Mahzor Lev Shalem

Frequently Asked Questions

Click on questions for responses.

Why a new mahzor?

What audience did you have in mind as you created Mahzor Lev Shalem?

Is this a traditional Hebrew text?

What were your guidelines for translation?

What about the untranslated words?

How were the readings selected?

Are there responsive readings?

How is Mahzor Lev Shalem a mahzor that represents the Conservative movement?

Is this mahzor suitable for those who don’t consider themselves “Conservative”?

Why a new Mahzor?

Cultural changes occur quickly these days. Mahzor for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, masterfully edited by Rabbi Jules Harlow, founding editor of the RA, was published in 1972. This mahzor started the RA on the path of including contemporary texts into the High Holy Day worship experience. In response to a shifting religious and cultural landscape, we have developed Mahzor Lev Shalem, with a gender neutral translation that is more literal and is responsive to the changes in language that have occurred since that time. Especially important are the running commentaries that briefly explain each prayer and the transliteration of everything that is sung. All of these features should serve to welcome congregants into the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services.

What audience did you have in mind as you created Mahzor Lev Shalem?
We had many different audiences in mind in compiling the material for this mahzor. We thought of the congregants who are unfamiliar with services and put in clear headings and titles so that congregants could easily find their place. We transliterated everything that might be sung by the congregation and explained the context of each particular prayer with a brief commentary. The English translation, written in simple, everyday language, yet designed to be “pray-able,” should prove especially appealing. We were attentive to the need for instructions and we created a special bowing symbol to indicate the appropriate place for bowing.
For those readers familiar with Hebrew, we commissioned a special digital type to facilitate reading. Equally, the commentary explaining the historical development of the prayer will prove enlightening even to the most knowledgeable.
Finally, as we arranged the pages and included new materials, we had the service leaders in mind. We created a variety of options for readings, and made it easy for each congregation to tailor the service to its needs. Mahzor Lev Shalem is designed to be used by congregations that prefer more traditional services, as well as congregations that prefer to experiment with liturgy.

Is this a traditional Hebrew text?

Yes. Mahzor Lev Shalem contains the complete traditional liturgy for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. In general, we follow the tradition of Ashkenazic Jewry, whose service has been shown by manuscript sources to have remained fairly constant over the last 800 years. To it we have added some piyyutim particular to Sephardic and Italian customs that we find deeply moving and hope to make more widely appreciated.

What were your guidelines for translation?

We wanted to make sure that someone praying in English could pray from the English translation, and so we have avoided arcane or baroque language. The translation reflects the Hebrew as closely as possible, allowing the English reader to experience the text without a filter. This also allows the congregant who knows some Hebrew to find familiar words and to move back and forth between both sides of the page. Where the Hebrew is jarring, the English does not smooth over the difficulty.
The Hebrew in the mahzor is prose-poetry and our translation reflects its cadences, forms, and use of language. It is as gender-neutral as possible, while remaining faithful to the intent and meaning of the original.

What about the untranslated words?

You will notice that we did not attempt to render a translation for “Barukh Atah Adonai,” as we felt that neither the words “blessed” or “praised” is an adequate translation. In other cases, certain words, like “mitzvah” cannot be rendered into English without losing their depth of meaning, so we did not offer a translation.

How were the readings selected?

Some were chosen for their relationship to the corresponding prayer; others were chosen from traditional sources as explications of the prayer. Others still were chosen because they represent modern responses to the concerns of the prayers. Many contemporary theologians were consulted, especially Abraham Joshua Heschel, Martin Buber, and Joseph Soloveitchik. Abraham Joshua Heschel’s work, which concerns itself with prayer and contemporary issues, proved to be an especially rich spiritual resource for Mahzor Lev Shalem.

Are there responsive readings?

Yes. Many of the piyyutum or collections of biblical verses can be recited as responsive readings. See the User’s Guide for more information about how rabbis and prayer leaders can use the material.

How is Mahzor Lev Shalem a mahzor that represents the Conservative movement?

On the one hand, this is a traditional mahzor. Congregants will recognize all the prayers that they are used to; many traditional piyyutim have been restored in this publication. Respect has been accorded to the placement of prayers in their traditional settings. For instance, the Avodah is included as part of the Yom Kippur Amidah. On the other hand, Mahzor Lev Shalem expands traditional liturgy by including contemporary Israeli poetry, quotations from Heschel and Kaplan, meditations written by twentieth century rabbis such as Hershel Matt, Harold Schulweis, and Elliot Dorff, and new liturgies such as Kiddush Hashanah in Arvit for Rosh Hashanah and a section of prayers called “Service of Brokenness and Wholeness” to be recited before the blowing of the shofar.

Is this mahzor suitable for those who don’t consider themselves “Conservative”?
Certainly. This mahzor is appropriate for Hillels and independent traditional egalitarian minyanim. We expect that many Reform, Reconstructionist and Traditional congregations unaffiliated with the Conservative movement will find this mahzor spiritually uplifting and easily tailored to a wide variety of liturgical practices.

How does this mahzor enhance communal prayer?

How would you characterize the design of the new Mahzor?

How did you choose the font?

What is the bowing sign and why is it there?

How much does the book weigh?

Will there by a pulpit / large type edition?

Was Mahzor Lev Shalem “field tested”?

How was Mahzor Lev Shalem developed and who served on the committee?

