This January, our congregation published its own prayer book, Siddur Tzur Yisrael, in two volumes, one for Shabbat and festivals, and one for weekday use.

We believe Siddur Tzur Yisrael to be a unique prayer book. Utilizing a largely traditional text, the siddur presents fresh, accurate, literary translations, but also includes a huge amount of study material designed to enhance the use of the books during worship services. A lot of the study material is by our rabbi, Rabbi Martin S. Cohen, but there are also translations from classical sources, most prominently from the Mishnah, the Talmud and Maimonides’ great code of the Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah.

There’s a lot of other material here that is unique as well: fresh, amplified (and very readable) translations of the biblical books of Lamentations, Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), Ruth and the Song of Songs, as well as a fresh translation by our rabbi of the Ethics of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot), a new translation of Ramban’s Letter to his Son, a full translation of the Targum to the Song of Songs (one of the jewels of midrashic literature), a full translation of Maimonides’ list of the 613 Mitzvot, a full translation of Solomon Ibn Gabirol’s masterpiece, the Keter Malchut, and many other texts for use as study material, as the focus for meditation or for devotional perusal.

The books are also beautiful. They were professionally designed in Israel and in the U.S., and have significant aesthetic appeal. They are also bound separately in different colors — green for the Shabbat and Festivals volume and blue for the weekday one.

We feel these books express the essence of our religious philosophy at Shelter Rock: that study and prayer are two sides of the same coin, that intellectual, spiritual and emotional integrity are the keys to meaningful worship…and that you just can’t have too much stuff to read in a good prayer book.

Visitors are very welcome to order their own copies of the books, but you can also come to worship with us at any time and inspect them that way at your leisure. We are very proud of these books, and we look forward to sharing them with you — Rabbi Martin S. Cohen

Many of our members have expressed interest in buying the Siddur for their home or donating a copy of the synagogue. Both options are available and all copies donated to the synagogue will be provided with attractive bookplates recording the family or individual who donated that particular siddur to the congregation. — Stuart Stein, committee chair

Read an interview with Rabbi Martin S. Cohen on this exciting publication..