Description: "I thank you, living and enduring universe, That I am aware of my breath. How great are your wonders! Blessed Are You, Wondrous Universe: A Siddur for Seekers combines religion's stance of wonder and gratitude with humanism's commitment to facts and scientific method. It embraces a commitment to individual and collective responsibility for our lives drawing from both worlds.In the traditional Jewish prayer book, God is the ultimate actor whose intervention we seek, whether through blessing, redeeming, healing, or forgiving us. In this siddur, we praise the universe, the earth, and Jewish tradition. With respect to moral choices, we address ourselves: Humans are the agents who need to hear our own prayer."--
Review Quotes:
An exercise in holy audacity."
-Dr. Shaul Magid, author, The Necessity of Exile
"Herb Levine has fashioned a sparkling collection of prayers for a thinking, feeling modern person who wants to express gratitude for the wonder of existence. His powerful prayers are revolutionary, because they are both spiritually uplifting and scientifically accurate. If you're troubled by traditional Jewish prayers and think they're rather outdated, here is an alternative."
-Daniel Matt, translator of the Zohar, author, God and the Big Bang, The Essential Kabbalah, and Becoming Elijah
"Herbert Levine's liturgical innovations have the potential to heal the rift between secular and religious approaches to Judaism."
-Rabbi Everett Gendler, author, Judaism and Universalism and A Passionate Pacifist
"Anyone wanting to continue Kaplan's project of helping Judaism to evolve should be consulting this work."
-Professor Emeritus Mel Scult, Brooklyn College, author, The Radical American Judaism of Mordecai M. Kaplan
"This is a wonderful resource - inspirational, comforting, uplifting and insightful."
-Rabbi Adam Chalom, co-author, Contemporary Humanistic Judaism: Beliefs, Values, Practices