Siddur Sim Shalom - Original 1985 Edition

Original 1985 Edition

The first version of Siddur Sim Shalom was edited by Rabbi Jules Harlow, and published in 1985. This is the first siddur in which the beliefs and theology of Conservative Judaism were fully made explicit.

It contains services for weekdays, Shabbat and Jewish festivals. In accord with Conservative theology it contains prayers and services for Israel Independence Day and Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day). It is egalitarian in usage, e.g. offering prayers for the wearing of tefillin and tallitot in both feminine and masculine form.

While very traditional when compared to the prayerbooks of Reform Judaism, this siddur does contain a number of notable departures from the text used in Orthodox Judaism.

Harlow writes that "Three of the early morning berakhot were modified to praise God for having created each individual in God's image, a free person and a Jew, rather than the conventional version which express gratitude for not having been created a woman, a slave or a non-Jew."

Perhaps the most significant difference between Conservative and Orthodox siddurim is found in the Birkhot HaShachar section; this part of the morning service traditionally contained many passages describing sacrifices that used to be carried out in the Temple in Jerusalem. Many passages on animal sacrifices are not present in Siddur Sim Shalom.

Harlow writes "The sacrificial ritual in ancient times was construed as means by which a Jew gained atonement for sin. After the destruction of the Temple and the consequential end of sacrifices there, the Jewish people were deprived of this means. To replace the readings on sacrifices, modern Conservative prayerbooks cite the talmudic teaching that deeds of loving-kindness now atone for sin; they draw upon rabbinic tradition to emphasize teachings about atonement and necessary behavior."

The pocket edition also includes weekday Torah readings.