The Orthodox Union and OU Press announced today that a celebration in honor of the eagerly awaited publication of The Koren Mesorat HaRav Siddur, Berman Family Edition, with a commentary based on the teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, will be held Monday, November 14 at 8:00 p.m. at The Jewish Center, 131 West 86th Street, in New York.
Rabbi Soloveitchik zt”l, was the preeminent mentor of two generations of American Orthodox rabbis. A towering scholar, philosopher and teacher who had a profound impact on Jewish thought in our age, he was known simply as “The Rav.”
Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought and Senior Scholar at the Center for the Jewish Future at Yeshiva University, will deliver an address. Rabbi Schacter was formerly Dean of the Joseph B. Soloveitchik Institute in Brookline, MA.
The publication of the Siddur is a highly significant event for the synagogue community. According to Rabbi Simon Posner, Executive Editor of OU Press as well as Literary Editor of the volume, “The Mesorat HaRav Siddur brings together for the first time in one volume the profound thought of the Rav on the Siddur. The extensive commentary on the tefillot, which is culled from the Rav’s writings, public lectures, shiurim and classes, will be welcomed enthusiastically by all who appreciate the Rav’s towering intellect and his unique approach.”
The Siddur is a joint publication of OU Press and Koren Publishers of Jerusalem. The book is distinguished by an elegant presentation of the prayers and commentary in the distinctive style and typography of Koren Publishers.
The translation of the prayers is by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom. In addition to weekday, Shabbat and Festival services, the Siddur includes extensive essays on the Rav’s views on prayer. Rabbi Menachem Genack, General Editor of OU Press, writes in the volume: “Prayer played a dominant role in the public lectures and shiurim of the Rav as he was ever-sensitive to the halachic expression of that primal human need to call out to God from the depths of one’s soul, from the very essence of one’s being.” Rabbi Genack was a dedicated student of the Rav and has been instrumental in making his teachings available to a new generation.
There is no admission charge to the event. Copies of the new Siddur will be available on this occasion only at a special introductory price of $20, with a maximum of two copies per person. (Regular price is $32.95.) To attend, RSVP to {encode=”info@ou.org” title=”info@ou.org”}.
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