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To Worship God Properly
Tensions Between Liturgical Custom and Halakhah in Judaism

Ruth Langer 		Underlying rabbinic decisions about prayer is the desire to ensure that the worship of the heart is as acceptable to God as biblically prescribed sacrifices. To this end, the Sages constantly struggled to define the boundaries of proper prayer. Halakhic theory, actual custom, intellectual currents, and the vicissitudes of history have all shaped these discussions, which continue to this day.
Langer analyzes these dynamics, examining first the liturgical traditions of the tannaitic and amoraic literature. Then she focuses on three specific illustrative medieval issues: restricted recitation of the berakhah formula; the insertation of poetry (piyyutim) into statutory prayers; and the recitation of the kedushah by the individual. After tracing the history of the rabbinic ordinances on these issues against the backdrop of actual popular practice, she offers insights that illuminate both the history of Jewish liturgy and the general history of rabbinic leadership and law. 		"Plainly put, this is a superb book"—Worship
Published by Hebrew Union College Press

$49.95s cloth / ISBN 0-87820-421-0
$19.95s paper / ISBN 0-87820-458-X

304 pages

1998