The Prayerbook

I recently ordered a new copy of the Chabad prayerbook and was surprised how nostalgic I felt for it. It was, after all, the first proper Orthodox siddur that I prayed from. My old copy was the bilingual edition, and it's still somewhere in my belongings, well-worn and with my notations in the margins - juvenilia that would now make me cringe if I had to look at them every day, but nevertheless the graffiti of my first, youthful encounter with the traditional Jewish liturgy.

Looking back now I think I can say with some satisfaction that we've made progress in all the important areas, socially speaking. I think the liberals and the traditionalists understand one another better now. There's an open, comfortable dialog between the orthodox world and feminists and gay activists. Everybody doesn't have to agree on everything and that's OK. We're talking to one another. And as a social liberal with a complicated but strong relationship with tradition, it pleases me to know that I am not alone.

Oh, and the Chabad siddur? The print is NICE. AND. BIG. So it's got that going for it, too.