The Book of Blessings: New Jewish Prayers for Daily Life, the Sabbath, and the New Moon Festival

by Marcia Falk

The Book of Blessings is an extraordinary and deeply poetic re-creation of Jewish prayer that offers new blessings, poems, and meditations for Sabbath, holiday, and everyday observance. Steeped in dialogue with rabbinic tradition, it is for those who seek a more contemporary, egalitarian approach to traditional liturgy.

"[Falk] manages to create extraordinarily beautiful prayers—in Hebrew and English—that are both radically new and deeply resonant with Jewish tradition."


—Judith Plaskow, The Women's Review of Books
"Marcia Falk's work in Hebrew blessings is as beautiful as it is innovative; and it is innovative in the sweetest, most nourishing sense, sat urated in love for the language itself (its overtones and melodies as well as its deep structure), its history, its people. Even those who do not hear the traditional liturgies as exclusionary will respond to the meticulously flowering poet's passion of Marcia Falk's wholly original contribution."


—Cynthia Ozick
"A truly magisterial and exciting collection of brakhot . . . that invites us to re-encounter not only the blessing, but the Source of blessing. . . . Falk rekindles the flame of Jewish ardor and devotion."


—Hadassah
"[Falk's] prayers are re-creations of traditional prayers, her versions striking in the beauty and power of their language, in English and this is a poet's siddur, full of profound meaning."


—Sandee Brawarsky, Jewish Week

Genres: Judaism, Jewish, Poetry, Religion, Judaica, Spirituality, Prayer

529 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Marcia Falk was born in New York City and grew up in a traditional Jewish home on Long Island, where she was immersed in Jewish learning and Hebrew language from an early age. As a teenager, Marcia fled the suburbs for Manhattan, to take classes at the Art Students League and the Jewish Theological Seminary.

She graduated Brandeis University, magna cum laude, in Philosophy, and went on to Stanford, where she earned a doctorate in English and Comparative Literature, translating the biblical Song of Songs into English poetry for her dissertation. Along the way, she studied Hebrew language and literature as a Fulbright scholar at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, to which she returned, five years later, as a Postdoctoral Fellow.

Marcia was a professor of literature, Jewish studies, and creative writing for many years at the State University of New York at Binghamton and the Claremont Colleges. Today she is a popular public speaker, giving readings, talks, and workshops on subjects ranging from Jewish women’s voices to the love poetry of the Bible. She has published several books of poetry and translations Hebrew and Yiddish, as well as a groundbreaking re-creation of Jewish liturgy, The Book of Blessings, which has garnered international attention. The Days Between is that book’s long-awaited sequel.

In the past two decades, Marcia has returned to her first love, painting. Among her recent projects is a series of mizrachs—wall hangings that bring together visual images with blessings and poems.

Marcia lives in Berkeley with her spouse, the poet Steve Rood. They are the parents of a twenty-five year-old, Abraham Gilead Falk-Rood (aka Abby).

Reviews

[Jeneba Charkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most influential books I have read. It opened my mind to the revolutionary ideas (in Judaism) that G!d language can be personalized, that prayer could be idiosyncratic. I cannot believe how this "permission" has deepened and changed my spiritual practice. I routinely and instinctively now switch to feminine language. I have tremendous gratitude for this extraordinary work.

[Arnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book to challenge our way of looking at prayer. The author writes some beautiful riffs on traditional prayers with respect and sensitivity.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is sooo much great poetry here. And the overall scope, thrust, goals, and incredible chutzpah of the whole project are honestly deeply inspiring and admirable. The actual execution is hit-or-miss for me. Sometimes I look at a reinterpreted traditional prayer or ritual and am enchanted by Falk's reimagining of it, and of others I'm like, meh, I prefer the original version. But I think this makes a wonderful entry in one's library of siddurim (if you are, like me, the type of person to have a whole shelf of siddurim at your disposal in your home) and can be used to supplement an existing service or as a wonderful change of pace to a ritual that may have started to feel a little tired for an individual worshipper or a congregation en masse. I would have loved a more readable font and a better use of space to save paper and trees. But again....just to emphasize....the poetry in here is INCREDIBLE, and that alone makes it worth it.

[KaylaMae Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so beautiful. I continuously refer back to this book!!