Images of Prayer: An Art Siddur for Shabbat Morning

By Arlene Frimark

Images of Prayer: An Art Siddur for Shabbat Morning is designed for adults who are looking for a spiritual connection to Jewish worship. Thirty original paintings, imbued with
symbolism through subject, color, and composition, seek to reveal the hidden wisdom of essential elements of the liturgy common to all Jewish practice.


This reader-friendly companion to any siddur (prayer book) introduces the artwork within
the framework of five sections or movements of the Saturday Morning Service. Accompanying
each image is a meditative commentary that explains its meaning in reference to the blessing or
prayer that it represents, along with historical and practical notes on the liturgy. Take another look
at the language of prayer and discover the beauty and mystery of the Divine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 15, 2008
• ISBN: 9781477173879

Arlene Frimark

Arlene Frimark is an award-wining artist whose work has been exhibited in Philadelphia and Bucks County, Pa; New York, and New Jersey. The paintings and text for the past ten years, during which time she became an avid student of Torah (Five Books of Moses) and texts on Jewish liturgy, Midrash, Jewish mysticism, and a variety of Jewish prayer books. In addition to creating commissioned artwork, she enjoys working as a docent and art teacher at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pa. She lives in Langborne, Pa. with her husband Paul.

Book preview

Copyright © 2008 by Arlene Frimark. 43509-FRIM

Library of Congress Control Number: 2007909212

ISBN:    Softcover      978-1-4363-0486-3

              Hardcover    978-1-4363-0487-0

              ebook           978-1-4771-7387-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,

electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval

system, without permission

in writing from the copyright owner.

Layout Designer: C.A.Tenchavez

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

Contents

Introduction

BIRKHOT HA-SHAHAR: Blessings of the Morning- Preliminary Prayers

Elohai N’shamah

Arise

Mah Tovu and the Morning Blessings of Thanks

Ascend

Ribon Kol Ha-Olamim

Thy Rod and Thy Staff

Torah/Talmud Study and Kaddish D’Rabbanan

M’Kor––From the Source

Psalm for Shabbat

Niagara Sky

Psalm 30 and the Kaddish Yatom

Valley of the Shadows

P’SUKEI D’ZIMRA: Verses from the Book of Psalms- Introductory Prayers

Cosmic Dance

Prayer of Moses (Psalm 90)

For a Moment

Psalms

Glorious

Nish’mat Kol Hai, Shokhein Ad, Uv’mak’halot, and Yish’tabah

To Thee Alone

Hatzi Kaddish

Reflection

SHAHARIT: Bar’khu, K’riat (Reading of) Sh’ma, and Amidah

Bar’khu

B’reishit––In the Beginning

First Blessing of the Sh’ma

Sha’arei Shama-yim

Yotzer Or continues…

Second Blessing of the Sh’ma

K’riat Sh’ma

We Are Not Consumed

Third Blessing of the Sh’ma

Yam Suf––The Red Sea

Amidah

Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh…

Amidah continues

Shavat Va-yinafash

Amidah continues

L’dor V’dor––From Generation to Generation

Kaddish Shalem

The Water Bearer

TORAH SERVICE: K’riat Ha Torah- Reading of the Torah and Haftarah

The Sefer Torah

Ceremony for removing the Torah from the Ark

Open My Heart

The Sefer Torah is removed from the Ark

Atzilut

Blessings for the Reading of the Torah and Haftarah

Precious Gift

Ceremony for returning the Torah to the Ark

Kol Adonai

The Torah is placed into the Ark

Etz Hayim

MUSAF: Additional Service

Musaf Amidah

K’vodo Malei Olam

Ein Keloheinu

A Sweet Offering

Aleinu

King of Kings

Adon Olam

Master of all Time

Bibliography

Dedicated to G-d,

From Whom all blessings flow––

In loving memory of my parents,

Doris and Marvin Alexander

and

Zelda and Howard Frimark

Introduction

Glancing more than a few times at his watch, a Jewish guest of the Bar Mitzvah fidgeted in his seat on a sunny Saturday morning. The invisible balloon above his head asked, Are we there yet? The synagogue service can feel like a long trip in which the route is unfamiliar and the road signs are written in a foreign language. How can we learn to enjoy the scenery along the way and become engaged in prayer, to be transported from physical reality to a higher place within and make the connection to G-d, ourselves, and our people? How can we make the words that we recite become meditations of our hearts––why the prescribed words of the prayers and blessings in the siddur (prayer book)? Written and compiled over many centuries, what relevance do they have for us today?

