The Koren Sacks Siddur: A Hebrew / English Prayerbook, Compact Size - Ashkenaz (Hebrew Edition) (Hebrew and English Edition) Paperback – May 15, 2009

ArtScroll.This word alone is enough to conjure up praise, disgust or tepid acceptance among my Orthodox readers. The publisher, which has been printing Jewish material since 1977, is edited by Rabbis Meir Zlotowitz and Nosson Scherman who spawned a revolution within the realm of Jewish publishing.The enormously popular ArtScroll Siddur, available in a variety of translations and styles, can be found in any American Orthodox synagogue today. And the company's vast collection of translated gemaras, TaNaChs and hashkafa-centered books have made Jewish learning accessible to an unprecedented number of observant and non-observant Jews.In my view, the Jewish world should be grateful for the establishment of ArtScroll. Before the company's vast library of prayer books and scriptural texts, there were few options in Jewish study available to those who were not fluent in Hebrew. Now, people actually have an idea of what they're saying and studying at shul/home/school/yeshiva, and this is a beautiful thing.But there are some things about ArtScroll I do not care for. Their translations are sometimes vague and often non-literal (Shir HaShirim is one of the more notorious examples I can think of regarding this phenomenon), they are less open to non-Charedi ideas and their "novels" frankly suck.This is where alternative publishing houses, such as Metsudah and Koren, come in.Koren is a Jerusalem-based publisher who, like ArtScroll, has its own unique typeface and style. According to [...], Eliyahu Koren in 1961 "set out to publish the first Tanakh (Bible) edited, designed, printed and bound by Jews in nearly 500 years." Most people who own a Koren Tanach will notice that its "font" is old-yet-modern looking, and its cream-colored paper is thin to keep the sefer from becoming too heavy.In 2009, Koren teamed up with Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom/British Commonwealth. Sacks is known worldwide for a Zionistic/Modern-Orthodox, scholarly approach to Judaism, and even those who don't agree with everything he says regard him as a "chashuv" man.The result of the Koren-Sacks collaboration is a siddur which I honestly find quite delightful. Here are some things I'd like to say about it...The first thing I noticed about this siddur is that it is very "Koren-esque". The thin, cream-colored Koren paper is used, and the famous Koren typeface appears here. At the same time, it will be immediately noticed by all who use this siddur that unlike ArtScroll, the Koren-Sacks siddur places the Hebrew text on the odd-numbered pages and their English translation on the even-numbered pages. This takes some getting used to, but I believe it makes tefila flow more smoothly.[....]

The cover of my new Koren Siddur is adorned with Hebrew words in a golden, ultra-modern font, Da lifnei mi atah omed--"Know before whom you stand"--words often inscribed over the ark in a synagogue to remind us that worship is of little value without kavanah, intentional focus upon God. Such focus is evident throughout this Hebrew-English siddur, in at least three ways.First, in its physical presentation. The introduction states, "From a visual standpoint, the contents of the prayers are presented in a style that does not spur habit and hurry, but rather encourages the worshiper to engross his mind and heart in prayer" (p. ix). Most prayers, for example, are not printed in paragraphs, but as poetry, line by line, with line breaks corresponding to the logical flow of the prayer. As much as possible, each prayer is kept whole, beginning and ending on the same page, which creates a sense of holiness and order on the page itself. Many siddurs seek to fulfill the traditional value of hiddur mitzvah or beautifying an object used to fulfill a mitzvah; the Koren achieves this through order and simplicity.Second, Rabbi Sacks' translation reflects the same order and simplicity, combining normal, modern English with the dignity appropriate to the prayers.Third, the commentary serves not just to explain, but to heighten the devotional experience of the prayers. I'll illustrate both translation and commentary with a look at Rabbi Sacks' treatment of the Shema. He translates it as,Listen, Israel: the LORD is our God,the LORD is One.And the commentary: "The word Shema is untranslatable in English. It means (1) listen, (2) hear, (3) reflect on, (4) understand, (5) internalize, (6) respond in action, and hence (7) obey. . . . I have translated it here as `Listen' rather than the traditional `Hear' because listening is active, hearing passive. The Shema is a call to an act of mind and soul, to meditate on, internalize and affirm the oneness of God" (p. 470-471). Sacks' decision to go with "Listen" over the traditional "Hear" provides not only new insights, but also a new devotional focus on the Shema. It's also typical of his translation approach, which is low-key, but not afraid to do something new and noticeable when necessary.Such emphasis on kavanah throughout the Koren Siddur makes it an essential resource for prayer and an essential part of any Jewish library.

This is really a lovely prayer book (or Sidur to use the Hebrew term), I have and use a number of prayer books, this one has an elegant font for the Hebrew and the English translation is on Left-hand margin of the double pages. There are notes at the bottom of the page but these are not distracting, but are informative if you choose to read them. I should say that Rabbi Sacks has done a wonderful job of translating the Hebrew and the Aramaic of the prayers into a graceful and free following English. I enjoy using this for personal prayer and recommend it highly. I should also add that ergonomicly this Sidur feels, right. It sits in the hand well is not to heavy but feels substantial at the same time the use of this Sidur lends itself to a more relaxed style and rate or prayer.

The format and layout of this Siddur is excellent, making it very easy to follow. Having the Hebrew on the left hand page aids in the reading. The commentary and references remind me of the Hertz Siddur which, for many of us, is the first port of call with any questions about Jewish liturgy.

I didn't realise it was a small version the print is very hrs to read

full of prayers and info

The Koren Sacks Siddur is the Frist prayer book I bought for myself, also for studying reasons. It is beautifully designed and easy to understand. I recommended it to my friends as I see this siddur as an alternative to the Artscroll siddurim.