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Leo Baeck College 63L Library LEO BAECK COLLEGE 63L LIBRARY Universalising Tendencies in Jewish Liturgy John D. Rayner Particularism and Universalism in Iudaism There has always been in Judaism a tension between particularism and universalism. It could hardly be otherwise, for without particularism Judaism would cease to be Jewish, and without universalism it would cease to be monotheistic. But to say that is not to say that the two tendencies have always been in a state of equipoise. The relative emphasis has varied in the different phases of Iewish history and the different genres of Jewish literature. Particularism and Universalism in Traditional Jewish Liturgy In the traditional Jewish liturgy, which concerns us, particularism predominates. To a large extent Jewish worship is a ’private conversafion’ between the Jewish people and its God, the people addressing God in prayer, God addressing the people in the Scripture readings. To put it another way, every Jewish service is essentially a renewal of the Jewish people’s Covenant with God. Thus the non-Jewish world, comprising well over 99% of the human family, doesn’t get much of a look in. There are indeed exceptions, but not all of them are positive. They include prayers for the overthrow of tyrants and for the defeat of God’s enemies who, in the worshippex’s mind, are always liable to be identified with enemies of the Jewish people. Which is perfectly understandable in the light of the Jewish historical experience of the non-Jewish world as generally hostile. On the positive side, the hope is sometimes expressed for the coming of a time when the nations will be united in the worship of the One God and live together in freedom, justice, friendship and peace. But that is an eschatological hope. If we look for expressions of concern for the well-being of non-Jewish humanity in run n‘m — the lore—messianic here-and-now - they are not easy to find. There is indeed a daily prayer invoking God’s compassion on, among others, p137: m, sincere proselytes, but then they are of course ’card—holding members’ of the Jewish people. There is, perhaps above all, the prayer for the government. But even that has usually been expressed in terms of Jewish self—interest. A typical one, which appeared in the first edition of the Anglo-Jewish Orthodox prayerbook, known after its translator/as ’Singel’s’, dating from 1890 and hence the reign of Queen Victoria, beseechgs God to ’put compassion into her heart and into the hearts of all her counsellors and nobles, that they may deal kindly with us and with all Israel’. And it concludes: ’In her days and ours may Judah be saved, and Israel dwell securely, and may the Redeemer come unto Zion.’ N0 concern is expressed for the welfare of Her Majesty’s non-Jewish subjects, although, as we shall see, that ,omission was subsequently remedied. The Impact of Emancipation The Emancipation impinged on Jewish life in many ways. What matters for our purpose is that it changed the way in which most Jews perceived- their relationship with the non-Jewish world. For the first time, they felt themselves to be part of that wider world. They identified themselves with humanity. And they could not very well leave that perception behind whenever they crossed the threshold of the synagogue. It no longer seemed right that Jewish worship should be exclusively a pfivate conversation between the Jewish people and its God. The proportion between particularism and universalism of the traditional Jewish liturgy, which had seemed right in the past, no longer seemed quite right. A need was felt for a little less particularism and a little more universalism. The Universalising Tendency in Orthodox Judaism The need was felt, here and there, even in Orthodox Judaism. An example is the prayer for the government in Singer’ 3 prayerbook. Within ten years of its first publication, i.e., by the end of the 19‘11 century, the supplication that the Queen and her counsellors ’may deal kindly with us and with all Israel’ had been enlarged to read ’thut they may uphold the peace of the realm, advance the welfare of the nation, and deal kindly and truly with all Israel.’ And in 1935 Chief Rabbi Dr Joseph Hertz took the further step of universalising the conclusion of the prayer as well, so that it read: 'May the Heavenly Father spread the tabernacle of peace ban 332716359, over all the dwellers on earth; and may the redeemer come unto Zion’. (See John D. Rayner, ’Ideologically Motivated Emendations in Anglo— ]ewish Liturgy’ in Noblesse Oblige: Essays in Honour of David Kessler, ed. Alan D. Crown, pp. 118E. See also pp. 119ff on Hertz’s emendation of the Mu’oz Tzur). But that is a rare exception. By and large, Orthodox Jews have not felt the urge - or the entitlement — to make changes in the traditional liturgy in order to universalise it, or for any other reason. The Prayerbooks of Progressive Iudaism It is therefore almost exdusively in Progressive Judaism that the universalising tendency has manifested itself. Of the two or three hundred discrete prayerbooks it has produced since its inception in the immediate post-Napoleonic era, I shall select a few of the most significant, mainly from Germany, the United States and England, with only a few side glances at other countries where there is something of special interest to report. Country by country, the books I shall refer to are as follows. In Germany the story begins with the prayerbook produced for the Hamburg Temple in 1819 and revised in 1841. I shall refer to it as Hamburg. Secondly, we shall note Abraham Geigex’s prayerbook of 1854, revised in 1870, which I shall refer to as Geiger. Thirdly, the so-called Einheitsgebetbuch of 1929, which I shall refer to as Einheitsgebetbuch. In the United States I shall single out, first, David Einhom’s Tm £1511) of 1856, which I shall refer to as Einhorn. Secondly, Isaac Mayer Wise’s Rpfima arm of 1857, which I shall refer to as Wise. Thirdly, Emu» m‘mn 'm or the Union Prayer Book, which goes back to 1892, last revised in 1940, which I shall refer to as Union Prayer Book. Finally, the New Union Prayer Book or than "1927, Gates of Prayer, published in 1975, whichI shall refer‘to as Gates of Prayer. In England our concern will be, first, with the prayerbooks of the West London Synagogue, known as m‘mn “no or Forms of Prayer, which go back to 1841, last revised in 1931, which I shall refer to as English Reform. Secondly, the current prayerbook of the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain, dating from 1977, which I shall refer to as New English Reform. Thirdly, the prayerbooks of the Liberal Iewish Synagogue, beginning with the Liberal Iewz‘sh Prayer Book, Volume I, which goes back to 1926, revised in 1937, which I shall refer to as English Liberal. Fourth, :‘7n mm: or Service of the Heart, published by the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues in 1967, which I shall refer to as Service of the Heart. Finally, the current prayerbook of the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues, entitled 12m 3'? ‘mo, published in 1995, which I shall refer to as Siddur Lev Chadash. Now let us examine how these various Progressive prayerbooks have dealt with ten test cases. 1. ’Not a genfile’ The mm nth: or ’Morning Benedictions’ of the daily morning service traditionally include a series of short benedictions, one of which praises God for the fact *u may 8527, that ’He has not made me a Genfile’. Most Progressive liturgies omit this benediction, but some replace it with another phrase, expressing the same sentiment in a posih've way. For instance, English Reform has n'mo DD'? 15 m’n‘a n: "m: was, which it translates, ’who hast chosen us to be unto thee a peculiar people’. The Israeli Progressive Movement, in its prayerbook 35:27 mum, published in 1982, makes uSe of another ancient version of the traditional benediction which simply concludes, 5mm a327nm, giving thanks that God ‘has made me an Israelite’. In this it is followed by the Mouvement Iuif Libéral de France in its prayerbook 13:15 "me: ‘mo, published in Paris in 1997. 2. 'Between Israel and the nations’ The traditional Huvdulah ceremony, marking the conclusion of the Sabbath, consists principally of a prayer that praises God for making a distinction ’between holy and profane, light and darkness, Israel and the nations, the seventh day and the six working days’. Since this implies that Israel is related to the nations as holy is to profane and light to darkness, it has seemed to some compilers of Progressive liturgies unacceptably particularistic and contfary to the oecumenical spirit of modern interfaith dialogue. They, therefore, have omitted the phrase, D’DSI'D 5310’ Pa, 'between Israel and the nations’. So, for instarite, Service of the Heart, Gates of Prayer, and Siddur Lev Chadash. Others have retained the traditional phrase, evidently not regarding it as problematic. 3. ‘Pour out Your wrath’ The traditional Passover Haggadah includes a rubric according to which, after the recitation of 1mm mu, Grace after Meals, the door is opened and a short sequence of Scripture verses is recited, beginning 1191’ 3'7 mm mm 5R 1M1 Tm, ’Pour out Your wrath upon the nations that do not acknowledge You’ (Psalms 79:6-7, 69:25, Lam. 3:66); an understandable sentiment in the light of the historical circumstances that gave rise to the custom, but hardly in accord with the way modern Iews look upon the non-Jewish world.
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