Academic literature on the topic 'Alenu (Jewish prayer)'

Aleinu, a prayer that initially left us with questions, contains interesting qualities. It comprises the text that has changed its tone over generations. Having become more peaceful and perhaps accepting, Aleinu has kept its power to bind Jewish people together as a reminder to praise God collectively. Co-existence of both particularistic and universalistic themes in such a short piece of liturgy is quite a powerful thing. While preserving the very kernel of Jewish theology (oneness of God and His connection with Jewish people) the text of Aleinu goes further and suggests a very brave idea which signifies an ability of all to understand universal ethics. The historic association of Aleinu with stoicism of Jewish people in the face of tragedy creates an additional dimension for understanding of the meaning of the prayer as a source of hope and comfort. When S. Sulzer created his light melody the most communities know today, he realized the re-assuring spiritual potential of Aleinu.

The image of the non-Jewish Other stands at the center of the ancient Jewish prayer, Alenu. In it, the Other is contrasted with the Jews as the only worshipers of the true God. Alenu juxtaposes the correctness of Israel’s religion with the erroneousness of the Other’s religion. Jewish interpretations of Alenu, over time and across various geographical locations, form an interesting bellwether of Jewish approaches to the Other in general. The earliest versions of the prayer – in the Hekhalot Literature and in the Rosh ha-shanah liturgy – did not shy away from the severe image of the Other. The medieval commentators too continued the trend of acknowledging the anti-Other content of Alenu in a straightforward way and several medieval versions even amplified the negative image. Beginning with the early modern period however, and the commencement of even partial acceptance of Jews into non-Jewish society, all of the commentaries attempted to diminish that negative image to one degree or another. Contemporary Jewish commentaries produced for popular audiences (and some produced for academic audiences) softened the image of the Other in their interpretations of Alenu and all of the prayer books produced for contemporary American Jews that were surveyed similarly played down the negative depiction of the Other in this prayer. All of these trends in the way Jewish interpreters viewed the non-Jewish Other reflected the Jewish perception of non-Jews in the various periods.