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God's Favorite Prayers Paperback – July 14, 2011

by Tzvee Zahavy (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars (18)
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This book invites the reader into the heart of Jewish spirituality, to learn about its idiom and imagery, its emotions and its great sweeping dramas. It invites the reader to meet six ideal personalities of Jewish prayer and to get to know some of God's favorite prayers.

What others are saying about God's Favorite Prayers:

“God’s favorite prayers have all been right in plain sight for centuries, though never before experienced like this. With his characteristic blend of chutzpah and humor, Professor Rav Zahavy makes finding spiritual experiences into a real page turner! A fun, fascinating and totally refreshing way to finally learn how to pray.”
—Dr. Arlene Rossen Cardozo, author of Sequencing, Woman at Home and Jewish Family Celebrations

“Tzvee Zahavy’s artful melding of memoir, analysis, and typology enriches our understanding of liturgical experience and encourages us to emulate him by reflecting more thoughtfully on our own prayer lives.”
—Rabbi Eliezer Diamond Ph.D., Associate Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, Jewish Theological Seminary

“… An engaging, humanly sensitive introduction to the types of religious personalities whose views are expressed in the diverse parts of the Siddur and, more generally, in components of Jewish liturgical practices… A fine text for helping students and interested lay people gain an understanding and appreciation of the spiritual viewpoints expressed in Jewish liturgical texts.”
—Joel Gereboff, Professor of Religious Studies, Arizona State University

“It is not often that one has the opportunity to share the authentic personal experiences of a distinguished scholar in the field of liturgy, who is also an award-winning teacher. These two elements stand out in Tzvee Zahavy’s God’s Favorite Prayers. Zahavy takes us on an amazing journey into the world of Jewish Prayer and into the personalities that make up the ‘quorum’ in the synagogue. His observations and insights will inspire people of all faiths, who truly seek out a way to make prayer, both personal and communal, a meaningful part of their lives.”
—Rabbi Shimon Altshul, Director, the Ludwig and Erica Jesselson Institute for Advanced Torah Studies, Bar Ilan University

Contents

INVITATION
BEGINNING
THE PRAYER BOOK
THE PERFORMER’S PRAYERS
THE MYSTIC’S PRAYERS
THE SCRIBE’S PRAYERS
THE PRIEST’S PRAYERS
THE MEDITATOR’S PRAYERS
THE CELEBRITY’S PRAYERS
THE KIDDUSH
THE SHOFAR
SOURCES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
REVIEWS

Publisher: Talmudic Books
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  1. Print length
    164 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 14, 2011
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.37 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0615509495
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0615509495
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book offers novel and convincing, fascinating and entertaining reading about not merely "G-d's favorite prayers but many other prayers as well, plus aspects of the synagogue, its accouterments, its protagonists, and some of Yeshiva University's most scholarly and dynamic rabbis. The book presents mini-lectures from an original and compelling pedagogic perspective, a fresh interdisciplinary methodology that we deem successful. It interweaves vignettes from the lives of rabbis to give color to its core concepts. This adds up to a constructive, yet pithy and compact, religious and literary treasure, with the potential to open new paradigms of scholarly inquiry into liturgical texts and to forge creative avenues for innovative theology that will speak to a wide cross-section of synagogue worshippers as well as to people interested in analyzing synagogue worship." - Aaron I. Reichel in the Review of Rabbinic Judaism

Review of: Tzvee Zahavy, God's Favorite Prayers, By Dr. Naomi G. Cohen, Haifa University
The book makes for fascinating reading. It is an intelligent, sometimes amusing, and always highly readable essay addressed first and foremost to those who know "everything", those who are so familiar with the prayers that they don't really need a Siddur to follow the service. At the very same time the book can also serve as an appetizer, as a first introduction to the synagogue and its most significant prayers, for those who come entirely from 'outside', or in any event have not been inside an orthodox synagogue, a shul, since their Bar-Mitvah.
It is livened by autobiographical reminisces, that include how shul felt as the son of the Rabbi of what was then Zichron Ephraim, and later the Park East Synagogue. The combination of growing up as the Rabbi's son of one of the most prestigious Orthodox congregations in New York City, and the intellectual honing provided by being part of Academe for many years, well prepares him for the writing of this unique presentation of Jewish prayer as practiced in the synagogue. Indeed, his background and credentials make him eminently qualified for this undertaking. He received his B.A. and M.A., as well as rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University, where he spent four years studying with Rabbi J. B. Soloveitchik. He then earned a Ph. D in religious studies from Brown University and went on to pursue an academic career at the University of Minnesota, where he was a Professor of Jewish Studies, and was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award.
In G-d's Favorite Prayers Zahavy describes the prayer service as it is encountered in real-life synagogues, defining it as a series of discrete and somewhat diverse elements that have their own internal coherence, at the same time somehow synchronizing and creating a rewarding whole. The book's title is somewhat enigmatic. I understand it to be a reference to the major rubrics of Jewish Synagogue Prayer. The chapter headings refer to different prayers, at the same time serving as a typology personifying different types of people for whom one or another prayer mode is particularly felicitous. The spirituality typical of these different personalities is portrayed with a light brush.
The major thrust of the book is what, lacking any better term, I shall call the psycho-emotional dimension, not the literal meaning of the prayers, but rather the impact that their recitation should or could have on regular synagogue goers. It is particularly successful in evoking a renewed spiritual dimension respecting texts whose essence sometimes tends to fade through their constant use.
The prayers are categorized typologically, a separate chapter being devoted to each: The Performer's Prayers, The Mystic's Prayers, The Scribe's Prayers, The Priest's Prayers, The Meditator's Prayers, and The Celebrity's Prayers. The chapter headings are not intended to indicate either their authorship or their history, both of which Zahavy considers to be largely unknown, and in any event irrelevant for his purpose.
Following these chapters there is one on the Kiddush, both as a special blessing recited several times during the Sabbath or Holiday, and as the social event held in many synagogues immediately following upon the Sabbath morning service. This adds an additional perspective, not merely because it is a customary event in many synagogues, but particularly because it reflects the aspect of the Synagogue as the social focal point of the community - that it is not only G-d centered, but at the very same time an expression of community. Might I note in this context that the very name Synagogue reflects the concept that it is a meeting place, for this is a very ancient term. Already at least 2,000 years ago it served as the Greek rendition of the Hebrew term Bet Knesset. [More at Tzvee dot com.]

