Dr. Marc Zvi Brettler is the Dora Golding Professor of Biblical Studies at Brandeis University. He contributed to all volumes of the My People's Prayer Book: Traditional Prayers, Modern Commentaries series, winner of the National Jewish Book Award, and to My People's Passover Haggadah: Traditional Texts, Modern Commentaries; Who by Fire, Who by Water-Un'taneh Tokef; All These Vows-Kol Nidre; May God Remember: Memory and Memorializing in Judaism-Yizkor; and We Have Sinned: Sin and Confession in Judaism-Ashamnu and Al Chet (all Jewish Lights). He is coeditor of The Jewish Annotated New Testament and The Jewish Study Bible, which won the National Jewish Book Award; co-author of The Bible and the Believer; and author of How to Read the Jewish Bible, among other books and articles. He has also been interviewed on National Public Radio's Fresh Air by Terry Gross.

About My People's Prayer Book
Introduction to the Liturgy: The Reading of Torah¿Retelling the Jewish Story in the Shadow of Sinai
Lawrence A. Hoffman
Celebrating the Presence of the Torah: The History and Meaning of Reading Torah
Ruth Langer
The Theory and Halakhah of Reading Torah
Daniel Landes
Introduction to the Commentaries: How to Look for Meaning in the Prayers
Lawrence A. Hoffman

The Liturgy
1. Introduction: Removing the Torah from the Ark
A. Setting the Stage: On One Hand, God's Greatness
I. "There is No God Like You" (Ein Kamokha)
II. "Father of Mercy" (Av Harachamim)
III. ¿With the Moving of the Ark¿ (Vay¿hi Binso¿a Häaron)
B. Setting the Stage: On the Other Hand, God¿s Mercy
I. The Thirteen Attributes (Adonai, Adonai)
II. ¿May the Words of My Mouth¿ (Yihyu L¿ratson)
III. ¿I Offer My Prayer¿ (Väani T¿fillati)
C. Setting the Stage: Kabbalistic Insertion on God¿s Greatness and God¿s Mercy
I. ¿Blessed Is the Name¿ (B¿rikh Sh¿meih)
D. Affirming God While Taking the Torah
I. ¿Hear O Israel¿ (Sh¿ma Yisräel)
II. ¿Our God Is One¿ (Echad Eloheinu)
III. ¿Proclaim Adonai¿s Greatness¿ (Gadlu)
E. The Hakafah: Taking the Torah to The Reader¿s Stand: ¿Greatness, Power, Glory ... Are Yours¿ (L¿kha Adonai)

2. Reading Torah: The Aliyot
A. Summoning the Aliyot: ¿May He Help, Shield, and Save¿ (Väazor V¿yagen)
B. Blessings over Torah
C. Special Cases (Deliverance from Danger, Bar/Bat Mitzvah)
D. ¿May the One Who Blessed¿ (Mi Sheberakh)
E. Concluding Affirmation of Torah: ¿This Is the Torah¿ (V¿zot Hatorah)

3. Haftarah Blessings
A. Blessing Before
B. Blessings After

4. Prayers For The Community
A. For Those of Antiquity: ¿May Salvation Arise¿ (Y¿kum Purkan)
B. For the Community Today
I. ¿May Salvation Arise¿ (Y¿kum Purkan)
II. ¿May the One Who Blessed¿ (Mi Sheberakh)
C. For the Government: ¿The One Who Grants Salvation¿ (Honoten T¿shuah)
D. For a Month Of Blessing: Blessing of the New Moon (Birkat Hachodesh)
E. For Our Martyrs: ¿In His Great Mercy, May the Father Of Mercy¿ (Av Harachamim)

5. Concluding Prayers: Returning the Torah to the Ark
A. Rejoicing in Torah: ¿Happy Is the One¿ (Ashre)
B. Israel¿s Praise of God
I. ¿Let Them Praise¿ (Y¿hal¿lu)
II. ¿His Majesty Is Above¿ (Hodo Al Erets)
C. The Universe¿s Praise of God (Psalm 29): ¿David¿s Psalm¿ (Mizmor L¿david)
D. ¿And With Its Resting¿ (U¿v¿nuchoh Yomar)

About the Contributors
List of Abbreviations
Glossary