An illuminating in-depth exploration of the complexities--and perhaps
audacity--of naming the unnameable.
One of the oldest and most beloved prayers--known even to Jews who
rarely attend synagogue--is Avinu Malkeinu ("Our Father, Our King"), a
liturgical staple for the entire High Holy Day period. "Our Father, Our
King" has resonance also for Christians, whose Lord's Prayer begins "Our
Father."
Despite its popularity, Avinu Malkeinu causes great debate because of
the difficulties in thinking of God as father and king. Americans no
longer relate positively to images of royalty; victims of parental abuse
note the problem of assuming a benevolent father; and feminists have
long objected to masculine language for God.
Through a series of lively introductions and commentaries, almost forty
contributors--men and women, scholars and rabbis, artists and thinkers
from all Jewish denominations and from around the world--wrestle with
this linguistic and spiritual conundrum, asking, "How do we name God
altogether, without recourse to imagery that defies belief?"
Contributors:
Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson - Rabbi Anthony Bayfield - Rabbi Will
Berkowitz - Dr. Annette Boeckler - Dr. Marc Brettler - Dr. Erica Brown -
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl - Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove - Rabbi Joshua Davidson -
Rabbi Lawrence Englander - Lisa Exler - Rabbi Paul Freedman - Rabbi
Elyse Frishman - Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand - Rabbi Edwin Goldberg -
Rabbi Andrew Goldstein - Dr. Joel M. Hoffman - Rabbi Lawrence A.
Hoffman - Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur - Rabbi Elie Kaunfer - Rabbi Karen
Kedar - Rabbi Reuven Kimelman - Rabbi Daniel Landes - Liz Lerman - Rabbi
Asher Lopatin - Catherine Madsen - Rabbi Jonathan Magonet - Rabbi Dalia
Marx - Chazzan Danny Maseng - Ruth Messinger - Rabbi Charles H.
Middleburgh - Rabbi Jay Henry Moses - Rabbi Jack Riemer - Rabbi Jeffrey
Salkin - Rabbis Dennis and Sandy Sasso - Rabbi Marc Saperstein - Rabbi
Jonathan P. Slater - Rabbi David Stern - Rabbi David Teutsch - Dr. Ellen
Umansky - Edward van Voooen - Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig - Dr. Ron
Wolfson - Rabbi Daniel Zemel - Dr. Wendy Zierler
