Ruth Langer is Professor of Jewish Studies in the Theology Department at Boston College and Associate Director of its Center for Christian-Jewish Learning. She received her Ph.D. in Jewish Liturgy in 1994 and her rabbinic ordination in 1986 from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She writes and speaks in two major areas: the development of Jewish liturgy and ritual
Monographs of the Hebrew Union College 1. Lewis M. Barth, An Analysis of Vatican 30 2 Samson H. L... more Monographs of the Hebrew Union College 1. Lewis M. Barth, An Analysis of Vatican 30 2 Samson H. Levey, The Messiah: An Aramaic Interpretation 3 Ben Zion Wacholder, Eupolemus: A Study ofJudaeo-Greek Literature 4 Richard Victor Bergren, The Prophets and the Law 5 Benny ...
1 Introduction 1.1 This Bibliography and Additional Resources 1.2 Hebrew Transliteration 1.2.1 Co... more 1 Introduction 1.1 This Bibliography and Additional Resources 1.2 Hebrew Transliteration 1.2.1 Consonants 1.2.2.Vowels 1.3 Introduction to Rabbinic Literature 1.3.1 Halakhic Literature 1.3.1.1 Mishnah Translations 1.3.1.2 Talmud Translations 1.3.1.2.1 Babylonian Talmud 1.3.1.2.2 Jerusalem Talmud 1.3.2 Midrash 1.4 Historical Overview of Rabbinic Liturgy 1.5 The Structure of the Prayer Book 1.5.1 The Berakhah 1.5.1.1 God's Name 1.5.2 Preliminary Prayers 1.5.3 The Recitation of Shema 1.5.4 The Amidah 1.5.5 Tahanun/Supplicatory Prayers 1.5.6 Reading Scripture 1.5.7 Concluding Prayers 1.6 Chronological Overview of Key Trends in Jewish Liturgical Scholarship 1.6.1 Recent Bibliographic Overviews of Scholarship on Rabbinic Liturgy 1.7 Comprehensive Studies 1.7.1 Monographs 1.7.1.1 Entry-level Texts 1.7.1.2 Texts for More Advanced Study 1.7.2 Collections of Scholarly Articles 1.7.3 Overview Essays 1.7.4 Collections of Prayer Texts 2 Second Temple-Era Liturgy and Worship 2.1 In General 2.1.1 Prayer Texts 2.1.2 Secondary Discussions 2.1.3 Penitential Prayer 2.2 Dead Sea Scrolls 2.2.1 General Resources 2.2.2 Qumran Prayer Texts 2.2.3 Secondary Discussions: General 2.2.3.1 Monographs 2.2.3.2 Collections of Articles 2.2.3.3 Overview Articles 2.2.4 Secondary Discussions: Specific Issues 2.2.4.1 Dead Sea Scrolls and the Origins of Rabbinic Liturgy 2.2.4.1.1 Angelic Liturgy 2.2.4.1.2 Petitionary and Penitential Prayer 2.2.4.2 Rituals and Liturgies for Specific Seasons 2.2.4.3 Relationship to the Jerusalem Temple 2.3 Philo 2.4 Josephus 2.5 Temple Worship 2.5.1 Temple Rituals 2.5.2 Rabbinic(-Type) Liturgy in the Temple 2.5.3 Ritual Responses to the Loss of the Temple 2.6 Prayer Language 2.6.1 Hebrew, Greek, and/or Aramaic? 2.6.2 Composition of Prayers 3 The Synagogue as an Institution 3.1 General Bibliography 3.1.1 Monographs 3.1.2 Collections of Articles 3.1.3 Overview Articles 3.2 Origins 3.2.1 The Second Temple-Era Synagogue 3.2.2 Associations 3.3 Early Christian Intersections 3.4 Late-Antique Synagogues 3.4.1 In the Land of Israel 3.4.1.1 Sepphoris 3.4.2 In the Diaspora 3.4.2.1 Dura Europos 3.4.2.2 Ostia Antiqua 3.4.2.3 Sardis 3.4.3 Samaritan Synagogues 3.5 Medieval and Modern Synagogues 3.6 Synagogue and Temple post 70 CE 3.7 Synagogue Art, Architecture, and Ritual Objects 3.7.1 Late-Antique Synagogue Art 3.7.2 Medieval and Modern Synagogue Art and Architecture 3.7.3 Specific Elements 3.7.3.1 Architectural Elements: Torah Ark, Bimah, etc. 3.7.3.2 Menorah 3.7.3.3 Seat of Moses 3.7.3.4 Zodiac 3.8 Women in the Synagogue 3.8.1 Mehitzah 3.8.2 In Ancient Synagogues 3.8.3 In Medieval to Pre-20th c. Synagogues 3.8.4 In Contemporary Synagogues 3.9 Liturgical Functionaries 4 The Historical Emergence of Jewish Liturgy 4.1 Liturgy in the Era of the Tannaim and Amoraim (Mishnah and Talmud) 4.2 Medieval Liturgy 4.2.1 Geonic (Early Medieval) Liturgy 4.2.1.1. Seder Rav Amram Gaon 4.2.1.2 Geniza Texts 4.2.2 High Medieval Liturgy 4.2.2.1 Moses Maimonides 4.2.2.2 Prayer Books and their Evolution 4.2.2.3 European Rites 4.3 Modernity 4.3.1 Early Modern Liturgy 4.3.2 Contemporary Rites and Movements 4.3.2.1 Orthodox 4.3.2.1.1 Ashkenazi Rite 4.3.2.1.1.1 Minhag Ashkenaz (Ashkenazi "Custom") 4.3.2.1.1.2 Nusah S'fard (Sefardi Rite) 4.3.2.1.2 Minhag Sefarad: Iberian Rites 4.3.2.1.2.1 Eastern Sefardi (Mizrahi) 4.3.2.1.2.2. Spanish and Portuguese 4.3.2.1.3 Italian 4.3.2.2 Reform Judaism 4.3.2.2.1 Secondary Discussions 4.3.2.2.1.1 In General 4.3.2.2.1.2 In Europe 4.3.2.2.1.3 In North America 4.3.2.2.1.4 In Israel 4.3.2.2.2 Reform Movement Prayer Books 4.3.2.3 Conservative Judaism 4.3.2.3.1 Secondary Discussions 4.3.2.3.2 Conservative Movement Prayer Books 4.3.2.4 Reconstructionist Movement 4.3.2.4.1 Secondary Discussions 4.3.2.4.2 Reconstructionist Movement Prayer Books 4.3.2.5 Recent Phenomena 5 Weekday Prayers 5.1 The Berakhah 5.2 The Shema and its Blessings 5.2.1 Pre- and Non-Rabbinic Manifestations 5.2.1.1 The Nash Papyrus and the Decalogue 5.2.1.2 Second Temple Evidence 5.2.1.3 Christian Evidence 5.2.2 Origins and Early Rabbinic Developments 5.2.3 Theological Discussions 5.3 The Amidah 5.3.1 Precursors, Origins and Early Rabbinic Developments 5.3.1.1 Scholarship Before Heinemann 5.3.1.2 Recent Scholarship 5.3.2 Studies of (Clusters of) Blessings 5.3.2.1 Opening Blessings (Praise) 5.3.2.1.1 Avot (1) 5.3.2.1.2 Gevurot (2) 5.3.2.1.3 Qedushah (3) 5.3.2.2 Intermediate Weekday Blessings (Petitions) 5.3.2.2.1 Birkat HaMinim (12) 5.3.2.3 Concluding Blessings (Thanksgiving) 5.3.2.4 Seasonal Inserts 5.3.3 Other 5.4 Torah Reading 5.4.1 The Torah Scroll and its Accoutrements 5.4.2 Chanting Scripture 5.4.3 Targum (Aramaic Translation) 5.4.4 Sermons 5.4.5 Prayer for the Government 5.5 Qedushah 5.6 Introductory Prayers and Birkhot HaShahar (Morning Benedictions) 5.7 Recitation of Psalms 5.8 Tahanun 5.9 Concluding Prayers 6 Birkat HaMazon (Grace after Meals) 6.1 Precursors 6.2 Rabbinic Liturgy 6.2.1 The Zimmun (Invitation to the Grace) 7 Sabbath and Holiday…
