Hi all!

Posts : 11 Join date : 2012-11-11

I am so excited to be here :)

I am answering a call that began as a whisper when I was only about 13 years old. I don't know if I will ever fully convert, but I am really enjoying learning and living a Jewish life.

Posts : 101 Join date : 2011-09-06 Location : NC

Hello, lzbthcldwll, and welcome to our forum.

I was reading your blog, and noticed you were looking for advice on a Tanakh and siddur (prayer book). The best I can tell you is that it is going to depend on what your looking for.

I have 3 Tanakh, and they are different. The Jewish Study Bible was my first, and the translation is really good, but it is academic. The commentary and essays deal with archeology and critical analysis of the text rather than religion and spirituality. The Hertz Chumash is pretty standard at synagogues, and offers traditional commentary. And then there is the Schocken Bible (The Five Books of Moses translated by Fox). It is beautifully written and keeps the poetry and wordplay of the original Hebrew.

Siddurs vary greatly by stream. Each movement has their own "official" prayer book, and then there are others that are offered independently. I attend a Conservative synagogue where we use the Siddur Hadash, even though the Siddur Sim Shalom seems more popular. Both are egalitarian (include the matriarchs as well as the patriarchs, for example), and flow well. I'm using the Koren Sachs Siddur for personal use. It's Orthodox, and much more traditional. I've never used a Reform siddur, and can't really give an evaluation.

Posts : 11 Join date : 2012-11-11

Arrrgh... ok

Well I think I will contact the synagogue where I have been attending services online to find out what prayer book they are using.

I did order Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text from Amazon, it seemed to be the standard - but I don't know. I like the sound of the Schocken - I like the idea that the poetry and world play were preserved as words are something I love :)

Posts : 101 Join date : 2011-09-06 Location : NC

lzbthcldwll wrote:: Arrrgh... ok

Lol, I know what you mean. There os a LOT of stuff out there, can it can be really hard to choose.

Quote :: Well I think I will contact the synagogue where I have been attending services online to find out what prayer book they are using.

That's actually a great idea, especially if you're praying with them. Ot will help you learn the service and get a little more comfortable. As you get a little more confidence, you start branching out and try other siddurs. Nothing says we have to stick with just one. Very Happy

Quote :: I did order Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text from Amazon, it seemed to be the standard - but I don't know. I like the sound of the Schocken - I like the idea that the poetry and world play were preserved as words are something I love :)

That's a great choice, and the JPS translation is the standard used just about everywhere. And, remember, you can have more than one. Wink and Smile

Each book is going to bring something new to the table, and I'm a big fan of variety.

Posts : 152 Join date : 2011-12-01 Location : New York

In Orthdox circles, the Stone Edition Chumash is one of the most widely used.

You can find it here- http://www.artscroll.com/stonechumash.html

Another one we use in Torah study, although not always the literal translation is "The Living Torah".
You can find it here - http://www.amazon.com/Living-Torah-Translation-Traditional-Sources/dp/0940118351

Posts : 11 Join date : 2012-11-11

Thanks Searchin!

Posts : 373 Join date : 2011-09-05 Location : Chicagoland

My favorite Orthodox siddur is:
Koren Sacks Siddur

The fonts are very easy to read and the layout really encourages one to think about the meaning of the prayers which is easy to overlook when there are big blocks of text rather than having it broken down into sections based on theme. The translations are modern and clear, and more straightforward than Artscroll translations. Also the commentary by Rabbi Sacks (chief rabbi of the UK) is really thoughtful.

I like this siddur so much that I use it when I attend weekday morning minyan. My minyan uses the Conservative alternate versions of three blessings in "Birkhot Hashahar", but I can deal with that minor difference of the service from what is in the Koren Sacks Siddur. I even got Rabbi Sacks to sign my siddur when I attended a lecture he gave at the university where I work. A British minyan friend who is a big Rabbi Sacks fan thought it might be inappropriate to ask him to sign a siddur but he didn't object and my husband did first have him sign one of his regular books which we bought at the lecture.

I would like to point out that the Artscroll Chumash does not really even "translate" Song of Songs at all, but rather substitutes an "allegory". I guess the editors were just too embarrassed about the explicit eroticism of the actual text.
Here is a blog post about this:
Shir ha'Shirim: Too Risqué for Some

Posts : 678 Join date : 2011-09-05 Age : 41

Hello and Welcome!

Posts : 373 Join date : 2011-09-05 Location : Chicagoland

Here is an article with some descriptions of several siddurim of various denominations:
How to Choose a Siddur

The above article mentions another siddur that I have and really like:
Or Hadash by Rabbi Reuven Hammer. It has commentary in the margins around the text in the style of the text of the Talmud. The commentary explains when passages are from Torah or gives historical or observance notes. It is for study, not for use during synagogue services because it is too big to hold easily, but I have seen people at my minyan davening from this siddur. I actually have a signed copy of this siddur too. It turns out that about 40 years before he made Aliyah, Rabbi Hammer was the rabbi of the synagogue that my sponsoring rabbi now leads. He returned as a guest speaker a few years ago and I was really excited to go to a study session of his before a Selichot service before the High Holidays.

Posts : 15 Join date : 2012-10-22

lzbthcldwll wrote:: I am so excited to be here :)

I am answering a call that began as a whisper when I was only about 13 years old. I don't know if I will ever fully convert, but I am really enjoying learning and living a Jewish life.

Hi! One thing that really interests me is the motivation (or calling?) people have to take the path we have. I'm getting alot of enjoyment learning about and immersing myself in ritual and traditions that go back thousands of years. It's good to hear you mirroring my thoughts.

And also good to see an influx of new members over the past few weeks.