About the Institute

The Beurei Hatefila Institute was established to encourage the study of the words of the Siddur as a Jewish text in Jewish schools. To help educators develop courses on Tefila, the Institute published a weekly e-mail newsletter tracing the sources for the words and structure of the prayers in the Siddur. Newsletters covering every part of the Siddur have been published, and all of them, along with their compilations as e-books, are free to download.

“The method of study I employ is source; i.e. I reproduce original Hebrew sources and provide the English translation for each. Most of those sources are taken from Rabbinic material but many sources are borrowed from academic scholarship.”

Abe Katz

Abe Katz is the Executive Director of the Institute and the author and publisher of the weekly e-mail newsletter להבין את התפלה. He is available to meet with school administrators to help them establish a course in Beurei Hatefila and to train teachers, and to teach courses on Tefila, including theFourteen Principles of Jewish Prayer, at schools, synagogues and Jewish community centers, or as a scholar-in-residence.

He edited and annotated Guide to Jewish Prayer by Rabbi Isaiah Wohlgemuth, z"l, who taught Beurei Hatefila at Maimonides School in Brookline, MA, for over 35 years. Copies can be ordered from Maimonides School by contacting mike@maimonides.org. See also the Rabbi Isaiah Wohlgemuth memorial collection.

Contact

Write to Abe Katz directly at beureihatefila@yahoo.com.

For the sister site, the YouTube channel, lectures elsewhere and a recommended reading list, see Resources.