Enabling Dialogue about the Land: A Resource Book for Jews and Christians, 2020
The result of a multi-year dialogue project seeking to provide understanding and methods for inte... more The result of a multi-year dialogue project seeking to provide understanding and methods for interreligious dialogue, especially between Jews and Christians, about Israel/Palestine/the Holy Land.
Co-edited with Philip A. Cunningham and Jesper Svartvik
Ruth Langer offers an in-depth study of the birkat haminim, a Jewish prayer for the removal of th... more Ruth Langer offers an in-depth study of the birkat haminim, a Jewish prayer for the removal of those categories of human being who prevent the messianic redemption and the society envisioned for it. In its earliest form, the prayer cursed Christians, apostates to Christianity, sectarians, and enemies of Israel.
Drawing on the shifting liturgical texts, polemics, and apologetics concerning the prayer, Langer traces the transformation of the birkat haminim from what functioned without question in the medieval world as a Jewish curse of Christians, through its early modern censorship by Christians, to its modern transformation within the Jewish world into a general petition that God remove evil from the world. Christian censorship played a crucial role in this transformation of the prayer; however, Langer argues that the truest transformation in meaning resulted from Jewish integration into Western culture. Eventually, the prayer shed its references to any specific category of human being and lost its function as a curse.
Reconciliation between Jews and Christians today requires both communities to confront a long history of prejudice. Ruth Langer shows through the birkat haminim how the history of one liturgical text chronicled Jewish thinking about Christians over hundreds of years.
Features
First study of the early modern and modern developments of the birkat haminim, and first comprehensive study of its medieval history
Places the birkat haminim explicitly in the context of contemporary Christian-Jewish relations and the need for Jewish self-criticism about the Jewish heritage of anti-Christianity
""The editors and the contributors to this book are successful in presenting a holistic... more ""The editors and the contributors to this book are successful in presenting a holistic approach to synagogue liturgy. Fascinating nonverbal liturgical aspects do indeed shed new light on Jewish liturgy. The work as a whole is a superb reflection of strong scholarship in the area of Jewish liturgy. From excellent analysis of evidence to comprehensive footnotes to the timely display of art, images, and tables, the work reflects the diversity of scholarship and deserves to be a strong contributor to the field."—Viktor Petrovich Roudkovski, Letourneau University in Review of Biblical Literature, September 2006 "The present volume exemplifies some of the new directions in the history of Jewish liturgical studies, exciting inasmuch as they challenge a generation of form-critical approaches and evidence openness to the possibility of discontinuity with the prerabbinic Jewish liturgical world. Presenting a diverse array of methodologies, classical and interdisciplinary, these eleven richly annotated essays span the entire history of rabbinic prayer, allowing the volume to function as a primary resource for graduate level courses and seminars on the history of Jewish liturgy."—Gregory Glazov, Seton Hall University in Review of Biblical Literature, September 2006 "The purpose of this collection is to showcase the diverse approaches to studying the history of rabbinic liturgy. Traditionally, such studies have aimed at discerning the origins of prayers. In recent decades scholars have paid greater attention to the innovative nature of rabbinic prayer. There is now greater awareness that ritual aspects apart from the text are crucial to understanding the nature of liturgy. These include a variety of anthropological matters: architecture of places of worship, music, clothing, body language. The book here reviewed contains essays which, taken together, employ all of these as evidence in their various arguments. . . . There is much to recommend this stimulating collection which spans the entire history of rabbinic prayer and demonstrates the diverse approaches that can be taken to studying it." --Daniel Davies, Journal of Jewish Studies, Vol. LIX, no. 1 (2008), Clare Hall College, Cambridge "
Monographs of the Hebrew Union College 1. Lewis M. Barth, An Analysis of Vatican 30 2 Samson H. L... more Monographs of the Hebrew Union College 1. Lewis M. Barth, An Analysis of Vatican 30 2 Samson H. Levey, The Messiah: An Aramaic Interpretation 3 Ben Zion Wacholder, Eupolemus: A Study ofJudaeo-Greek Literature 4 Richard Victor Bergren, The Prophets and the Law 5 Benny ...
