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(Non-technical) Introduction to the Colloquium

This study of the liturgy is specifically oriented for rabbis. It assumes familiarity with the geography of the Siddur, its terminology, and basic meaning. What we will do with regard to each prayer and to the flow of the service is to ask what the worshiper is apprised of, how is he or she apprised, and finally why. By asking what, how, and why, we zero in on the history, the poetics, and the theology of the liturgy. Once the liturgy is understood in its own terms we will engage in conversation about its potential meanings in the life of the contemporary synagogue and its potential for stimulating religious growth by cultivating a relationship with God through prayer.

The literary approach that we shall use for understanding the liturgy as liturgy is rhetorical criticism. The purpose of rhetorical criticism is to point out how the liturgy makes its case. By focusing on the rhetoric of the liturgy, we seek to highlight the persuasive strategies or rhetorical techniques deployed by the liturgical narrative to enhance the worshiper's receptivity to its position. In addition to analyzing the mode of argumentation, we shall focus our attention on the texture of the language, on the concatenation of themes, and on how images are contextualized. Through the convergence of these elements we will show how the liturgy orchestrates the subtle interplay between statement and subtext in order to induce in the worshiper a new perspective. By tracing the transformation of the worshiper's outlook, we will see how each selection works as liturgy to be prayed.