Sue Fishkoff photo The Lev Shalem High Holy Days prayer book, left, and the new Israeli Masorti siddur aim to speak to the Jewish community at large. Read more: The Jewish Chronicle - New Conservative machzor gets slow acceptance here
“We are very excited about the introduction of “Machzor Lev Shalem.” We see it as sort of a breakthrough prayer book for the Jewish community,” Schonfeld said. “It has the traditional texts with an artful, but literal translation, and heretofore unparalleled insightful commentaries, from ancient to modern.”
Weighing in at less than two pounds, it is almost hard to believe how much is contained inside this new machzor’s covers.
The entire Hebrew text is translated into English, and portions that are typically said aloud are also transliterated so that those unable to read Hebrew can participate in communal recitations.
Like the Conservative movement, the machzor itself strives to be inclusive, according to Schonfeld.
“We wanted to create avenues into the tradition and create the greatest number of open doorways, to get closer to G-d, the community and ourselves,” Schonfeld said. “There is a place for everybody. Nobody is outside the tent.”
This concept of inclusiveness is also apparent in innovative additions to the service, such as a yitzkor prayer for an abusive parent, and a meditation for someone who is unable to fast on Yom Kippur.
“There is an overarching need in the community that the Conservative movement uniquely fills,” Schonfeld said. “Bringing tradition forth while incorporating contemporary concerns is part of that.”
The prayer book also has responded to the desire of many Conservative congregations for egalitarian liturgy. The machzor has incorporated a more gender-neutral translation for G-d, and has included the matriarchs as an alternative on the same page as the traditional Amida prayer that references only the patriarchs.
More than 150,000 copies of Lev Shalem were presold, representing orders from about 130 of the 650 congregations affiliated with the Conservative movement, according to a JTA report.
Beth Shalom Congregation in Squirrel Hill recently purchased 1,200 copies of the new machzor, taking advantage of a pre-publication price of $15 per book, as opposed to its $30 cover price.
Even with the half-price deal, replacing a congregation’s machzurs is a massive undertaking. Beth Shalom is the only area Conservative congregation that has taken the plunge so far.
“The English is done with an eye toward making it read well, but be true to the Hebrew translations,” Werbow said. “There are some translations (in other prayer books) that are poetic, but not true to the Hebrew. Here, they worked to find a balance.”
Commentary and exposition fill the right side of each double-page spread, while the left side is for poems, meditations and alternative readings.
“There is so much, it can’t all be used in one year,” Werbow said. “But actually, that’s a very nice thing, to have choices of what to incorporate.”
The Conservative movement has published three official machzors since it was founded in the early 1900s. The first was based on the 1939 version edited by Rabbi Morris Silverman, and the second was the 1972 version edited by Rabbi Jules Harlow. Although it is not considered an official Conservative machzor, in 1995, two Conservative rabbis edited “Machzor Hadash,” which provided an egalitarian alternative and a more contemporary approach.
Beth Shalom will use the new machzor in its sanctuary service, which had previously used the Silverman version, as well as in its ballroom service, which had been using the Harlow.
“I think the biggest advantage is that it will speak to the modern Jewish language and approaches that the modern Jew can connect with,” Werbow said. “The thys and thous are gone.”
(Toby Tabachnick can be reached at tobyt@thejewishchronicle.net.)
Read more: The Jewish Chronicle –
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Mahzor Lev Shalem is the new prayerbook for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur & an extraordinary event for the Conservative movement. This mahzor represents the synthesis of the fruits of historical scholarship and a far-reaching spiritual vision, thus linking study and prayer. Mahzor Lev Shalem offers myriad opportunities for an inspirational engagement with the liturgy through traditional and contemporary readings, probing commentary, and a beautiful, prayerful translation that faithfully renders the Hebrew.
