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Jewish World Review Sept. 15, 2003 / 18 Elul, 5763 Finally, a Rosh Hashanah prayer book for today's Jew By Joshua Silver
In getting the most out of the High Holy Days, a first step is understanding the services. We sent our reviewer out into the "field" and he's come back with a truly unique — no hyperbole! — machzor.
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There you are, standing gloriously in your synagogue or temple on Rosh Hashanah: Your prayer book is open before you, as you earnestly lift your eyes to the Heavens and piously enunciate every word with total concentration. The hours seem to fly by.
Ok. Let's get real. There you are, fumbling for the right page, trying to keep up with the cantor as he moves swiftly through the Hebrew prayers. Every now and then, you flip to the end of the prayer book to see how many pages are left until services will be over.
And you've paid dearly for this High Holiday synagogue seat, too. For this kind of money, you could have had a box at the stadium. Speaking of the seat, why did you pay so much when half the time you're supposed to stand? Some people seem to know when to stand, when to sit, when to bow, when to pray aloud and when to listen.
But to most of us, all of these gymnastics are a bit of a mystery, not unlike the service itself. You muse that somewhere someone should write a better Rosh Hashanah prayer book — one that gives instructions about all that up and down business, one that really, really helps you understand what you're saying. Is it too much to ask that someone invent such a thing?
Someone has. There is a new Rosh Hashanah prayer book — a machzor — built on a new concept. "The Schottentstein Edition Interlinear Rosh Hashanah Machzor," published by the leading Judaica publisher, ArtScroll, makes the prayer experience everything it ought to be.
Granted, the title itself is a mouthful — but the key word here is "interlinear." If you read Hebrew, but feel bored by the prayers because you don't truly understand what they mean, this innovative machzor is right for you. (If you don't read Hebrew, don't go away. There's something special for you too.)
Here's why. In addition to clear instructions and in depth commentary, Artscroll's "Interlinear" is a unique format in which the English translation of every word is directly under the Hebrew. There is no need to hunt for the meaning of specific words on the opposite page, no need to break concentration. The concept can only be described as revolutionary. Your eye moves easily below the puzzling Hebrew word or phrase directly to its English counterpart. (To view a sample of the page layout, please click HERE)
Sounds simple, doesn't it? Yet preparing the translation in this innovative way presented tough editorial challenges. The first obvious difficulty was that Hebrew reads from right to left, while English reads in the opposite direction. After experimenting with a variety of options, ArtScroll chose unobtrusive "arrowheads" subtly pointing right to left between the translated words. The result is that your eyes takes in the English translation, yet continue to move in the direction of the Hebrew text. As you use this prayer book you barely notice the arrows — but they work!
It turns out that ArtScroll has published a number of prayer books in the interlinear format, including the Weekday Siddur, Sabbath and Festival Siddur, Tehillim (Psalms), and Birkas Hamazon (Grace after Meals) booklets. The Interlinear Rosh Hashanah Machzor is available in the Sephard mode as well as the Ashkenaz, so there's one that's right for everyone.
Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein of Columbus, Ohio, who are famed as dedicators of the Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud, have also dedicated the new ArtScroll Series of interlinear prayer books. "We were fascinated by ArtScroll's ingenious concept," said Mr. Schottenstein. "It fills a gap long felt in the Jewish community."
You can purchase the new "Interlinear" prayer books by clicking HERE for Ashkenaz. And HERE for Sefard. Sales help fund JWR.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
In that case, procure a copy on the "The Complete ArtScroll Machzor". In recent years, it has become very popular because the translation is fluid, uplifting and written in contemporary English! What's more, like the Interlinear Machzor, it includes complete instructions (helpful to beginners and almost-know-it-alls).
Another great feature of the ArtScroll Machzor (in every format) is the running commentary and explanations of the prayers. Taken from classic sources, they are authoritative, enriching and often downright fascinating. You'd never know that there are so many deep concepts in these prayers with only a surface reading. Warning: don't read the commentaries during the service, or you'll fall behind the congregation! You can read them later in the day, or better yet, read them before Rosh Hashanah and really be prepared for this momentous occasion.
After all, that's what Rosh Hashanah is all about: preparation for the coming year, with introspection, honesty and resolve. It's the Jewish holiday celebrating the existence of mankind. We don't shrink from scrutiny on this day — we take the initiative to assess our faults, own up to them and find the courage to make the changes in our lives that will make us better people and better Jews.
That's where prayer comes in. If we can't pray with sincerity — saying what we mean and meaning what we say — the long days in the synagogue are virtually wasted. So it pays to prepare: take in hand an ArtScroll Machzor ("Interlinear," if that works for you) and take a good look at it before the big day.
If you do, you actually will find yourself standing gloriously in the synagogue, praying with meaning and total concentration — because you'll understand every word. And the hours will fly by.
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Joshua Silver is a writer living in New York.
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© 2003, Joshua Silver
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