About the Author

Tzvee Zahavy is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of Judaism, Talmud and Jewish liturgy.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Talmudic Books
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 14, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 164 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0615509495
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0615509495
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.37 x 9 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #7,660,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.4 out of 5 stars (18)

About the author

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Tzvee Zahavy

Tzvee Zahavy

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Tzvee Zahavy is a prolific author and a world renowned and award winning expert in Judaism. Professor Zahavy has rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University, and a Ph.D. in religious studies from Brown University. He received a Distinguished Teaching Award when he was a professor at the University of Minnesota. He blogs at Talmud (tzvee.blogspot.com) and swims laps every day.

Customer reviews

3.4 out of 5 stars
18 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

  • Bruce Diller Verstandig
    4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful way to view prayer
    Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2013
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Zahavy offers a very insightful and new way to view prayer. While the book is written thru his eyes it allows one to rethink about the way they pray.
    This book made me think about me and how I personally communicate with god.
    Highly recommend it.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Ernest Wolf
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gods Favorite Prayers
    Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2012
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Found it a pleasure to read. Gained a lot of knowledge of things i thought i knew but rally did not.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • jackie burk
    3.0 out of 5 stars Book
    Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I really haven't finished reading this book. I will get to the book. What I have read it is good
    Helpful
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  • Commander Santa John, Saint John the Backpack Man
    1.0 out of 5 stars Darn disappointment
    Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Disappointed, thought it may contain some important Jewish prayers.
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  • STS
    4.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly appreciated breakdown of Jewish prayer
    Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2011
    Format: Paperback
    Professor Tzvee Zahavy spares us the dry description of prayer that has, for too long and too often, monopolized the airwaves. And yet, his work simultaneously maintains a highly intellectual discussion of prayer, rendering readers a thousand percent more self-assured about their understanding of liturgy. This is a must-read for anyone, Jewish or not, who has ever stepped foot into a Jewish prayer service. Across the board, we lack understanding of and/or engagement with prayer, rendering attendance utterly fruitless. This book sheds valuable insight on the words and themes that so many have grown up hearing time and time again, without really comprehending.

    Zahavy's writing style is warm, approachable, and light-hearted. Not only does he invite us to re-think our own journeys, but also to experience his. A personal tale of searching for the perfect synagogue complements a historically contextualized description of prayer. Through him, we see the futility in believing that a perfect source of spiritual inspiration, in the form of a brick and mortar edifice, could exist. Rather, "perfect" is the worshipper's informed and enchanted relationship with prayer, itself a complex system of idealized influences. Zahavy empowers the reader with the idea that he or she-- and not a hypothetical rabbi, building, congregation, or neighborhood-- is responsible for, and able to achieve, an appreciation for God's favorite prayers.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Myles baer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful introduction to Jewish prayer
    Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2012
    Format: Paperback
    If you are anything like me, you too often pray by rote. On those relatively infrequent occasions when I actually try to think more deeply about what I am saying, I may focus on a particular prayer here or there. I can't do very much more than that because by the time I have pried apart the language of the prayer to get at its meaning and poetry, the service has already moved eight or ten prayers ahead. If I ever think of the prayers as a whole - and that is not too often - it is with the assumption that they are the compilation and expressions of a single, consistent authorial voice.

    That is where Tzvee Zahavy's insightful "God's Favorite Prayers" comes in. The book provides an understanding of Jewish prayer by attuning us to six voices through which prayer speaks. He calls these the mystic, the priest, the scribe, the performer, the mediator and the celebrity. Each personality has a different focus and concern. Every prayer is an expression of one or more of these personalities. The prayers reflect these different concerns, some of which may not always be in complete harmony with the others. The multiplicity of voices means that our prayer services are not at all like a well constructed classical symphony, with a unifying key, themes, harmonies and movements, but a "Woodstock Festival of Jews at prayer" where a number of rock bands play pieces in various styles and different keys. The result may not be completely harmonious, but it is glorious nonetheless.

    You might expect that a book penned by an author with both academic and rabbinic credentials would be a tad dry, but that is not the case here. This is not a pedant's book. It is very readable. Anyone familiar with the Siddur will find it easy to follow. Readability is also increased by the anecdotes and generous amount of personal history that the author has interspersed in the book.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Katz
    2.0 out of 5 stars God's Favorite Prayers - but don't use them!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2014
    Format: Kindle
    This is a critical review - even though I've not read the book. I know, that's unfair isn't it. However, this book doesn't just have the standard "No part of this book may be reproduced . . . " it states "No part of this book may be used . . ." So why bother learning about what he feels are God's favorite prayers if they cannot be used? I know some will find this nit picking, but it's not a standard legal thing, I've gone back and checked - books don't typically say you can't use what's in them, just not reproduce it. So I choose not to read this as I don't wish to be accused of plagiarism or copywriter infringement with my prayers.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Private
    3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Ok
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