How do Jews pray and why? What do the prayers mean? From where did this liturgy come and what cha... more How do Jews pray and why? What do the prayers mean? From where did this liturgy come and what challenges does it face today? Such questions and many more, spanning the centuries and continents, have driven the study of Jewish liturgy. But just as the liturgy has changed over time, so too have the questions asked, the people asking them, and the methods used to address them.
Jewish Liturgy: A Guide to Research enables the reader to access the rich bibliography now available in English. In this volume, Ruth Langer, an expert on Jewish liturgy, provides an annotated description of the most important books and articles on topics ranging historically from the liturgy of the Second Temple period and the Dead Sea Scrolls to today, addressing the synagogue itself and those gathered in it; the daily, weekly, and festival liturgies and their components; home rituals and the life cycle; as well as questions of liturgical performance and theology. Introductions to every section orient the reader and provide necessary background.
Christians seeking to understand Jewish liturgy, either that of Jesus and the early church or that of their Jewish contemporaries, will find this volume invaluable. It’s also an important reference for anyone seeking to understand how Jews worship God and how that worship has evolved over time.
Benedikt Kranemann/Lea Lerch/Stephan Winter (Hg.) Liturgie und Pastoral im Kontext von Pandemien und Epidemien Vom Spätmittelalter bis zur Gegenwart, 2024
An analysis of the various ways that Jews have prayed to avert or end plagues, including a discus... more An analysis of the various ways that Jews have prayed to avert or end plagues, including a discussion of directions for such a response to the 19th c. cholera epidemic in Europe, all in light of actual communal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BIBLICAL TEXTS IN JEWISH PRAYERS: THEIR HISTORY AND FUNCTION Ruth Langer Boston College, USA Bibl... more BIBLICAL TEXTS IN JEWISH PRAYERS: THEIR HISTORY AND FUNCTION Ruth Langer Boston College, USA Biblical1 texts appear in rabbinic liturgy in four primary modes: as the citation of complete biblical pericopes as prayers or study passages; as the explicit citation of verses ...
"The editors and the contributors to this book are successful in presenting a holistic a... more "The editors and the contributors to this book are successful in presenting a holistic approach to synagogue liturgy. Fascinating nonverbal liturgical aspects do indeed shed new light on Jewish liturgy. The work as a whole is a superb reflection of strong scholarship in the area of Jewish liturgy. From excellent analysis of evidence to comprehensive footnotes to the timely display of art, images, and tables, the work reflects the diversity of scholarship and deserves to be a strong contributor to the field."—Viktor Petrovich Roudkovski, Letourneau University in Review of Biblical Literature, September 2006 "The present volume exemplifies some of the new directions in the history of Jewish liturgical studies, exciting inasmuch as they challenge a generation of form-critical approaches and evidence openness to the possibility of discontinuity with the prerabbinic Jewish liturgical world. Presenting a diverse array of methodologies, classical and interdisciplinary, these eleven richly annotated essays span the entire history of rabbinic prayer, allowing the volume to function as a primary resource for graduate level courses and seminars on the history of Jewish liturgy."—Gregory Glazov, Seton Hall University in Review of Biblical Literature, September 2006 "The purpose of this collection is to showcase the diverse approaches to studying the history of rabbinic liturgy. Traditionally, such studies have aimed at discerning the origins of prayers. In recent decades scholars have paid greater attention to the innovative nature of rabbinic prayer. There is now greater awareness that ritual aspects apart from the text are crucial to understanding the nature of liturgy. These include a variety of anthropological matters: architecture of places of worship, music, clothing, body language. The book here reviewed contains essays which, taken together, employ all of these as evidence in their various arguments. . . . There is much to recommend this stimulating collection which spans the entire history of rabbinic prayer and demonstrates the diverse approaches that can be taken to studying it." --Daniel Davies, Journal of Jewish Studies, Vol. LIX, no. 1 (2008), Clare Hall College, Cambridge
Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, Apr 1, 2017
agems, Kaplan sees a problem that only caused him some “discomfort.” According to Kaplan, Mendels... more agems, Kaplan sees a problem that only caused him some “discomfort.” According to Kaplan, Mendelssohn could justify the punishments meted out under the original Mosaic constitution because the order that it reinforced, although it had a religious character, “was imposed by coercion qua political law, not qua religious law” (191). My dissatisfaction when I encountered this argument in the middle of Kaplan’s essay nearly dissolved when I read in one of his last footnotes that “Arkush, I believe, is correct in sensing that this technically valid distinction would not serve to allay Mendelssohn’s concerns” (202–3). To this I would emphatically add that it is not merely a question of concerns but of Mendelssohn’s philosophically grounded, vital opposition to religious coercion. I therefore remain more inclined to believe that Mendelssohn wished to see the Mosaic constitution forever relegated to the past than that he might have hoped, as Kaplan speculates in his last footnote, that God would in the long run act in accordance with the dictates of reason and include in any “future public revelation of the divine law” not “even the most limited” religious coercion (203).
Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, Nov 1, 2003
With few exceptions, classical study of Jewish liturgy has focused on the words of the prayers, l... more With few exceptions, classical study of Jewish liturgy has focused on the words of the prayers, largely ignoring the less tangible elements of setting, gesture, halakhic guidance, and music. When scholars like Eric Werner and A. Z. Idelsohn wrote about liturgical music, they, too, considered it a text. In recent years, and influenced by trends in the larger academy, the field has become more interdisciplinary, open to the insights of other scholarly methodologies, resulting in important studies on the archaeological history of the synagogue itself, prayer gestures, liturgical halakhah, and mystical approaches to prayer. Into this context, we can welcome warmly Jeffrey Summit's The Lord's Song in a Strange Land and its ethnographic study of the musical dimension of contemporary American Jewish liturgy.
