(no subject)
Oct. 4th, 2019 08:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seekingferretI've been regularly using the new RCA Siddur, Avodat Halev for the past... uh, more than six months. The overall verdict is that it's far from perfect but it's rapidly become my new favorite regular use Siddur.
Typefaces are standard Koren, which I don't love, but which are perfectly functional for me. But it's well organized and complete and the layout is generally clear.
In spite of the promotional stuff about how the text would be more gender inclusive, it's barely so. The Hebrew text is not at all changed. Where explanatory notes are intended for a shaliach tzibur that according to normative Orthodox law must be male, they are still directed at men. But footnotes and commentary and explanations go to extraordinary effort to use 'one' instead of gender-based pronouns, so that's the major change to not act like the only audience of the siddur is men. And that does matter. I could wish for a better effort here, but it's better than I'm used to.
Most importantly, it is confidently Modern Orthodox. It cites academics and gedolim side by side in its commentaries. It offers Zionist prayers without handwringing. It offers a series of lovely essays on kavanah and prayer from a variety of thinkers with varying perspectives, male and female. It represents Modern Orthodoxy at its best, it sees Modern Orthodoxy as a full realized ideology that is not a compromise, and it makes no apologies for what it is. And it's surprising to me, though perhaps it shouldn't be, how enjoyably comfortable it is to not have to daven while constantly worrying about how your prayerbook is going to poke you. I'm usually so uncomfortable calling myself Modern Orthodox. Usually the label feels awkward. But davening using the new RCA siddur, davening without Artscroll making me doubt myself, the labels feels right.
Typefaces are standard Koren, which I don't love, but which are perfectly functional for me. But it's well organized and complete and the layout is generally clear.
In spite of the promotional stuff about how the text would be more gender inclusive, it's barely so. The Hebrew text is not at all changed. Where explanatory notes are intended for a shaliach tzibur that according to normative Orthodox law must be male, they are still directed at men. But footnotes and commentary and explanations go to extraordinary effort to use 'one' instead of gender-based pronouns, so that's the major change to not act like the only audience of the siddur is men. And that does matter. I could wish for a better effort here, but it's better than I'm used to.
Most importantly, it is confidently Modern Orthodox. It cites academics and gedolim side by side in its commentaries. It offers Zionist prayers without handwringing. It offers a series of lovely essays on kavanah and prayer from a variety of thinkers with varying perspectives, male and female. It represents Modern Orthodoxy at its best, it sees Modern Orthodoxy as a full realized ideology that is not a compromise, and it makes no apologies for what it is. And it's surprising to me, though perhaps it shouldn't be, how enjoyably comfortable it is to not have to daven while constantly worrying about how your prayerbook is going to poke you. I'm usually so uncomfortable calling myself Modern Orthodox. Usually the label feels awkward. But davening using the new RCA siddur, davening without Artscroll making me doubt myself, the labels feels right.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-04 05:58 pm (UTC)I'm not a fan of Koren as a general rule, though I prefer it to Artscroll. Still, this review has me considering at least trying this one out, so thank you. (I'm a sucker for good footnotes.)
Shabbat shalom, and gmar tov.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-04 08:34 pm (UTC)I completely get that. I'm glad.
A zissen Shabbes to you!