Seven Ways for Synagogues to Use This Joyous Soul

 

Creative liturgy has become a mainstay of modern Jewish worship, both in the synagogue and in our private moments of joy and sorrow. This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings provides a resounding yet contemporary voice that weaves new inspiration into traditional prayer. Structured to reflect the morning service found within the Reform siddur, Mishkan T'filah, this new collection invites a deeply personal prayer experience that will strengthen our connection to Jewish tradition and inspire us to make the prayers in the Reform siddur our own.

Here are some suggestions for use of this book in synagogues:

 

Reading from the bimah – This Joyous Soul offers a new set of ‘left-hand’ pages, the creative and inspiring readings in Mishkan T’fillah. Read a piece of liturgy from the bimah to punctuate one or more themes of the service.

Reading together as a congregation – Provide copies of This Joyous Soul to congregants to use for reading together in unison, adding the dimension of participation to the readings.

Reading silently – Provide copies of This Joyous Soul to congregants in the siddur rack or by the seats/pews for use during silent prayer or for times when a congregant might want an alternative approach to a prayer.

Teaching prayer – Use This Joyous Soul as a resource to use along with Mishkan T’fillah in teaching classes about classic prayer, interpretive prayer, and personal prayer.

Conversion classes – This Joyous Soul offers a fresh approach to our classic prayers, making the concepts and the language more open and familiar to those who are stepping into their Jewish hearts, souls and voices of prayer. Use this volume in conversion classes.

Combine with This Grateful Heart – This Grateful Heart – the predecessor volume to This Joyous Soul – includes prayers and readings for Shabbat and holidays that complement the pieces found in This Joyous Soul. Use a combination of both books in worship and teaching.