Why is this Mahzor called “Mahzor Lev Shalem”?

How does this mahzor enhance communal prayer?

Mahzor Lev Shalem engages worshipers through many portals so that diverse individuals can join together as a community. Its texts offer rabbis a plethora of material to engage and educate their congregants, thereby providing a cohesive communal experience.

How would you characterize the design of the mahzor?

On each spread—that is, two facing pages, which is how the book was conceived—we have Hebrew text, English translation, transliterations of texts recited by the congregation, commentaries, and alternate or meditative readings. The notion of linked texts, most familiar to us today in online documents, has been familiar to Jews for well over a thousand years.
The pages are rich with material, but never crowded or confusing. Ever mindful of the user experience, we made sure that each differentiation of the various elements is plentiful but not overwhelming. Above all, Mahzor Lev Shalem was designed to offer worshipers a user-friendly deep encounter with the High Holy Day service.

How did you choose the font?

Mahzor Lev Shalem marks the debut of a new typeface, created by Scott-Martin Kosofsky, with the assistance of Rabbi Israel Seldowitz. The typeface, named “Milon” (after Scott’s son, Milo, and the Hebrew word for “dictionary”) was inspired by Hadassah. Its main esthetic features are these: a rhythmic, even fit, making it easy to read at length; a design that’s truly typographic, without distracting traces of calligraphy; smallish, close-fitting vowels and trope that never crowd the lines; and a bold version that isn’t grossly heavy.
The Latin fonts used in Mahzor Lev Shalem were chosen for many of the same criteria. Each one is “size-specific,” meaning that it was designed to work best at the size in which we’ve set it. This means that, even when set small, the types are clear and well-spaced, and never too weak. The overall effect is that our pages look harmonious, despite the great amount of text that many of them contain.

What is the bowing sign and why is it there?
Many people who are not well-versed in Jewish prayer are unfamiliar with the traditional choreography of bowing at the recitation of certain words or phrases. We wanted to provide a bowing guidepost for everyone who needed one. In a work on early Hebrew letter forms, we found a paleo-Hebrew kaf that looked rather like a bowing figure. (It was very good fortune that it was a kaf, the first letter of the word kor’im, as in ’anahnu kor’im, “and so we bow.”) Interpreting the ancient character, we made it in a left-facing version for Hebrew and a right-facing version for English. The symbol also has a foot serif, as on a capital letter “I,” so as not to encroach on the Hebrew letterforms.

How much does the book weigh?

The final book weighs about two pounds – somewhat lighter than the current edition of the RA mahzor. The trim size is 6 ½ x 9 3/16 and the page count will be a little more than 900 pages. We know that a mahzor can grow heavy in one’s hands after many hours in synagogue and our decisions regarding design and materials were based on this consideration. The paper will be easy on the eyes, in a non-reflective cream color.

Will there by a pulpit / large type edition?

Yes. The pulpit edition has a trim size of 9” x 12”.

Was Mahzor Lev Shalem “field tested”?

Absolutely. All members of the Rabbinical Assembly received a preliminary draft edition of the Kol Nidrei service and six pilot congregations used the sample material for their Kol Nidrei services that year. We followed up with a survey and used the responses to tweak our editorial and design decisions. The test congregations reported that these services were among the most meaningful ever held in those congregations. Mahzor Lev Shalem has also been carefully reviewed by over a dozen rabbis (outside of the editorial committee) over the years and each one of their comments has contributed to the final product.

How was Mahzor Lev Shalem developed and who served on the committee?

The Mahzor Committee has worked cohesively for twelve years and each member’s area of expertise enabled them to provide a specific contribution. Rabbi Robert Scheinberg, who is writing his dissertation in liturgy at JTS, was especially helpful in thinking through medieval piyyutim and classical interpretation of the prayers; Rabbi Alan Letoffsky contributed his linguistic skills in English, Hebrew and Aramaic; Rabbi Stuart Kelman’s background in Jewish education helped fashion a mahzor accessible to a wide audience; Rabbi Jan Uhrbach contributed her spiritual sensitivity and editorial talents; Rabbi Leonard Gordon was especially important in developing the creative element of the mahzor; Rabbi Larry Sebert, along with other members of the committee, provided insights culled from years of congregational and educational experience; Cantors Ken Richmond and Joe Levine brought their musical and hazzanut expertise; Rabbi Jan Kaufman provided insights and perspectives from having worked on the liturgical publications of the RA for almost two decades, and provided full support to the committee, month after month, for the past twelve years. At the heart of this ongoing multi-year work was the vision of the committee chair, Rabbi Edward Feld, who conceived and directed the creation of the new translation and the weaving of multiple scholarly and artistic materials, and who gave direction to the committee and served as final editor.
The committee made every decision by consensus. Subcommittees wrote the initial commentary and selected the readings. Unbelievable as it sounds, the translation was composed by the committee as a whole. We listened to each other read the words that made it onto the page. .
Each committee meeting began with the recitation of the Mishnaic prayer, hoping that our work would not be a cause of error. The committee was always aware of its responsibility to the rabbis in the field, the congregants who would use this mahzor, and the tradition that it need uphold.

Why is this Mahzor called “Mahzor Lev Shalem”?

We would like contemporary Jews to pray with full hearts. We composed Mahzor Lev Shalem to make Jewish liturgy accessible and joyful to all who enter the synagogue.