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<font size=3>The following was sent to me by Rabbi Dr. Doniel
Kramer. I have put the siddur at <br><br>
<a href="http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/Siddur%20Bnei%20Ashkenaz.pdf" eudora="autourl">
http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/Siddur%20Bnei%20Ashkenaz.pdf<br>
<br>
</a><div align="center">Rabbi Rallis Wiesenthal<br><br>
<br>
Email: <a href="mailto:rallisw@aol.com">rallisw@aol.com</a> <br>
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<br>
Shalom Lichvod HoRav N"Y, <br><br>
<div align="center"><b>This will be, G-d willing, the last time you will
receive this siddur before it is published!<br><br>
Any assistance towards publication would be most helpful!</b> <br><br>
<b>(I look forward to that occurring within a short amount of
time!)<br><br>
I look forward to your comments, suggestions, and improvements!<br><br>
</b> <br><br>
<b>[I understand after sending the siddur to a number of people, that
there are some Hebrew grammatical errors. If any of you are well versed
in Hebrew grammar, I would most appreciate your assistance, even if only
would entail running the siddur through Hebrew Word.]<br><br>
</b></div>
<br>
For the past fourteen years, I have been laboring on the holy task of
preparing a German Rite Nusach Ashkenaz siddur. Recently completed with
help from Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz and K'hal Adas Yeshurun-Jerusalem
(KAYJ)<br><br>
It started as a project to be compile a siddur that I could daven from.
Living in Chicago, most of the siddurim which are available are
Artscroll, Birnbaum, etc. Just to try and find a Rodelheim, or Baer's
Avodas Yisroel was nearly impossible. That was about fourteen years
ago.<br><br>
Along the way, I compiled many versions of my siddur. What improved the
siddur immensely was finding out about a remarkable gentleman, HoRav
Binyamin Shlomo Hamburger Shlito, the head of Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz.
Numerous conversations and notes from his website
<a href="http://moreshesashkenaz.org">moreshesashkenaz.org</a> helped
form most of the minhag and halachic directions in the siddur. [The
sections of the siddur which are labeled "Machon Moreshet
Ashkenaz" are taken directly from the website. HoRav Hamburger
allowed me to use them, so long as I labeled them that way.]<br><br>
The final piece of the puzzle, are the notes on the numerous sections of
the text which I compiled and edited from the website of KAYJ.net. It's
forum contains Halocho and Minhogim sections where I and others pose
questions which are mostly answered by HoRav Hamburger himself. <br><br>
I purchased 3 machzorim on the Ebay. One Yamim Nouroim Machzor [1720]
from Bad Homburg (my father's hometown), two machzorim [1722]; a Yamim
Nouroim & Sholoush Regolim from Bad Homburg and a Yamim Nouroim &
Sholoush Regolim from Frankfurt Am Main.<br><br>
I noticed as well that a number of old siddurim included Taamei HaMikroh
for whole sections of Tanach and so I have included taamim for all
Pesukei Tanach and where they originate from, as well in the siddur.
<br>
I have forwarded Pdf copies of my siddur to a number of people all over
the world. The most frequently asked question is, “When will your siddur
be published?”. <br><br>
There are a number of people, who believe that within 10 years or so, the
nusach of this siddur, will replace the versions of Nusach Ashkenaz
(which in reality is Nusach Lita) presently on the market. If one asks
leading rabbonim, they will tell you that numerous changes and mistakes
have crept into the text. <br><br>
One example: the twelfth brocho of the weekday Amidoh, in most siddurim
is begins with “V’Lamalshinim”. We know that Shmuel HaKoton who
composed the brocho, wrote “LaMehshumodim” instead. The text was changed
in order to spare Jews from governmental punishment. Does anyone believe
that nowadays the text must still be “V’Lamalshinim” to spare Jews from
being arrested or worse? Of course not!<br><br>
I have attempted to replicate, to the best of my ability, the nusach
going back to the period of the Rishonim. <br><br>
As far as those who say, “Why should I care I’m not a German Jew?”. As
HoRav Hamburger says, “If you are from Europe and you label yourself and
Ashkenazi, far enough back, you are a German Jew!”.<br><br>
I look forward to your reply! <br><br>
Rallis Wiesenthal<br><br>
<br>
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