyneynu Make our hearts as one, to love your name and be in awe of it. V havi eynu b ahavah amo Yisrael (Gather us; you draw us close to You in love.) Sh ma Baruch shem k vod malchuto l olam va ed Blessed be the name and glory of God s realm forever! (Alt: Blessed is the kingdom of the glorious name forever. Through time and space is your glory.) V ahavta And you must love Yah, your God, with your whole heart, with every breath, with all you have. (alt: with all your passions, with every breath, with every fiber of your being.) Adonay eloheychem emet. I am Yah, your God. Truly. Emet Atah Hu From servitude and bondage you redeemed us from a house of slavery you set us free. Emet v yatziv You are true and everlasting power. Mi chamocha/shir chadasha/tzur yisrael Who among the mighty can compare to you, Yah? Adonai yimloch l olam va ed Yah will reign (through time and space,) forever. All leading up to the Amidah, the standing prayer (which is approaching the throne of Yah, the entering of the realm of Yah, by passing through the seven gates). We are filled with Yah s majesty and we surrender to Yah s divine authority: Adonai S fatai Tiftach Open my lips, My Lord, and let my mouth declare your praise. Avot v Imot/Ha eyl hagadol Blessed are you God of our ancestors; great, heroic, awesome God mindful of the loyalty of Israel s ancestors, bringing, with love, redemption to their children s children for the sake of the divine name. G vurot You are forever powerful, My Lord, abundant in your saving acts.you sustain all that lives, raise up those who fall, heal the sick, free the captive. K dushat Hashem Atah kadosh v shimcha kadosh/baruch atah Ya ha el hakadosh Let us declare Your name holy throughout the expanses of time and space. Holy! Holy! Holy! Everything is saturated with Divine Presence! Let our eyes witness

6 Your Malchut; Your Shechinah/Presence. Halleluyah. We ll tell of Your greatness and holiness throughout generations. You are holy and Your Name is holy, and holy ones will praise You every day. Selah! K dushat Hayom (M kadesh HaShabbat) The children of Israel will be guardians of Shabbat for all generations! It is a covenant for as long as space and time endure, between Me and the Children of Israel. For in six days Yah made the physical realms and on the seventh day Shabbat unfurled, and soul was imparted to the world. Let us inherit Your sacred Shabbat with love and desire. Avodah r tzey adonai eloheynu Take pleasure, Yah, in Israel Your people; lovingly accept their fervent prayer. May our eyes behold you, God, bringing your Shechinah (presence) home to Zion. Hoda ah modim anachnu lach We give praise for our lives, our souls, for daily miracles, and the wonder of it all! Goodness is Your essence. To thank You is pleasure. Birkat Hashalom/Oseh shalom Pray for the peace of all the world. Make peace on all of us. Y hyu l ratzon imrei fi May the words of my mouth be acceptable to you God. Y varech cha May Yah bless you and protect you. May Yah s face give light to you and show you favor. May Yah s face be lifted toward you, and bestow upon you peace. Sim Shalom Grant peace, goodness and blessing in the world Ribono shel olam Sovereign of the universe, fulfill my heart s petitions for the good As we sit at the foot of Yah, the heart bows down before Yah in devotion and honoring. The siddur provides a choice of prayers offered to Yah depending on what one wants to say personally to Yah when one is in the Lord s presence: requests, thanks, or praise. (Ps. 96) Yism chu hashamayim v tageyl ha aretz. Yiram hayam um lo o. Let the heavens be glad! Let the earth rejoice, let the sea roar, and all that fills it! Likro et hahalel Hall lu avdey adonai/b tzeyt yisrael Cry praise, all you who serve Yah Hodu Ladonay Give thanks to Yah, who is good, whose love is everlasting. Min hameytzar (Ps. 99) From my distress, I cried out: Yah! Yah answered, bringing great release. Pitchu Li sha arey tzedek tzedek avo yam doeh Ya (Ps. 118) Open the gates.i will enter. This is the gateway to God. Od cha I give thanks to you, for you have answered me. Ana Ya I pray, Yah, send us your help! Melech m halal Kaddish Titkabel

