In the chill of autumn, it’s time for quality reading

As the weather takes on an added chill and the nights get longer, reading indoors takes on added value to our quality of time. Therefore please note these brief suggestions for high quality reading and learning for the months to come.

The recent publication of “Gates of Prayer: The Ten Terms of Tefillah” [Feldheim,2013] by the beloved Rabbi Shimshon Pincus, zt”l, marks a major milestone in Jewish publishing inasmuch as this is the first full sefer (book) that was penned by him to be translated into English.

According to Rabbi Pincus, “The main goal of this book on tefillah (prayer) is not to arouse people to heartfelt prayer, or offer ways to attain purer kavanah (proper mindset for prayer). Its primary purpose is rather to present the spectrum of prayer — to demonstrate the varied types of feeling that exist in tefillah and show how they differ from one another.”

The Rav continues with the following observation:

“In basing this book on the ten terms of tefillah, I followed in the footsteps of the saintly author of the “Be’er Mayim Chaim,” zt”l, who wrote “Sha’ar HaTefillah,” in which the chapters are arranged to the ten terms of tefillah.”

These ten terms, in summary, are the following:

1. Shav’ah (hysterical outcry)

2. Tze’akah (wordless scream)

3. Ne’akah (groaning)

4. Rinah (singing)

5. Pegi’ah (relentlessly entreating)

6. Bizur (calling out in distress)

7. Keri’ah (calling to)

8. Nipul (throwing oneself down)

9. Pilpul (prayer)

10. Tachanunim (begging for grace).

Through both wit and mussar (instruction), the Rav draws out the special and unique flavor for each of these terms as they relate to emotion and spiritual meaning. He shows us how to utilize each of these diverse terms as a hub of spiritual resource to be utilized at all times within the context of an effective and meaningful prayer experience.

Special note should be made of the translation that was made possible by the great efforts of the very talented Rabbi Shmuel Globus.