I was just like that guest and these were my questions when I decided to attend Shabbat morning services regularly. Whenever I had a question back in elementary school, my dad would say, Look it up. So, I did. While researching a variety of siddurim and texts on Jewish prayer, I discovered that threads of the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah are woven throughout the liturgy. As an artist who perceives the world visually, my understanding of the significance of the prayers and blessings began to unfold in my work, a process that enabled me to pray with kavanah–– a sense of purpose, devotion, and understanding. Because the beauty of receiving a gift lies in the desire to share it, I set out to paint the Shabbat morning services with hope that my efforts would help others on their spiritual journeys. So, take another look at the language of prayer as seen through the eyes of this artist and discover the beauty and mystery of the Divine.

Pronunciation Key–– Excerpts of prayers and blessings that appear in this book have been transliterated into English in accordance with modern Israeli Hebrew:

   ’ (apostrophe) indicates a slight pause after a letter, as in the word Sh’ma–a preferred spelling for the more

familiar Shema.

   a, short a as in mama

   ei and ey, long a as in neighbor

   eh, short e as in pet

   i, long e as in Capri

   ai and ay, long i as in aisle

   o, long o as in most

   u, long u as in chute

h and kh have a guttural h sound, as in German ich.

   tz sounds like ts, as in glitz

Pronouns for G-d

Judaism does not conceptualize G-d as having corporeal form, but we perceive certain aspects of G-d as being masculine (power in nature) or feminine (compassion, kindness). For this reason, I have used non-gender-specific pronouns, except where the use of masculine references seemed more appropriate.

Acknowledgements

I am indebted to my friend and teacher Dr. Eliott N. Perlstein, rabbi of Congregation Ohev Shalom in Richboro, Pa., whose thought provoking sermons and engaging discussions inspired my love of Torah and desire to learn more about t’fillah (prayer). Through our synagogue Women’s Torah Study group, under the guidance of Janie Jaffe Perlstein, my love of Jewish learning has been greatly enriched and given a voice to my artwork.

I want to thank Dr. Joseph Davis, Professor of Jewish Thought at Gratz College in Melrose Park, Pa., for taking time from his busy schedule to carefully review the manuscript. I am grateful to my e-friend Henry Rasof for his encouragement and help in navigating the publishing process.

I am blessed with two supportive daughters Bara, and Kim Whitman, and my son-in-law Howard Whitman whose expertise in editing is so appreciated. Finally, my love and thanks to my husband Paul, cantor of Ohev Shalom, for answering a myriad of questions regarding liturgy, and for all of his patience during the seemingly interminable period of gestation and birth of a dream.

BIRKHOT HA-SHAHAR

Blessings of the Morning

Preliminary Prayers

According to the Talmud, the rabbinic interpretations of the Torah and our major source for rituals and traditions, a Jew is required to say one-hundred b’rakhot each day. We begin with Birkhot Ha-Shahar, a series of blessings recited daily upon waking to keep from taking for granted the things we do from the moment we open our eyes, like washing and dressing. Originally, they were recited at home before going to synagogue, and this continues to be the practice of many Jews.

Following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the practice of Judaism was often restricted and public worship prohibited under a succession of conquering nations that strove to rule the known world.

In the eighth century, after years of persecution and forced conversions, Judaism entered a period of renewal under a new regime. Prayers that had always been passed on orally were written down for the first time in the form of a prayer book or siddur. The morning blessings were added at the beginning of the Shaharit Service on weekdays, holidays, and Shabbat. For Jews who had long been denied an opportunity to learn them, their reintroduction as a preliminary service for public worship helped to revitalize our faith and ensure its continuity.

In synagogues today, Mah Tovu introduces these blessings in addition to a variety of readings from rabbinic texts. There is no prescribed order for this part of the service, so differences may be noted from one siddur to another. However, Birkhot Ha-Shahar always concludes with a recitation