The Book of Blessings: A New Prayer Book for the Weekdays, the Sabbath, and the New Moon Festival
Poet and liturgist Falk (The Song of Songs) has created a new collection of Jewish blessings from a feminist perspective. In her helpful preface, Falk explains how her original prayers, and her translations into English of poems written by Jewish women in Hebrew and Yiddish, are intended as alternatives to the patriarchal nature of traditional Jewish prayers. The blessings, in both Hebrew and English, are arranged in three sections, each with its own introduction and suggestions for prayer services. The Daily Cycle includes blessings for such activities as awakening and meals, as well as psalms for daily reflection; the Weekly Cycle offers prayers for the havdalah, the ritual separating the sabbath from the rest of the week; and the Monthly Cycle focuses on liturgies for Rosh Hodesh, the festival of the New Moon. In addition, Falk has provided a section of Commentary which explains each prayer's relationship to the traditional liturgy. Falk has fashioned a beautiful and inspirational book of elegant prayers, poems, psalms and blessings.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.