15 June 2008
What’s in a Name?
19/06/08 23:07
Shabbat, June 13, 2008:
What’s in a Name?: Why the New Prayer Book is Called “Mishkan Tefillah.”
by Rabbi Schwartz
Even before the first drafts of the new Reform prayer book had been released, we rabbis knew that it would be called “Mishkan Tefillah” or “Tent/Sanctuary for Prayer.” The term mishkan is one that we encounter throughout the Torah once our people has been freed from Egyptian bondage. There God gives us amazingly detailed instructions for building a meeting place that will enable us to engage with the Divine presence. This portable, desert sanctuary becomes the model for the Temple that will be built in Jerusalem and then the synagogues that we continue to employ. No matter the decorations or the architecture of such buildings, the intent is always the same: to create a setting that bridges the relationship between God and God’s creatures. By naming our new siddur (prayer book) Mishkan Tefillah, we are articulating our vision for a prayer experience. The creators know that the proper environment for our modern Reform Jewish community will require flexibility as well as structure, creativity as well as time honored traditions. The goal is to ensure that there is ample room within the mishkan so that all will feel invited and engaged while growing as educated, activist Jews.
Previous siddurim (prayer books) of the Reform movement have all represented the aspirations of their generation of Jews. The names of these siddurim actually teach us that lesson. The first movement wide siddur was published in the early 1900s and called“The Union Prayer Book.” Many of you remember that book and may have very fond memories of it. Its title speaks of the first goal of American Reform Judaism: to create a union of Reform Jews with a shared liturgy and attitudes towards modern life. The siddur was meant to be accompanied by the “The Union Hymnal” which was a collection of all of the new, primarily English songs which would be part of the service. This set of books served our movement well into the 1970s. By that time, both society and Reform Judaism had dramatically changed. The siddur launched at that time was named “Gates of Prayer.” While that title was on the cover in Hebrew as well as English, most congregants knew it only in English. The book included significant choices for service themes and settingsand so there were many gates or entrances to prayer. Reform Judaism no longer needed to work on uniformity and wanted to encourage creativity. There was no hymnal to go along with the siddur since music was integrated into the service and in the book itself. As well, those formal English hymns were no longer well received.
Now we have a new siddur with a Hebrew name alone. We have embraced the role of Hebrew within our modern Reform worship and we work towards a balance of creativity and fixed structure. As we move towards adopting Mishkan Tefillah, we take the next steps in our Jewish evolution. We enter this experience excited for new challenges and seeking what our people have always sought: to find meaning in our days, to be energized for our work in repairing our world, and to feel a sense of God’s presence in our lives. May we grow from strength to strength.
What’s in a Name?: Why the New Prayer Book is Called “Mishkan Tefillah.”
by Rabbi Schwartz
Even before the first drafts of the new Reform prayer book had been released, we rabbis knew that it would be called “Mishkan Tefillah” or “Tent/Sanctuary for Prayer.” The term mishkan is one that we encounter throughout the Torah once our people has been freed from Egyptian bondage. There God gives us amazingly detailed instructions for building a meeting place that will enable us to engage with the Divine presence. This portable, desert sanctuary becomes the model for the Temple that will be built in Jerusalem and then the synagogues that we continue to employ. No matter the decorations or the architecture of such buildings, the intent is always the same: to create a setting that bridges the relationship between God and God’s creatures. By naming our new siddur (prayer book) Mishkan Tefillah, we are articulating our vision for a prayer experience. The creators know that the proper environment for our modern Reform Jewish community will require flexibility as well as structure, creativity as well as time honored traditions. The goal is to ensure that there is ample room within the mishkan so that all will feel invited and engaged while growing as educated, activist Jews.
Previous siddurim (prayer books) of the Reform movement have all represented the aspirations of their generation of Jews. The names of these siddurim actually teach us that lesson. The first movement wide siddur was published in the early 1900s and called“The Union Prayer Book.” Many of you remember that book and may have very fond memories of it. Its title speaks of the first goal of American Reform Judaism: to create a union of Reform Jews with a shared liturgy and attitudes towards modern life. The siddur was meant to be accompanied by the “The Union Hymnal” which was a collection of all of the new, primarily English songs which would be part of the service. This set of books served our movement well into the 1970s. By that time, both society and Reform Judaism had dramatically changed. The siddur launched at that time was named “Gates of Prayer.” While that title was on the cover in Hebrew as well as English, most congregants knew it only in English. The book included significant choices for service themes and settingsand so there were many gates or entrances to prayer. Reform Judaism no longer needed to work on uniformity and wanted to encourage creativity. There was no hymnal to go along with the siddur since music was integrated into the service and in the book itself. As well, those formal English hymns were no longer well received.
Now we have a new siddur with a Hebrew name alone. We have embraced the role of Hebrew within our modern Reform worship and we work towards a balance of creativity and fixed structure. As we move towards adopting Mishkan Tefillah, we take the next steps in our Jewish evolution. We enter this experience excited for new challenges and seeking what our people have always sought: to find meaning in our days, to be energized for our work in repairing our world, and to feel a sense of God’s presence in our lives. May we grow from strength to strength.