The Power of Psalms in Post-Biblical Judaism: Liturgy, Ritual and Community, ed. Claudia Bergmann, Tessa Rajak, Benedikt Kranemann, and Rebecca Ulrich (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2023), 222-240., 2023
A study of the emergence of the recitation of Psalms preceding the daily morning service in Juda... more A study of the emergence of the recitation of Psalms preceding the daily morning service in Judaism in the post-talmudic period.
Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods, 2020
This paper argues that the rabbis seem gradually to have taken over the communal non-rabbinic syn... more This paper argues that the rabbis seem gradually to have taken over the communal non-rabbinic synagogues and adapted them to the needs of rabbinic liturgy, succeeding mostly from the third century and onward.
Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods: Archaeological Finds, New Methods, New Theories, ed. Lutz Doering and Andrew R. Krause, in co-operation with Hermut Löhr; Ioudaioi 11 (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2020), 253-276, 2020
This paper argues that the rabbis seem gradually to have taken over the communal non-rabbinic syn... more This paper argues that the rabbis seem gradually to have taken over the communal non-rabbinic synagogues and adapted them to the needs of rabbinic liturgy, succeeding mostly from the third century and onward.
Monographs of the Hebrew Union College 1. Lewis M. Barth, An Analysis of Vatican 30 2 Samson H. L... more Monographs of the Hebrew Union College 1. Lewis M. Barth, An Analysis of Vatican 30 2 Samson H. Levey, The Messiah: An Aramaic Interpretation 3 Ben Zion Wacholder, Eupolemus: A Study ofJudaeo-Greek Literature 4 Richard Victor Bergren, The Prophets and the Law 5 Benny ...
1 Introduction 1.1 This Bibliography and Additional Resources 1.2 Hebrew Transliteration 1.2.1 Co... more 1 Introduction 1.1 This Bibliography and Additional Resources 1.2 Hebrew Transliteration 1.2.1 Consonants 1.2.2.Vowels 1.3 Introduction to Rabbinic Literature 1.3.1 Halakhic Literature 1.3.1.1 Mishnah Translations 1.3.1.2 Talmud Translations 1.3.1.2.1 Babylonian Talmud 1.3.1.2.2 Jerusalem Talmud 1.3.2 Midrash 1.4 Historical Overview of Rabbinic Liturgy 1.5 The Structure of the Prayer Book 1.5.1 The Berakhah 1.5.1.1 God's Name 1.5.2 Preliminary Prayers 1.5.3 The Recitation of Shema 1.5.4 The Amidah 1.5.5 Tahanun/Supplicatory Prayers 1.5.6 Reading Scripture 1.5.7 Concluding Prayers 1.6 Chronological Overview of Key Trends in Jewish Liturgical Scholarship 1.6.1 Recent Bibliographic Overviews of Scholarship on Rabbinic Liturgy 1.7 Comprehensive Studies 1.7.1 Monographs 1.7.1.1 Entry-level Texts 1.7.1.2 Texts for More Advanced Study 1.7.2 Collections of Scholarly Articles 1.7.3 Overview Essays 1.7.4 Collections of Prayer Texts 2 Second Temple-Era Liturgy and Worship 2.1 In General 2.1.1 Prayer Texts 2.1.2 Secondary Discussions 2.1.3 Penitential Prayer 2.2 Dead Sea Scrolls 2.2.1 General Resources 2.2.2 Qumran Prayer Texts 2.2.3 Secondary Discussions: General 2.2.3.1 Monographs 2.2.3.2 Collections of Articles 2.2.3.3 Overview Articles 2.2.4 Secondary Discussions: Specific Issues 2.2.4.1 Dead Sea Scrolls and the Origins of Rabbinic Liturgy 2.2.4.1.1 Angelic Liturgy 2.2.4.1.2 Petitionary and Penitential Prayer 2.2.4.2 Rituals and Liturgies for Specific Seasons 2.2.4.3 Relationship to the Jerusalem Temple 2.3 Philo 2.4 Josephus 2.5 Temple Worship 2.5.1 Temple Rituals 2.5.2 Rabbinic(-Type) Liturgy in the Temple 2.5.3 Ritual Responses to the Loss of the Temple 2.6 Prayer Language 2.6.1 Hebrew, Greek, and/or Aramaic? 2.6.2 Composition of Prayers 3 The Synagogue as an Institution 3.1 General Bibliography 3.1.1 Monographs 3.1.2 Collections of Articles 3.1.3 Overview Articles 3.2 Origins 3.2.1 The Second Temple-Era Synagogue 3.2.2 Associations 3.3 Early Christian Intersections 3.4 Late-Antique Synagogues 3.4.1 In the Land of Israel 3.4.1.1 Sepphoris 3.4.2 In the Diaspora 3.4.2.1 Dura Europos 3.4.2.2 Ostia Antiqua 3.4.2.3 Sardis 3.4.3 Samaritan Synagogues 3.5 Medieval and Modern Synagogues 3.6 Synagogue and Temple post 70 CE 3.7 Synagogue Art, Architecture, and Ritual Objects 3.7.1 Late-Antique Synagogue Art 3.7.2 Medieval and Modern Synagogue Art and Architecture 3.7.3 Specific Elements 3.7.3.1 Architectural Elements: Torah Ark, Bimah, etc. 3.7.3.2 Menorah 3.7.3.3 Seat of Moses 3.7.3.4 Zodiac 3.8 Women in the Synagogue 3.8.1 Mehitzah 3.8.2 In Ancient Synagogues 3.8.3 In Medieval to Pre-20th c. Synagogues 3.8.4 In Contemporary Synagogues 3.9 Liturgical Functionaries 4 The Historical Emergence of Jewish Liturgy 4.1 Liturgy in the Era of the Tannaim and Amoraim (Mishnah and Talmud) 4.2 Medieval Liturgy 4.2.1 Geonic (Early Medieval) Liturgy 4.2.1.1. Seder Rav Amram Gaon 4.2.1.2 Geniza Texts 4.2.2 High Medieval Liturgy 4.2.2.1 Moses Maimonides 4.2.2.2 Prayer Books and their Evolution 4.2.2.3 European Rites 4.3 Modernity 4.3.1 Early Modern Liturgy 4.3.2 Contemporary Rites and Movements 4.3.2.1 Orthodox 4.3.2.1.1 Ashkenazi Rite 4.3.2.1.1.1 Minhag Ashkenaz (Ashkenazi "Custom") 4.3.2.1.1.2 Nusah S'fard (Sefardi Rite) 4.3.2.1.2 Minhag Sefarad: Iberian Rites 4.3.2.1.2.1 Eastern Sefardi (Mizrahi) 4.3.2.1.2.2. Spanish and Portuguese 4.3.2.1.3 Italian 4.3.2.2 Reform Judaism 4.3.2.2.1 Secondary Discussions 4.3.2.2.1.1 In General 4.3.2.2.1.2 In Europe 4.3.2.2.1.3 In North America 4.3.2.2.1.4 In Israel 4.3.2.2.2 Reform Movement Prayer Books 4.3.2.3 Conservative Judaism 4.3.2.3.1 Secondary Discussions 4.3.2.3.2 Conservative Movement Prayer Books 4.3.2.4 Reconstructionist Movement 4.3.2.4.1 Secondary Discussions 4.3.2.4.2 Reconstructionist Movement Prayer Books 4.3.2.5 Recent Phenomena 5 Weekday Prayers 5.1 The Berakhah 5.2 The Shema and its Blessings 5.2.1 Pre- and Non-Rabbinic Manifestations 5.2.1.1 The Nash Papyrus and the Decalogue 