Reform Judaism for Teachers module - Touro Synagogue

1. Share this quotation with the class, either by reading it, by writing it on the board, or
both: “Second only to the Torah, the siddur (prayer book) expresses the ideology of
our people. But because it changes over time and is the book that people regularly
read and use, it defines and unifies us even more than the Torah. In the Reform
Movement, each new prayer book‐‐despite the almost inevitable controversies that
accompany its publication‐‐has served to unify hundreds of congregations
throughout North America, as well as Reform Jews everywhere.” 4
2. Distribute Maariv Aravim prayer sample sheets from the Union Prayer Book, Gates of
Prayer as well as from Mishkan T’filah.
3. Explain that these sheets contain variations of the same prayer presented in three
different prayer books of the Reform Movement. Each book illustrates the feelings of
the Movement at that point in time.
4. Share with participants the following information or divide them into groups and
ask each group to compare the three versions of the prayer and report on differences
in treatment that they noticed. Ask them what the implications of these differences
might be.
Union Prayer Book
• UPB had a universalist orientation‐‐it rejected such traditional Jewish notions as
peoplehood, chosenness, the personal Messiah, resurrection, and a return to the
Land of Israel. With the desire to build a Jewish homeland, later editions
expressed increasing emphasis on peoplehood.
• UPB eliminated most opportunities for congregational participation and
essentially entrusted the liturgy to the rabbi as reader and to a trained choir.
• This prayer book did not incorporate a great deal of Hebrew.
4 Stevens, E. Reform Judaism Magazine, Summer 2006
Union for Reform Judaism-Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning
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