Platforms and Prayer Books: Theological and Liturgical Perspectives on Reform Judaism

Since the Enlightenment, Jews have sought to understand Judaism as a modern religion in an intellectual context equivalent to Christianity. This shifted the focus of attention away from the ritual commandments to a concern with the universal foundations of the faith. This text analyzes the impact of that shift, presenting different approaches and arguments. The essays express the inherent difficulty of reconciling theory with practice in a liberal religious framework. They also demonstrate the surprising vitality of a movement that many expected to decline demographically as well as intellectually. Not only is the Reform movement increasing in numbers, but, as this work demonstrates, it is also showing an amazing breadth of creativity. Scholars and rabbis trace the evolution of Reform Judaism through discussions on theological and liturgical topics that are grounded in the platforms and prayer books that chart the movement’s developments through its 200-year history.