5.2.1.2 Second Temple Evidence 5.2.1.3 Christian Evidence 5.2.2 Origins and Early Rabbinic Developments 5.2.3 Theological Discussions 5.3 The Amidah 5.3.1 Precursors, Origins and Early Rabbinic Developments 5.3.1.1 Scholarship Before Heinemann 5.3.1.2 Recent Scholarship 5.3.2 Studies of (Clusters of) Blessings 5.3.2.1 Opening Blessings (Praise) 5.3.2.1.1 Avot (1) 5.3.2.1.2 Gevurot (2) 5.3.2.1.3 Qedushah (3) 5.3.2.2 Intermediate Weekday Blessings (Petitions) 5.3.2.2.1 Birkat HaMinim (12) 5.3.2.3 Concluding Blessings (Thanksgiving) 5.3.2.4 Seasonal Inserts 5.3.3 Other 5.4 Torah Reading 5.4.1 The Torah Scroll and its Accoutrements 5.4.2 Chanting Scripture 5.4.3 Targum (Aramaic Translation) 5.4.4 Sermons 5.4.5 Prayer for the Government 5.5 Qedushah 5.6 Introductory Prayers and Birkhot HaShahar (Morning Benedictions) 5.7 Recitation of Psalms 5.8 Tahanun 5.9 Concluding Prayers 6 Birkat HaMazon (Grace after Meals) 6.1 Precursors 6.2 Rabbinic Liturgy 6.2.1 The Zimmun (Invitation to the Grace) 7 Sabbath and Holiday…
Enabling Dialogue about the Land: A Resource Book for Jews and Christians, 2020
The result of a multi-year dialogue project seeking to provide understanding and methods for inte... more The result of a multi-year dialogue project seeking to provide understanding and methods for interreligious dialogue, especially between Jews and Christians, about Israel/Palestine/the Holy Land.
Co-edited with Philip A. Cunningham and Jesper Svartvik
Ruth Langer offers an in-depth study of the birkat haminim, a Jewish prayer for the removal of th... more Ruth Langer offers an in-depth study of the birkat haminim, a Jewish prayer for the removal of those categories of human being who prevent the messianic redemption and the society envisioned for it. In its earliest form, the prayer cursed Christians, apostates to Christianity, sectarians, and enemies of Israel.
Drawing on the shifting liturgical texts, polemics, and apologetics concerning the prayer, Langer traces the transformation of the birkat haminim from what functioned without question in the medieval world as a Jewish curse of Christians, through its early modern censorship by Christians, to its modern transformation within the Jewish world into a general petition that God remove evil from the world. Christian censorship played a crucial role in this transformation of the prayer; however, Langer argues that the truest transformation in meaning resulted from Jewish integration into Western culture. Eventually, the prayer shed its references to any specific category of human being and lost its function as a curse.
Reconciliation between Jews and Christians today requires both communities to confront a long history of prejudice. Ruth Langer shows through the birkat haminim how the history of one liturgical text chronicled Jewish thinking about Christians over hundreds of years.
Features
First study of the early modern and modern developments of the birkat haminim, and first comprehensive study of its medieval history
Places the birkat haminim explicitly in the context of contemporary Christian-Jewish relations and the need for Jewish self-criticism about the Jewish heritage of anti-Christianity
""The editors and the contributors to this book are successful in presenting a holistic... more ""The editors and the contributors to this book are successful in presenting a holistic approach to synagogue liturgy. Fascinating nonverbal liturgical aspects do indeed shed new light on Jewish liturgy. The work as a whole is a superb reflection of strong scholarship in the area of Jewish liturgy. From excellent analysis of evidence to comprehensive footnotes to the timely display of art, images, and tables, the work reflects the diversity of scholarship and deserves to be a strong contributor to the field."—Viktor Petrovich Roudkovski, Letourneau University in Review of Biblical Literature, September 2006 "The present volume exemplifies some of the new directions in the history of Jewish liturgical studies, exciting inasmuch as they challenge a generation of form-critical approaches and evidence openness to the possibility of discontinuity with the prerabbinic Jewish liturgical world. Presenting a diverse array of methodologies, classical and interdisciplinary, these eleven richly annotated essays span the entire history of rabbinic prayer, allowing the volume to function as a primary resource for graduate level courses and seminars on the history of Jewish liturgy."—Gregory Glazov, Seton Hall University in Review of Biblical Literature, September 2006 "The purpose of this collection is to showcase the diverse approaches to studying the history of rabbinic liturgy. Traditionally, such studies have aimed at discerning the origins of prayers. In recent decades scholars have paid greater attention to the innovative nature of rabbinic prayer. There is now greater awareness that ritual aspects apart from the text are crucial to understanding the nature of liturgy. These include a variety of anthropological matters: architecture of places of worship, music, clothing, body language. The book here reviewed contains essays which, taken together, employ all of these as evidence in their various arguments. . . . There is much to recommend this stimulating collection which spans the entire history of rabbinic prayer and demonstrates the diverse approaches that can be taken to studying it." --Daniel Davies, Journal of Jewish Studies, Vol. LIX, no. 1 (2008), Clare Hall College, Cambridge "
Monographs of the Hebrew Union College 1. Lewis M. Barth, An Analysis of Vatican 30 2 Samson H. L... more Monographs of the Hebrew Union College 1. Lewis M. Barth, An Analysis of Vatican 30 2 Samson H. Levey, The Messiah: An Aramaic Interpretation 3 Ben Zion Wacholder, Eupolemus: A Study ofJudaeo-Greek Literature 4 Richard Victor Bergren, The Prophets and the Law 5 Benny ...
