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‘Holy Compromise’

Written by Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet Tuesday, 01 November 2005

A Prayer Book in the Making

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.

One example of re-re-re-consideration is the vexed issue of the term ‘avotenu’, our ‘fathers’ and/or our ‘ancestors’. Diary number 5 indicated the range of options available to us and the limitations of each. For the next draft we have had to make a decision! Having considered all opinions the Editorial Board has decided to use ‘avotenu’ throughout as ‘ancestors’ (without further substitutions) except in the opening of the Amidah where, precisely because both the patriarchs and matriarchs are mentioned, we have included immotenu as well. (Please look out for any instances where we have made a change and not spotted the need to change it back!)

A very different question is raised by another phrase because of the variety of practices, and indeed the creativity, of our congregations, and the lack of space to include all possible options. Let’s look at what might seem at first glance to be a simple example: the priestly blessing.

It has been an important part of our existing Siddur and other reform liturgies as a nice way to end the service, but not without its critics as well, hence the variety of alternative blessings included in the book. But regarding the priestly blessing itself, there are those who feel that its very priestly nature tends to put the one saying it, usually but not exclusively the rabbi, into a kind of priestly role that is not acceptable. Of course that is partly because we do not include the context from which the passage comes (Num 6:22-27) where it states: God said to Moses: ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons saying, thus shall you bless the children of Israel, saying to them…’ Then comes the priestly blessing and at the end comes the explicit conclusion: ‘They shall set my name upon the Children of Israel, and I shall bless them.’ The one who recites the blessing is merely setting up the framework for God to give the blessing. Nevertheless there have been a number of attempts to ‘democratise’ the text, including translating it throughout as ‘us’ instead of ‘you’. ‘May God bless us and keep us…’

In order to be consistent, there are some who have then gone back to the Hebrew and amended it so that it conforms to that particular English. Moreover since the original Hebrew refers to ‘you’ in the masculine singular, some have amended the Hebrew into the plural, and yet others into the feminine form, for example when blessing a Batmitzvah. All of these are legitimate ways of addressing the issue, but there is only so much space in the section of blessings at the end of the services, so which version/s should be included? The practical solution may be simply to give the traditional Biblical version in the text, but provide an elaborate footnote indicating other options. The note is important, particularly for congregations without rabbinic leadership, as it provides a helpful authority for those who wish to use different versions