The Siddur That Saved A Life An extract from In Search of
Holiness, a newly published collection of writings of the late
Rabbi Ephraim Gastwirth. Follow The JC on Twitter The real
sermons in life, those which have the greatest impact, are not
those which are delivered from the lofty tower of a pulpit to a
congregation who are, for the most part, disinclined to be
influenced by what they hear. The effective sermons are those
that take us unawares, sideways, without our realizing that we
are listening to something that will change our lives. Such a
sermon came to me in Shul, but it was not from the Rabbi, nor
was it spoken from the pulpit. It came from my neighbour and it
was delivered off the cuff, in a bitter tone and during the
service! He occupied the seat next to mine, and he used to pray
in an old and somewhat battered pocket Siddur, the pages of
which often drifted to the floor, so that he had to wriggle
under the seat to retrieve them. Once, somewhat irritated by
these manoeuverings, I presumed to sugge