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
Tzvee Zahavy was born and raised in New York City. He is an internationally recognized creative and imaginative expert in the fields of Judaism, Talmud and Jewish liturgy. Dr. Zahavy received his BA in mathematics, master's degree in Jewish History, and rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University, where he studied for four years with Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. After receiving his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Brown University, Dr. Zahavy was on the faculty of the University of Minnesota for nineteen years. He was promoted to full professor and was chairman of his department and director of the Center for Jewish Studies. He taught courses in Judaism, Jewish history and culture, Bible, World Religions, and seminars in classical Hebrew texts. Dr. Zahavy received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota. He has received numerous other grants and awards. He was a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley and at the College of William and Mary. Dr. Zahavy has taught liturgy as an adjunct professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City. His published books include these titles: -The Traditions of Eleazar Ben Azariah, Brown Judaic Studies -The Mishnaic Law of Blessings and Prayers: Tractate Berakhot, Brown Judaic Studies -The Talmud of the Land of Israel: Tractate Berakhot, University of Chicago Press -Studies in Jewish Prayer, University Press of America -The Talmud of Babylonia: An American Translation: Tractate Hullin, 3 volumes, Brown Judaic Studies Since 2006, his popular Judaica-oriented current-events blog, Tzvee's Talmudic Blog (Tzvee.blogspot.com), has logged more than one million page views.