How do Jews pray and why? What do the prayers mean? From where did this liturgy come and what cha... more How do Jews pray and why? What do the prayers mean? From where did this liturgy come and what challenges does it face today? Such questions and many more, spanning the centuries and continents, have driven the study of Jewish liturgy. But just as the liturgy has changed over time, so too have the questions asked, the people asking them, and the methods used to address them.
Jewish Liturgy: A Guide to Research enables the reader to access the rich bibliography now available in English. In this volume, Ruth Langer, an expert on Jewish liturgy, provides an annotated description of the most important books and articles on topics ranging historically from the liturgy of the Second Temple period and the Dead Sea Scrolls to today, addressing the synagogue itself and those gathered in it; the daily, weekly, and festival liturgies and their components; home rituals and the life cycle; as well as questions of liturgical performance and theology. Introductions to every section orient the reader and provide necessary background.
Christians seeking to understand Jewish liturgy, either that of Jesus and the early church or that of their Jewish contemporaries, will find this volume invaluable. It’s also an important reference for anyone seeking to understand how Jews worship God and how that worship has evolved over time.
Benedikt Kranemann/Lea Lerch/Stephan Winter (Hg.) Liturgie und Pastoral im Kontext von Pandemien und Epidemien Vom Spätmittelalter bis zur Gegenwart, 2024
An analysis of the various ways that Jews have prayed to avert or end plagues, including a discus... more An analysis of the various ways that Jews have prayed to avert or end plagues, including a discussion of directions for such a response to the 19th c. cholera epidemic in Europe, all in light of actual communal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BIBLICAL TEXTS IN JEWISH PRAYERS: THEIR HISTORY AND FUNCTION Ruth Langer Boston College, USA Bibl... more BIBLICAL TEXTS IN JEWISH PRAYERS: THEIR HISTORY AND FUNCTION Ruth Langer Boston College, USA Biblical1 texts appear in rabbinic liturgy in four primary modes: as the citation of complete biblical pericopes as prayers or study passages; as the explicit citation of verses ...
"The editors and the contributors to this book are successful in presenting a holistic a... more "The editors and the contributors to this book are successful in presenting a holistic approach to synagogue liturgy. Fascinating nonverbal liturgical aspects do indeed shed new light on Jewish liturgy. The work as a whole is a superb reflection of strong scholarship in the area of Jewish liturgy. From excellent analysis of evidence to comprehensive footnotes to the timely display of art, images, and tables, the work reflects the diversity of scholarship and deserves to be a strong contributor to the field."—Viktor Petrovich Roudkovski, Letourneau University in Review of Biblical Literature, September 2006 "The present volume exemplifies some of the new directions in the history of Jewish liturgical studies, exciting inasmuch as they challenge a generation of form-critical approaches and evidence openness to the possibility of discontinuity with the prerabbinic Jewish liturgical world. Presenting a diverse array of methodologies, classical and interdisciplinary, these eleven richly annotated essays span the entire history of rabbinic prayer, allowing the volume to function as a primary resource for graduate level courses and seminars on the history of Jewish liturgy."—Gregory Glazov, Seton Hall University in Review of Biblical Literature, September 2006 "The purpose of this collection is to showcase the diverse approaches to studying the history of rabbinic liturgy. Traditionally, such studies have aimed at discerning the origins of prayers. In recent decades scholars have paid greater attention to the innovative nature of rabbinic prayer. There is now greater awareness that ritual aspects apart from the text are crucial to understanding the nature of liturgy. These include a variety of anthropological matters: architecture of places of worship, music, clothing, body language. The book here reviewed contains essays which, taken together, employ all of these as evidence in their various arguments. . . . There is much to recommend this stimulating collection which spans the entire history of rabbinic prayer and demonstrates the diverse approaches that can be taken to studying it." --Daniel Davies, Journal of Jewish Studies, Vol. LIX, no. 1 (2008), Clare Hall College, Cambridge
Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, Apr 1, 2017
agems, Kaplan sees a problem that only caused him some “discomfort.” According to Kaplan, Mendels... more agems, Kaplan sees a problem that only caused him some “discomfort.” According to Kaplan, Mendelssohn could justify the punishments meted out under the original Mosaic constitution because the order that it reinforced, although it had a religious character, “was imposed by coercion qua political law, not qua religious law” (191). My dissatisfaction when I encountered this argument in the middle of Kaplan’s essay nearly dissolved when I read in one of his last footnotes that “Arkush, I believe, is correct in sensing that this technically valid distinction would not serve to allay Mendelssohn’s concerns” (202–3). To this I would emphatically add that it is not merely a question of concerns but of Mendelssohn’s philosophically grounded, vital opposition to religious coercion. I therefore remain more inclined to believe that Mendelssohn wished to see the Mosaic constitution forever relegated to the past than that he might have hoped, as Kaplan speculates in his last footnote, that God would in the long run act in accordance with the dictates of reason and include in any “future public revelation of the divine law” not “even the most limited” religious coercion (203).
Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, Nov 1, 2003
With few exceptions, classical study of Jewish liturgy has focused on the words of the prayers, l... more With few exceptions, classical study of Jewish liturgy has focused on the words of the prayers, largely ignoring the less tangible elements of setting, gesture, halakhic guidance, and music. When scholars like Eric Werner and A. Z. Idelsohn wrote about liturgical music, they, too, considered it a text. In recent years, and influenced by trends in the larger academy, the field has become more interdisciplinary, open to the insights of other scholarly methodologies, resulting in important studies on the archaeological history of the synagogue itself, prayer gestures, liturgical halakhah, and mystical approaches to prayer. Into this context, we can welcome warmly Jeffrey Summit's The Lord's Song in a Strange Land and its ethnographic study of the musical dimension of contemporary American Jewish liturgy.
The Power of Psalms in Post-Biblical Judaism: Liturgy, Ritual and Community, ed. Claudia Bergmann, Tessa Rajak, Benedikt Kranemann, and Rebecca Ulrich (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2023), 222-240., 2023
A study of the emergence of the recitation of Psalms preceding the daily morning service in Juda... more A study of the emergence of the recitation of Psalms preceding the daily morning service in Judaism in the post-talmudic period.
Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods, 2020
This paper argues that the rabbis seem gradually to have taken over the communal non-rabbinic syn... more This paper argues that the rabbis seem gradually to have taken over the communal non-rabbinic synagogues and adapted them to the needs of rabbinic liturgy, succeeding mostly from the third century and onward.
Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods: Archaeological Finds, New Methods, New Theories, ed. Lutz Doering and Andrew R. Krause, in co-operation with Hermut Löhr; Ioudaioi 11 (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2020), 253-276, 2020
This paper argues that the rabbis seem gradually to have taken over the communal non-rabbinic syn... more This paper argues that the rabbis seem gradually to have taken over the communal non-rabbinic synagogues and adapted them to the needs of rabbinic liturgy, succeeding mostly from the third century and onward.
How can we understand the ways in which Greek Orthodox and Jewish liturgies have historically por... more How can we understand the ways in which Greek Orthodox and Jewish liturgies have historically portrayed each other? To move beyond a simple description, Langer and Tonias engage in a multi-step, multi-directional comparison. An analysis of the modes in which the “other” appears in these liturgies generates important and productive new insights into the similarities and differences between the traditions and deepens our understanding of them in their own integrity. Narrative, as expected, plays an important liturgical role with respect to the portrayal of the “other” in liturgy. However, while the respective Jewish and Christian narratives possess structural similarities, they play roles that are functionally different. The paper demonstrates that this difference is related to the universal and particular eschatological visions presented in the Christian and Jewish liturgies.
This chapter examines the power and construction of Jewish memory as well as the image of the rel... more This chapter examines the power and construction of Jewish memory as well as the image of the religious Other in Jewish liturgy, which has been so heavily conditioned by adversarial biblical narratives and the experience of historical persecution. In the memory shaped by Jewish liturgy — be it the daily Amidah, the High Holiday prayers, Passover and Purim texts, or the Ninth of Av piyutim (liturgical poems) memorializing the destruction of the Temple, the tragedies of the Middle Ages, and the Holocaust — the religious or political Other is portrayed as almost universally negative. The non-Jew — usually considered in the impersonal abstract, rather than the particular other — is a threat to Jewish uniqueness. It disrupts God's covenantal plan for Israel. The chapter then looks at the ongoing tension between making historical memory part of Jewish identity and an openness to allowing history to unfold into a future that may move beyond tragedy.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, Cairo Geniza, and critical study of rabbinic literature have contributed to... more The Dead Sea Scrolls, Cairo Geniza, and critical study of rabbinic literature have contributed to our understanding of when and how fixed public worship developed within the Jewish community. The Dead Sea Scrolls show that prayer was practiced by at least some Jewish groups while the Second Temple still stood and that it drew heavily from biblical language, as can also be seen in the latest biblical books. However, Genizah documents demonstrate the persistence of liturgical diversity as late as the tenth century and, with critical study of rabbinic texts, raise questions about the acceptance of rabbinic authority.
In The Medieval Roots of Antisemitism:Continuities and Discontinuities from the Middle Ages to th... more In The Medieval Roots of Antisemitism:Continuities and Discontinuities from the Middle Ages to the Present Day, ed. Jonathan Adams and Cornelia Hess (Routledge, 2018), 377-391. An overview of the relationships Jews have had to the Land of Israel over the century.
Long largely ignored by most Jews engaged in interfaith work with Christians, Evangelical Protest... more Long largely ignored by most Jews engaged in interfaith work with Christians, Evangelical Protestants suddenly and increasingly insistently entered the conversation in the opening years of the twenty-first century. Driving this change was the growing political clout of the American ...
content to admit the “depths of our ignorance” (567), and a helpful reflection on his desire for ... more content to admit the “depths of our ignorance” (567), and a helpful reflection on his desire for a time “when the Paul of the authentic letters is freed from the Paul of theological myth” (572). One of the great strengths of H.’s translation is that his rendering is often awkward and angular (even in Luke, the smoothest of all the evangelists), to remind us that it does not run easily; occasionally I found myself thinking “I wish I had thought of that,” such as “chafe” (Luke 6:1) and “unthinking rage” (Luke 6:11). I was charmed by “Madam” for γύναι in Luke 13:12, and “transformation of the heart” for μετάνοια. Then there was “dissemblance” for “hypocrisy” and “charlatan” for “hypocrite.” Here I agree with avoiding the h-word, since we all think we know what it means, but am not convinced by these two alternatives; that, however, only confirms my general thesis of the impossibility of translation. One feature that I found decidedly unhelpful is that each verse (and there were of course no verses in the original) is made to begin with a capital letter. One translation that did not convince me was “journey forth” for ἔξοδός in Luke 9:31, where I think “exodus” is closer to what Luke is trying to say. All in all, however, this is a translation to keep near at hand, whether or not you know enough Greek to read the NT unaided. What H. achieves triumphantly is to make each text sound like itself; and in particular I warmly recommend the very thoughtful translation of the notoriously difficult Letter to the Hebrews, and his refusal to skate over the difficulties that face the translator of Romans. This translation of the New Testament should remain close at hand on the desks of all those who wish to think seriously about what it all means.