7 GLORY: (K vodo) Deeply engaged, we testify to Yah s greatness and holiness. We have ascended the holy mountain and entered the gates; we have humbled ourselves at the foot of Yah, preparing to receive revelation. Now we enter Yah s realm; we unify with Yah in order to receive those revelations. These days, in Jewish services, that means reading the Torah, the revelations handed down to Moses, and the Haftarah, the prophecies of our sages. The realm of glory is one in which our senses can perceive Yah. To some, these of palpable feelings of divine love. This is the traditional realm of healing and miracle. Hotza at Sefer Torah/Eyn kamocha There is none like You among the powers, Yah, and nothing like Your works. You infuse all existence with Your essence. You breathe Past, Present and Future into being. Av harachamim Source of all mercy We trust only in You, Highest Source, Guiding Artist of all the seen and unseen worlds. Va y hi binsoa Rise up Yah, and may our enemies (all the forces of negativity) be scattered. Ki mitzion From out of Zion emerges our Torah. (Come let us go to the Holy Mountain.) Pitchu li Open to me, O you gateways of justice Sh ma echad eloheynu gadol adonaynu kadosh sh mo One is our God, great is our Lord; holy is God s name. Gadlu la Yah iti u n rom ma sh mo yachdav Oh magnify the Holy One with me and let us exalt Yah s name together. L cha Yah hag dulah v hag vurah v hatiferet v haneytzah, v hahod To you, Yah, is all majesty, and might and splendor, and eternity, and power! (You are greatness, strength, beauty and long-lasting patience.) Romemu Yah eloheynu v hishtachavu, la hadom raglav kadosh hu, l har kodsho ki kadosh Yah eloheynu We will raise you on high, Yah, and bow down before you. Yah is holy! We will worship at Yah s holy mountain. (Al Shlosha D varim) V ya azor May Yah help, protect, and save all who seek refuge in Yah s shelter. (And all of you who attach yourselves to Yah are the ones who are really alive today.) ((Ana) El na rafa na la) Please Yah, heal her. Torah Blessings and Reading: We approach the Torah with reverence and receive its words as revelation Bar chu Bless Yah the blessed one Mishebeyrach May the One who blessed our ancestors, bless this one today.

8 Chatzi Kaddish V zot hatorah This is the Torah given by Moshe to the children of Israel, the word of God transmitted through Moshe. Haftarah blessings: Haftarah is about prophecy. In the Haftarah blessings we acknowledge God for choosing special ones through whom the truth bursts forth. We thank God for the enlightened prophets. Mi sh asa May the one who wrought miracles for our ancestors continue to redeem us. Returning Torah to the Ark: Y halelu/hodo Al Eretz Let us praise the Name of Yah, alone to be exalted. Yah s radiance is upon the earth and the heavens. Praise to all the fervent ones! Halleluyah! Havu l Adonai To Yah belongs the Glory and the Power! The voice of Yah thunders over the waters, full of might, shatters the cedars of Lebanon, carves out flames of fire. The desert trembles, the oak trees dance. In the Temple, everything proclaims God s presence. Eytz chayyim It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it. (Yi-yi-yi-yisrael) (Torah Ora) (Chemdat Yamim) (V taheyr Libeyn)u Eyn Keloheynu None is like our God. Aleynu l shabeyach l adon hakol, lateyt g dulah l yotzeyr b reyshit/va anachnu korim hakadosh baruch hu. We rise in praise/worship to the master of all. We bow and prostrate ourselves in thanks before the Holy One, the ultimate Monarch. For Yah stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the Earth. V ne emar As it is written: The Source will be the center around which the world will turn. On that day, the Eternal will truly be One, with all shapes and forms of its glory. Kaddish Yatom Yitgadal v yitkadash sh mey raba. B alma divra khirutey. (We affirm our awareness of holiness in our world.) Let God s great name be big and holy in this world that god created with will/by Divine desire. May the realm of the sacred be completed in our lifetime. The ark is closed. Bringing it back down to the material plane and community (though the prayers for children and Israel may be said in the previous section of the service.)

9 Birkat Hakohanim/Children s Blessings (Yevarechecha): May Yah bless you and protect you May Yah s face give light to you and show you favor May Yah s face be lifted toward you and bestow upon you peace. Avinu Shebashamayim/Blessings for Israel Adon Olam song B yado afkidruchi, v im ruchi g viati Yah li v lo ira Master of Time and Space, who ruled before any form was created; when Your desire brought all into being. Beginningless, Endless, Power and Dominion. Anchoring rock for my pain in times of distress. Into You hand I entrust my lifebreath. When I sleep and when I wake. Yah is with me. I shall not fear. Yigdal Great is the living God, to whom we give our praise (Od yavo shalom aleynu) Prayer for peace V shamru Keep the Sabbath Kiddush/Blessing over wine Motzi/Blessing over bread Imagine singing such praises to Yah, in awe-filled wonder and surrender whenever we come together in prayer. Imagine ascending to the realm of the felt presence of Yah and receiving healing and revelation in that realm. We have the tools, right in our siddur. References: Teutsch, D. A., & Spicehandler, R. (Eds.). (2002). Kol haneshamah: Shabbat vehagim [Let every voice: Sabbath and holidays] (J. Rosenberg, Trans.). Elkins Park, PA: The Reconstructionist Press. (Original work published 1994) Reconstructionist Judaism's Sabbath prayerbook Prager, M. (2009) The P nai Or Siddur for Shabbat Morning. Philadelphia: Prager 2007, 2010 Sharon Alexander. All rights reserved.