Book Description

This extensively revised third edition, now compatible with Mishkan T'filah, offers many voices and unique, contemporary perspectives on our siddur, the order of the service, and the meaning of individual prayers. It reflects on the ways in which our prayer practices continue to evolve. This is an essential educational resource and is indispensable for bar/bat mitzvah and confirmation preparation, as well as for Introduction to Judaism courses and general adult education. "This timely and creative update of a timeless commentary will inspire a new generation of teachers and learners to explore their own expression of Jewish prayer. The rabbinic source materials, contemporary readings, poetry, and probing questions all come together in a seamless whole that serves to open the heart to ever deeper meaning and possibility in our sacred liturgy." - Rabbi Dr. Lisa Grant, Director of the Rabbinical Program, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, New York "As a young Jewish educator fresh out of graduate school, I turned to the original edition of this book to teach my b'nei mitzvah students. I have come back to it over the decades for the thoughtful commentary and context it has given me as a teacher and teacher of teachers. As the foreword notes, Rabbi Harvey Fields, a consummate gardener, understood the need to prune a vine to encourage new growth. This new edition showcases that new growth yet continues to provide both the ease and depth that have always made it a "go to" on my bookshelf. The updated explanations, references, and questions reflect Mishkan T'filah's fresh approach to prayer. In short, B'chol L'vavcha is a stunning tribute to Rabbi Fields as well as to those who have come after him to encourage our Movement's evolving relationship to worship. Every page I turned inspired a new idea for a lesson, activity, or wondering I could share with my b'nei mitzvah tutors, religious school students, families, and adult learners. And personally, it sparked a renewal of my own belief in the power of prayer to come from my heart and to fill all of my heart." - Dr. Katherine Schwartz, President, Association of Reform Jewish Educators