Quote of the day

Jun 4, 2009 at 12:57 PM

The most significant mystical contribution to the Siddur is the Kedusha, said in three different forms, most notably during the readers repetition of the Amida ... This is a mystical idea, and like all mysticism it hovers at the edge of intelligibility. Mysticism is an attempt to say the unsayable, know the unknowable, to reach out in language to a reality that lies beyond the scope of language. Often in the course of history, mysticism has tended to devalue the world of senses in favor of a more exalted realm of disembodied spirituality. Jewish mysticism did not take this course. Instead it chose to bathe our life on earth in the dazzling light of the Divine radiance.

Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks שליט"א from the introduction to the new Koren Siddur, p. xxxiii-xxxiv.

2 comments

  1. Just got my copy of the Koren-Sacks siddur in the mail Tuesday. It is beautiful, vastly superior to Artscroll.

    Derek

  2. Rabbi Joshua Says:

    Hi Derek-

    We also just got ours in the mail (hence the inspiration for the quote). :)

    There are aspects about it that I definitely enjoy much more than Artscroll. However, there are also some aspects of Artscroll's layout and just "cleanness" of the page I enjoy. However, for my own personal davening I still enjoy using Sim Shalom for its clarity and inclusiveness.