Jewish prayerbooks that you can use for all services
- Siddur Eit Ratzon for Shabbat, festival, and daily services
- Machzor Eit Ratzon for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services
- pocket-sized edition of Siddur Eit Ratzon for weekday services
- regular sized weekday edition of Siddur Eit Ratzon
- weekday evening edition of Siddur Eit Ratzon for shiva minyan services
- Friday evening edition of Siddur Eit Ratzon for congregational services
Eit Ratzon has a four-column format, with the traditional Hebrew text, a complete transliteration, a new translation that focuses on conveying the meaning of the prayers (as well as the meaning of the words), and a column of commentaries designed to answer a variety of types of questions, from “what is going on in this part of the service?” to “what is the spiritual meaning of this prayer?” It has a spiritual focus, reflected in the many kavvanot, meditations, and new prayers that appear on its pages.
Although they have the traditional text, Siddur Eit Ratzon and Machzor Eit Ratzon are not just conventional prayerbooks. Their pages will provide you both information and inspiration. Finally, here are books that will open your mind and heart to the wonderful spiritual treasures of the Jewish tradition of prayer.
Read the Reviews by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, Abigail Pogrebin, and others, and comments by readers, authors, and congregational leaders
If you’ve ever felt you wanted a more personal connection to Jewish prayer services, you’ll find it in Siddur Eit Ratzon. Whatever obstacles you may have to meaningful prayer, this siddur will help you overcome them and help you connect with the rich spiritual tradition that has sustained our people for centuries.
- If you are new to Jewish prayer, the complete transliteration and guideposts will enable you to participate fully in communal prayer services.
- If you have been reciting the prayers for years without connecting with what they say, the new translations and new commentaries will help make our people’s prayers meaningful to you.
- If you have had obstacles to participating in the prayer service, the egalitarian, flexible, and pluralistic approaches of Eit Ratzon will help you overcome those obstacles
- If you are seeking the spiritual messages of the prayers, the kavvanot (brief focusing prayers) and meditations will help you discover and travel along the spiritual journey that was envisioned by the authors of the prayers.
- If your congregation includes people with diverse backgrounds and diverse perspectives, Siddur Eit Ratzon and Machzor Eit Ratzon will enhance the ability of congregants and visitors to participate in the services, whether they are adopted for use by the congregation or whether they are used in conjunction with the siddur or machzor currently in use (with the assistance of page guides).
Siddur Eit Ratzon has been adopted by 80 congregations and multiple copies are used in another 70 congregations for learners’ services, adult education programs, conversion classes, outreach efforts, and as a companion to the congregational siddur. Machzor Eit Ratzon has been adopted by over 35 congregations.
Eit Ratzon means “The Right Time for Prayer,” and its perspective is that every moment is the right time for prayer – that whenever we call out, God is present. God is always available to us, God’s blessings are always flowing to us, and the prayer service enables us to be aware continually of God’s presence and blessings.
Siddur Eit Ratzon and Machzor Eit Ratzon have the following four columns on each page
- the Hebrew text
- a complete transliteration
- a new translation
- a variety of commentaries
Have a closer look at the four-column layout of three actual pages
With the four column layout of Siddur Eit Ratzon, the Hebrew text, transliteration, translation, and commentary are all on the same page, and are aligned so that you can easily go back and forth between them.
Whether you need assistance in reading the prayers in Hebrew, understanding what they mean, or how they fit into the service, the format will help you achieve your goal.
(This format is modeled on that of Siddur Chaveirim Kol Yisraeil, a Friday evening Siddur whose authors graciously made the format available electronically for use in this Siddur.)
Three sample pages are presented here. You are invited to browse through them. (The binding runs down the middle of these pages, so that each “page” here consists of two facing pages in the actual Siddur.)
Also available are a list of additional features of Siddur Eit Ratzon, a study guide, and an audio recording of a sample service using Eit Ratzon recorded by the Highland Park (NJ) Minyan
Siddur Eit Ratzon -Table of Contents
Book: The Making of Siddur Eit Ratzon
This draft of a book about the making of Siddur Eit Ratzon consists of 7 chapters that were written specifically for this book between about 2014 and 2016, and 10 chapters that consist of presentations or articles about important themes that are discussed in Siddur Eit Ratzon.
Finally, those congregations that are using Siddur Eit Ratzon and are sponsoring hybrid services can make use of the following pdf files of the left-hand pages of the prayerbook for Friday evening services or Shabbat morning services.
Other Books by Joseph G. Rosenstein
