A Prayer Book in the Making
Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet is the Editor of the latest Reform Siddur, published in May 2008. During the 8 year process of creating the Siddur, Rabbi Magonet has kept a diary which traces the development of the book and many of the debates, dilemmas and challenges provoked by the venture.
Introduction and Erev Shabbat
A Prayer Book in the Making
Written by Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet Tuesday, 01 October 2002
Though it is only just over 25 years since the first RSGB Siddur was published a number of issues suggested that it needed to be revised. The most obvious, and in some sense the most controversial, concerned the particular issue of "inclusive language", something already addressed partially in the High Holy Days prayerbook and more completely in the Pilgrim Festivals prayerbook. There are congregations that are very firmly committed to changes that give equality to women in various aspects of the language and content of the book but there are equally congregations that are very firmly rooted in the existing language and concerned about change. There are also individual problems with the translations which need to be addressed. There is no comfortable way out of this dilemma and yet the trend is towards this change. But having raised this delicate issue at the beginning, it is important to point out that the actual work of rethinking the prayerbook has raised a number of other issues which are as important, if not more so, in terms of our current needs as a Movement.
The Shabbat Morning Service
A Prayer Book in the Making
Written by Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet Saturday, 01 March 2003
With the draft Shabbat morning service we begin to see more clearly some of the challenges and opportunities facing us as we attempt to create a new prayerbook for the movement. The 1935 volume of Forms of Prayer was a very much scaled down version of the traditional siddur. Because of its origins it contained a mixture of Ashkenazi and Sephardi elements that are retained in the current volume and the new draft. What was seen as a problem with the 1935 edition in the seventies, apart from the archaic language, was the absence of variety or alternative possibilities. The only option for changing the Shabbat morning service was to introduce a psalm from the psalm anthology at the back, which took up exactly half of the book.
Names for God
A Prayer Book in the Making
Written by Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet Sunday, 01 June 2003
One of the most difficult and hence controversial issues for any new prayerbook is the decision about how to translate the name of God, the ‘tetragrammaton’ or four-lettered name God, ‘yod’, ‘hey’, ‘vav’, ‘hey’, YHWH. Just to recap the problem. The name itself seems to be a mixed verbal form based on the Hebrew verb hayah, to be. (The first two letters suggest an imperfect grammatical form, but the second to fourth letters suggest a participle!) The Bible introduces the name through a famous phrase. When Moses asked God for God’s name at the burning bush he receives the reply: ehyeh asher ehyeh, which is actually untranslatable.
Fixed Prayers but Flexible Services
A Prayer Book in the Making
Written by Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet Saturday, 01 May 2004
Now that the draft Shabbat morning service has had some trials and the Editorial Board has received feedback, some interesting questions have arisen. This seems a good opportunity to express our gratitude to all those who have gone to considerable lengths to ensure an effective use of the experimental edition as this has required a lot of preparation and different approaches for different occasions.
Feedback and Issues Raised
A Prayer Book in the Making
Written by Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet Friday, 01 October 2004
We have now provided congregations with two experimental editions of the Prayerbook – the Shabbat morning draft and a compilation of services, including Erev Shabbat and Daily Services, which was used initially at the RSGB conference in June 2004. Feedback from the Shabbat draft led to a number of changes in the second volume, and as more congregations send us the results of discussions and questionnaires we continue to address the positive and negative comments. The Editorial Board is most appreciative of the enormous trouble that a number of congregations have gone to so as to give these drafts a fair exposure and then collect opinions.
Transliteration
A Prayer Book in the Making
Written by Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet Wednesday, 01 June 2005
Part of the challenge of producing the new Prayerbook is coming to terms with unexpected issues. In the course of producing these ‘diaries’ we have had to examine a number of familiar ones and we continue to try to resolve them as best we can. But there is one issue that is new to this edition and it has evoked any number of divergent views. It is the question of whether or not to include transliteration of the Hebrew passages within the book, and if so, to what extent?
‘Holy Compromise’
A Prayer Book in the Making
Written by Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet Tuesday, 01 November 2005
In the course of the work on the prayerbook a number of issues have been raised, apparently resolved, then reopened because of feedback from congregations, re-considered and revised. The process is still open as one more draft is about to be circulated.
Responding to Feedback
A Prayer Book in the Making
Written by Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet Monday, 01 January 2007
Six Years and Counting
When we began work on a new Siddur, more than five years ago, it was still to be the prayerbook of the ‘Reform Synagogues of Great Britain’. The latest draft carries the logo of ‘The Movement for Reform Judaism’. The change of name represents a move towards a more coherent view of what the movement stands for, while still respecting the autonomy of the individual synagogues. The same mixture of an overall vision that also acknowledges personal needs has underpinned the work on the new Siddur – with all the debates, choices, compromises, negotiations and prioritisations that this implies. The task of the editorial board, and ultimately the editor, has been to steer a course between these often contradictory concerns, accepting criticism and suggestions for improvement, but without losing sight of a coherent vision for the Siddur as a whole. For this reason it has been tested out by congregations more than any of its predecessors, with more responses to suggested improvements than ever before. (I speak out of the direct experience of co-editing the previous three volumes in the series!) But it has also been supported by the Editorial Board and Steering Committee, with lay leaders of the movement, more professionally and effectively than ever before. So where are we now?
On the Eve of Publication
A Prayer Book in the Making
Written by Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet Friday, 01 February 2008
What’s In A Name?
The last diary sounded a positive note, because the major work of editing and preparing the layout of the Siddur had been completed. What remained were the technical processes of getting final agreement from the Assembly of Rabbis and the Movement Board so that we could move ahead with arrangements for printing. These were achieved with only one issue suddenly emerging for major discussion amongst the rabbinic colleagues, namely the choice of a name for the new volume.
