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edge goes beyond reading properly, hav-
ing taken classes in Hebrew grammar
and language. "I understand every word
I read in Hebrew," she said. "So I know
the meaning of the words of the Torah."
As her April 6 birthday approached
this year, Barr's daughter Rochelle sug-
gested to her mother that she become a
bat mitzvah.
"I was trying to think of how we
could celebrate her special day,"
Rochelle Barr said. "I teased her and
said, 'You've taught all these kids for all
these years, it's time for you to get up
there yourself '''
After her mother agreed, Rochelle
called her sister Brenda Sage of
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Bloomfield Hills and told her of the
plan.
Choosing a Shabbat when Barr
would read from the Torah would be
easy. "We just looked for a date near her
birthday and Saturday, April 26, was
available," Rochelle said. "It didn't mat-
ter to her which portion of the Torah
she read. I'm sure she already knew
every one."
"My love is Torah," Sylvia Barr said.
"God has put me on this Earth to do
this. I love the satisfaction children feel
when they are reading to God. My girls
know that, and they decided it was my
turn."
❑
*some restrictions apply
Complementing The Prayer Book
Erent4:;an#,Entkrta in mem-
Conservative synagogues nationwide
have just been introduced to the
movement's newest publication, Or
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Hadash (New Light): A Commentary
on "Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat
and Festivals" ($45).
Created by the United Synagogue
of Conservative Judaism along with
its Rabbinical Assembly, the book's
purpose is to enable congregants to
understand the prayers so they can
participate more fully in the service.
"If you just give a person a siddur
(prayer book), it's difficult for them
to understand even with a nice
English translation," said the author
of Or Hadash, Rabbi Reuven
Harrimer, president of the denomi-
nation's Rabbinical Assembly, in an
interview from his home in
Jerusalem.
"With this, you can daven from it
if you want and at the same time
look at whatever's interesting to you in
the commentary and learn something
at the same time."
Even in congregations, like Adat
Shalom Synagogue, where an older
version of the Sim Shalom siddur —
not conducive for use with Or Hadash
— is used, the new book will be
acquired. "In the next year, I expect to
purchase some copies for the congre-
gation and to do study sessions with
it," Rabbi Daniel Nevins said.
Or Hadash addresses what some
movement insiders see as a key flaw in
Rabbi Jules Harlow's otherwise popu-
lar 1985 translation, that included a
slightly altered, inexact English trans-
lation. Rabbi Hammer's commentary
rectifies the situation by often provid-
ing the exact translation, insight into
how the passage in question was origi-
nally understood and alternative
understandings that might appeal to
zrin
Or Hadash
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Rabbi Nevins
contemporary
Jews.
"There's a great deal of interest in
prayer today, more than there has been
in the past," Rabbi Hammer said.
"There's a lot more interest and under-
standing that the siddur is one of
Judaism's basic books, like the Torah,
and worth studying."
❑
— Debra Nussbaum Cohen, New York
Jewish Week; Detroit Jewish News Staff
Writer Shelli Liebman DO1 :MM
contributed to this report.