My People’s Prayer Book Vol 7: Shabbat at Home Dr. Marc Zvi Brettler

“The prayer book is our Jewish diary of the centuries, a collection of prayers composed by generations of those who came before us, as they endeavored to express the meaning of their lives and their relationship to God. The prayer book is the essence of the Jewish soul.”

Framed with beautifully designed Talmud-style pages, commentaries from many of today’s most respected Jewish scholars from all movements of Judaism examine Shabbat at home from the perspectives of ancient Rabbis and modern theologians, as well as feminist, halakhic, Talmudic, linguistic, biblical, Chasidic, mystical, and historical perspectives.

My People’s Prayer Book is a momentous multi-volume series that opens up the traditional Jewish prayer book (the Siddur) as a spiritual resource. Commentaries by respected teachers from all perspectives of the Jewish world provide the spiritual messages that make up the Siddur.

Sometimes awe-striking, sometimes surprising, but always deeply spiritual, My People’s Prayer Book is a gateway to the riches that the heritage of prayer offers us in our worship, and in our lives.

The seventh volume celebrates Shabbat as a central family ritual, tracing the development of this loosely structured liturgy from early prayer books that draw on the classical rabbinic era, through medieval Jewish practice and the influence of Lurianic mysticism. Pausing to explore the key moments that mark this sacred time—Erev Shabbat with Kiddush, Kiddusha Rabbah, and Motsa’ei Shabbat with Havdalah—Shabbat at Home captures the joy of this holy day’s prayers, blessings, and z’mirot (table songs), emphasizing the renewal of home liturgy in Jewish life and reinforcing the importance of Shabbat in the Jewish conception of time.

Vol. 7—Shabbat at Home features the traditional Hebrew text with a new translation that lets people know exactly what the prayers say. Introductions explain what to look for in the prayers, and how to truly use the commentaries to find meaning in the prayer book. Commentaries from eminent scholars and teachers from all movements of Judaism examine Shabbat at Home from the viewpoints of ancient Rabbis and modern theologians, as well as a myriad of other perspectives.

Even those not yet familiar with the prayer book can appreciate the spiritual richness of Shabbat at Home. My People’s Prayer Book enables all worshipers, of any denomination, to create their own connection to 3,000 years of Jewish experience with the world and with God.

Each volume of My People’s Prayer Book provides a new translation of the authentic Hebrew text, with diverse and exciting commentaries to the traditional liturgy, written by many of today’s most respected scholars and teachers from all perspectives of the Jewish world.

This stunning work, an empowering entryway to the spiritual revival of our times, enables all of us to claim our connection to the heritage of the traditional Jewish prayer book. It helps rejuvenate Jewish worship in today’s world, and makes its power accessible to all.

Contributors include:

Marc Brettler • Michael Chernick • Elliot N. Dorff • David Ellenson • Ellen Frankel • Alyssa Gray • Joel M. Hoffman • Lawrence A. Hoffman • Lawrence Kushner • Daniel Landes • Nehemia Polen