Journey Through the Siddur

With Rabbi Meir Soloveichik

The Priestly Blessings and the Meaning of Peace 06/10/2024

The Priestly Blessings and the Meaning of Peace How a speech by a U.S. president can help us understand the true meaning of the peace that we pray for in the amidah. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751740

A Life of Gratitude and Gratitude for Life 06/09/2024

A Life of Gratitude and Gratitude for Life The blessing of thanksgiving embodies how Jews think about gratitude to God. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751725

The Whisper of the Stones 06/07/2024

The Whisper of the Stones The Jewish people's refusal to forget the Temple sustains its eternal connection to Jerusalem. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751680

The Prayer and the Voice of Menachem Begin's Childhood Friend 06/06/2024

The Prayer and the Voice of Menachem Begin's Childhood Friend The example of a childhood friend of Menachem Begin shows what Jewish prayer is all about. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751665

Yom Yerushalayim and Seeing Beyond Sight 06/05/2024

Yom Yerushalayim and Seeing Beyond Sight Jews bless the kingship of David because he saw what others did not—that God is the source of all human success. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751650

David's Jerusalem and the Jewish Soul 06/04/2024

David's Jerusalem and the Jewish Soul David endowed Jerusalem with meaning that the Jewish people still carry forward today. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751640

The High Priest at O'Hare 06/03/2024

The High Priest at O'Hare The blessing on righteous people serves as a reminder that others can inspire us to become closer to God. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751630

Nahmanides in Debate, Then and Now 06/02/2024

Nahmanides in Debate, Then and Now The great sage faced off against slanderers of the Jewish people in his age, much like we still do today. Supplemental Materials: Click here to read the blessing against evil and slanderers. Click here to read Eli Lake’s essay on the “As a Jew” phenomenon (subscription may be required). /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751615

Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Meaning of the Kingship of God 05/31/2024

Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Meaning of the Kingship of God A story from the great children's author life reveals the meaning of the blessing of justice. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751605

The Shofar Postcard and the Shofar Prayer 05/30/2024

The Shofar Postcard and the Shofar Prayer The blessing on the shofar inspires us to listen for God's voice. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751595

Samuel Clemens's Trip and the Blessing of Prosperity 05/29/2024

Samuel Clemens's Trip and the Blessing of Prosperity How Mark Twain's trip to Israel helps illuminate the God-given prosperity of the Jewish people. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751585

Solly-Siddur-Episode-19-Final- 05/28/2024

Solly-Siddur-Episode-19-Final- /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751565

Paul Johnson, Rabbi Soloveitchik, and the Meaning of Jewish Prayer 05/27/2024

Paul Johnson, Rabbi Soloveitchik, and the Meaning of Jewish Prayer Judaism blends individual and collective concerns into prayer unlike any other tradition. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751555

Japanese Pottery and the Nature of Forgiveness 05/26/2024

Japanese Pottery and the Nature of Forgiveness The story of Jonah and a special type of Japanese pottery show us that when Jews pray, they seek not perfection but repair. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751545

Charles Dickens and the Path of Repentance 05/24/2024

Charles Dickens and the Path of Repentance What Charles Dickens's attitude toward the Jews can teach us about the fifth blessing of the amidah. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751530

Know Thyself 05/23/2024

Know Thyself The first petitionary blessing of the amidah embodies the Jewish attitude to human potential. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751515

The Fruit Plate and the Blessing of Holiness 05/22/2024

The Fruit Plate and the Blessing of Holiness The third blessing of the amidah isn't just about what we ask from God, but what we can give Him. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751505

The Handwritten Hope and the Resurrection of the Dead 05/21/2024

The Handwritten Hope and the Resurrection of the Dead How the second blessing of the amidah provided inspiration for the Israeli national anthem. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751490

Begin, Sadat, and the Shield of Abraham 05/20/2024

Begin, Sadat, and the Shield of Abraham A correspondence between Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat helps illuminate the meaning of the first blessing of the silent amidah prayer. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751470

The Chaplain's Remembrance of Redemption 05/19/2024

The Chaplain's Remembrance of Redemption The blessing over redemption that follows the sh’ma was best embodied by Holocaust survivors eating matzah. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751460

Blue and White in Jewish History and Jewish Prayer 05/17/2024

Blue and White in Jewish History and Jewish Prayer The story of the State of Israel has a deep connection to the tekhelet in the third paragraph of the sh'ma. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751450

Faith, Tefillin, and the Tie That Binds 05/16/2024

Faith, Tefillin, and the Tie That Binds The novelist Herman Wouk, and his dedication to Judaism and Jewish tradition, can help us understand the meaning of the tefillin that's mentioned in the sh'ma. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751435

The Sh'ma, and the Love of Generations 05/15/2024

The Sh'ma, and the Love of Generations The most famous affirmation of Jewish belief is also the most misunderstood. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751425

Love, Law, and the Miracle of Jewish History 05/14/2024

Love, Law, and the Miracle of Jewish History The siddur invokes the remarkable Jewish love affair between God and the Jewish people. Supplemental Materials: Click here to see the second blessing before the sh’ma. Click here to read an essay by Rabbi Soloveichik on the Jewish love of law. Click here to read an essay by Rabbi Soloveichik about the theologian Michael Wyschogrod. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751415

Angels and Us 05/13/2024

Angels and Us The first blessing prior to the sh’ma invokes mysterious celestial beings who proclaim God’s glory. Supplemental Materials: Click here to see the full text of the first blessing before the sh’ma. Click here to read Rabbi Soloveichik’s column on the Jewish understanding of heaven and American Jewish assimilation. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751400

Perfect Light in an Imperfect Existence 05/12/2024

Perfect Light in an Imperfect Existence The siddur contrasts light and darkness to help teach us about the imperfect world that God created. Supplemental Materials: Click here to see the text of the first blessing prior to the sh’ma. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751385

Israeli Music and David's Song 05/10/2024

Israeli Music and David's Song A song by the Israeli singer Hanan Ben-Ari helps us understand why so many of the Jewish songs of praise come from David. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751375

Learning: Judaism's Favorite Word 05/09/2024

Learning: Judaism's Favorite Word The Blessings over Torah Study testify to the essence and endurance of Judaism. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751365

My Grandfather vs. Socrates: The Body, the Soul, and the Morning Blessings 05/08/2024

My Grandfather vs. Socrates: The Body, the Soul, and the Morning Blessings The morning blessings demonstrate Judaism's approach to the unity of body and soul, that no person is whole without both. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751345

Mark Twain and Mrs. Cooperman: An Unusual Introduction to Jewish Prayer 05/07/2024

Mark Twain and Mrs. Cooperman: An Unusual Introduction to Jewish Prayer What is prayer in the Jewish tradition? The stories of Huckleberry Finn and an unlearned, faithful Jewish congregant called Mrs. Cooperman help us understand the answer. /episode/index/show/e3e849ed-27fa-47d0-832f-16121d3fa44b/id/36751335

Journey Through the Siddur

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