Copies of “The Koren Shavuot Maḥzor,” which include an introduction, translation, and commentary by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. Photo: Koren Publishers.

JNS.org – Ahead of June’s Jewish holiday of Shavuot, Jerusalem-based Koren Publishers has announced a new partnership with the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) that will include the RCA’s endorsement on all-new editions of Koren’s English-Hebrew maḥzor (holiday prater book) series. The new partnership begins with the release of the latest addition to the maḥzor set,“The Koren Shavuot Maḥzor,” with an introduction, translation, and commentary by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth.

“We are thrilled and honored to work together with the RCA,” said Matthew Miller, Koren’s publisher. “There’s no better time to launch this partnership than right before Shavuot, a time when we receive the Torah anew and rejoice in the spiritual and intellectual gift that the Jewish people has been given.”

The RCA’s constituency includes more than 1,000 Orthodox rabbinical leaders in North America.

“As one of the key bodies representing North American Orthodox Jewry and outstanding rabbinic personalities, we believe this collaboration is the perfect fit for synagogues that wish to enrich their community’s tefillah (prayer) experience,” said Rabbi Mark Dratch, executive vice president of the RCA. “We look forward to working with Koren’s team on developing siddurim and mahzorim together.”

Like the other prayer books in Koren’s growing collection, the new RCA-endorsed Shavuot mahzor includes essays and commentary on the themes and concepts of the holiday by Sacks, translations of the entire prayer service, relevant Torah readings, and prayers for the Israeli and American governments.