Episode 18: Siddur as Work of Art (with Rabbi Elie Kaunfer)
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Siddur as Work of Art
It's an honor to share our interview with Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, president and CEO of the Hadar Institute. Rabbi Kaunfer is an incredible teacher, author, and liturgist. In fact, we’ve quoted him on the podcast many times- if you’ve ever heard us say “intertext,” we learned that from him! Rabbi Kaunfer shows us how so much of the siddur is made up of quotes from our sacred texts. Looking at those lines in their original context can deepen our understanding of the liturgy itself. He’s currently working on a book applying the intertext model to the whole Amidah, and shares some of those gems in this episode. We hope this “news you can use” sparks new meaning for your t’fillah!
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(0:32) Learn more about Hadar here.
(1:04) Learn more about the Jewish Theological Seminary here.
(5:34) Daven – a Yiddish word meaning to pray.
(6:47) Learn more about Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel here.
(8:00) Learn more about the Talmud here and Midrash here.
(9:08) Learn more about Reuven Kimelman here.
(10:27) You can find The Nonverbal Language of Prayer by Uri Ehrlich here.
(11:14) Learn more about the Cairo Geniza here.
(11:53) You can find My People’s Prayer Book by Lawrence Hoffman here
(12:09) You can find Beyond the Text: A Holistic Approach to Liturgy by Lawrence Hoffman here.
(13:20) Learn more about Dalia Marx here.
(14:40) Minyan – מנין – prayer group.
(17:20) HaEl HaGadol HaGibor V’Hanorah – האל הגדול הגיבור והנורא – The Great, Mighty and Awesome g?d (Elie’s translation).
(23:14) Machloket – מחלקת – disagreement.
(28:53) Atah chonen leadam da’at – אתה חונן לאדם דעת – You grace Adam (or people) with knowledge (Elie’s translation).
(29:34) Melech ohev tzedaka u’mishpat – מלך אוהב צדקה ומשפט – g?d who loves justice and righteousness (Elie’s translation).
(31:39) Learn more about Rabbi Ebn Leader here.
(32:18) Bakashot – בקשות – requests.
(35:53) Baruch atah hashem – ברוך אתה ה – Blessed Are You G?d.
(36:44) Ehyeh asher ehyeh – אהיה אשר אהיה – I Am that I Am (or I Will Be What I Will Be).
(39:28) Rachum – רחום – merciful. Chanun – חנון – gracious.
(43:08) Lehitpalel – להתפלל – to pray is the infinitive of Tefillah – תפילה – prayer.
(44:08) Refuah – רפואה – healing.
(45:47) Learn more about Debra Reed Blank here.
(53:36) Learn more about Joey Weisenberg, Deborah Sacks Mintz, and Batya Levine.