agems, Kaplan sees a problem that only caused him some “discomfort.” According to Kaplan, Mendels... more agems, Kaplan sees a problem that only caused him some “discomfort.” According to Kaplan, Mendelssohn could justify the punishments meted out under the original Mosaic constitution because the order that it reinforced, although it had a religious character, “was imposed by coercion qua political law, not qua religious law” (191). My dissatisfaction when I encountered this argument in the middle of Kaplan’s essay nearly dissolved when I read in one of his last footnotes that “Arkush, I believe, is correct in sensing that this technically valid distinction would not serve to allay Mendelssohn’s concerns” (202–3). To this I would emphatically add that it is not merely a question of concerns but of Mendelssohn’s philosophically grounded, vital opposition to religious coercion. I therefore remain more inclined to believe that Mendelssohn wished to see the Mosaic constitution forever relegated to the past than that he might have hoped, as Kaplan speculates in his last footnote, that God would in the long run act in accordance with the dictates of reason and include in any “future public revelation of the divine law” not “even the most limited” religious coercion (203).
This is an interesting, well-written and important study, relevant to anyone in-terested in bette... more This is an interesting, well-written and important study, relevant to anyone in-terested in better understanding metaphor in the Bible, figurative language, or idol-atry. David Aaron, Professor of Bible at Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, was trained ...
Tucker assesses a wide-ranging array of historical work (from Ranke to the Annales school and cur... more Tucker assesses a wide-ranging array of historical work (from Ranke to the Annales school and current scholars) in order to explore how historians operate in practice, and he writes sympathetically of their predilection for common sense. He reinforces this analysis with ...
Uploads
Books by Ruth Langer
Co-edited with Philip A. Cunningham and Jesper Svartvik
Drawing on the shifting liturgical texts, polemics, and apologetics concerning the prayer, Langer traces the transformation of the birkat haminim from what functioned without question in the medieval world as a Jewish curse of Christians, through its early modern censorship by Christians, to its modern transformation within the Jewish world into a general petition that God remove evil from the world. Christian censorship played a crucial role in this transformation of the prayer; however, Langer argues that the truest transformation in meaning resulted from Jewish integration into Western culture. Eventually, the prayer shed its references to any specific category of human being and lost its function as a curse.
Reconciliation between Jews and Christians today requires both communities to confront a long history of prejudice. Ruth Langer shows through the birkat haminim how the history of one liturgical text chronicled Jewish thinking about Christians over hundreds of years.
Features
First study of the early modern and modern developments of the birkat haminim, and first comprehensive study of its medieval history
Places the birkat haminim explicitly in the context of contemporary Christian-Jewish relations and the need for Jewish self-criticism about the Jewish heritage of anti-Christianity
Jewish Liturgy: A Guide to Research enables the reader to access the rich bibliography now available in English. In this volume, Ruth Langer, an expert on Jewish liturgy, provides an annotated description of the most important books and articles on topics ranging historically from the liturgy of the Second Temple period and the Dead Sea Scrolls to today, addressing the synagogue itself and those gathered in it; the daily, weekly, and festival liturgies and their components; home rituals and the life cycle; as well as questions of liturgical performance and theology. Introductions to every section orient the reader and provide necessary background.
Christians seeking to understand Jewish liturgy, either that of Jesus and the early church or that of their Jewish contemporaries, will find this volume invaluable. It’s also an important reference for anyone seeking to understand how Jews worship God and how that worship has evolved over time.
Papers by Ruth Langer
Co-edited with Philip A. Cunningham and Jesper Svartvik
Drawing on the shifting liturgical texts, polemics, and apologetics concerning the prayer, Langer traces the transformation of the birkat haminim from what functioned without question in the medieval world as a Jewish curse of Christians, through its early modern censorship by Christians, to its modern transformation within the Jewish world into a general petition that God remove evil from the world. Christian censorship played a crucial role in this transformation of the prayer; however, Langer argues that the truest transformation in meaning resulted from Jewish integration into Western culture. Eventually, the prayer shed its references to any specific category of human being and lost its function as a curse.
Reconciliation between Jews and Christians today requires both communities to confront a long history of prejudice. Ruth Langer shows through the birkat haminim how the history of one liturgical text chronicled Jewish thinking about Christians over hundreds of years.
Features
First study of the early modern and modern developments of the birkat haminim, and first comprehensive study of its medieval history
Places the birkat haminim explicitly in the context of contemporary Christian-Jewish relations and the need for Jewish self-criticism about the Jewish heritage of anti-Christianity
Jewish Liturgy: A Guide to Research enables the reader to access the rich bibliography now available in English. In this volume, Ruth Langer, an expert on Jewish liturgy, provides an annotated description of the most important books and articles on topics ranging historically from the liturgy of the Second Temple period and the Dead Sea Scrolls to today, addressing the synagogue itself and those gathered in it; the daily, weekly, and festival liturgies and their components; home rituals and the life cycle; as well as questions of liturgical performance and theology. Introductions to every section orient the reader and provide necessary background.
Christians seeking to understand Jewish liturgy, either that of Jesus and the early church or that of their Jewish contemporaries, will find this volume invaluable. It’s also an important reference for anyone seeking to understand how Jews worship God and how that worship has evolved over time.
understanding of them in their own integrity. Narrative, as expected, plays an important liturgical role with respect to the portrayal of the “other” in liturgy. However, while the respective Jewish and Christian narratives possess structural similarities, they play roles that are functionally different. The paper demonstrates that this difference is related to
the universal and particular eschatological visions presented in the Christian and Jewish liturgies.