review
Jews pray from a Jewish prayer book. The prayers are collected in Siach Yitzchak (Prayer of Yitzchak); the ordered prayers for the whole year. The texts are in Hebrew and the Dutch translation is by Yitzchak Dasberg. The book is published by the Netherlands-Israelite Denomination (5th edition 2000 ?? 5760). Prayer are the deeper feelings that a Jew expresses when he turns to God.
data
- title: Siach Yitzchak (Prayer of Yitzchak) ?? Siddur, the ordered prayers for the whole year
- author / translator: Jit Schakel Dasberg
- year: 2000 (5th edition)
- publisher of the Netherlands-Israelite Denomination
- ISBN: 90-71727-04-1
Contents of the book ‘Siach Yitzchak’
Joint prayers, scriptures, and psalms began during the Temple service period. But prayers were offered not only in the Temple, but also in the synagogues and houses where people gathered to learn. The pastor in the prayer usually read a self-made prayer. There are very many in the Talmud. The men of the “Great Assembly” at the time of Ezra determined the outline of the prayer form. This also applied to the blessing (b’racha). Besides prayers and blessings we find in the siddur (prayer book), psalms and pieces from Talmud and mystical sources. Many prayers come from the Galut (Diaspora), especially Babylonia.
Prayer is translated as tefilla. But tefilla is more than a prayer. It consists of pieces from the Torah, psalms, prose and poetry of all times, thanksgiving, prayers and philosophical meditation. Tefilla makes us reflect on our life task. It is spoken at regular times, every day. Although we pronounce the tefilla, it is God who speaks to us and we listen. Tefilla wants to make us Jews. We then realize that we live in God’s world. We must also recognize that the meaning of tefilla is irrational.
Prayer is to the soul what food is to the body, says the sage Yehuda Halevi. Daily contact with God at regular times gives us strength. Tefilla is important when we sometimes feel that we don’t need it. It is precisely then that prayers are required.
Sometimes we need a spontaneous prayer. This is not a problem as long as we do not substitute it for fixed prayer. The danger of spontaneous prayers is that non-Jewish thoughts can float to the surface. The tefilla corrects false ideas. Moreover, prayer is not asking but listening.
View from Etsel
This book is a must for every Jew. It contains all the prayers and also explains how the prayers should be performed. In addition to the daily prayers (morning, noon and evening), prayers that are offered on Shabbat and Jewish holidays are discussed. Various b’rachot are also treated. Those who do not speak Hebrew can recite the Dutch text.
One can of course wonder whether fixed prayers do not lead to automaticity. Wouldn’t it be better to say spontaneous prayers? No. First, prayers must be given with the utmost concentration, so for that reason there can never be automaticity. Second, spontaneous prayers are mainly questions about God. Regular prayers teach us to listen to God and not to ask. The point is that we learn to listen to the directions of God. This is how we can receive strength. Third, spontaneous prayers have the disadvantage of asking God for all kinds of things and when we don’t feel that the prayers are being answered, we can become frustrated. Therefore it is better to listen to God through the tefilla. This prevents us from absorbing wrong thoughts.