Az Yashir Moshe was edited by Jay Michaelson, the founding editor of Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture and the author of several books, including God in Your Body: Kabbalah, Mindfulness, and Embodied Spiritual Practice. The original design of the bencher was by Aliza Dzik, who has designed books for Penguin Group and other leading publishing houses. The second edition was typeset by Jerusalem Typesetting.

Dedicated to the memory of Matt Eisenfeld (SY '93) and infused with the values of the diverse Yale community, Az Yashir Moshe offers the most complete selection of traditional zmirot, Israeli songs, and niggunim, beautifully designed for readers of all levels of Jewish learning.

Az Yashir Moshe was designed with the following goals in mind:

1. Ease of use. The bencher is designed to be beautiful, yet accessible to all, regardless of Jewish background. Every line of liturgy and song is linearly transliterated and every line of liturgy and song is clearly and poetically translated, helping people of all faiths and backgrounds appreciate the beauty of Jewish poetic-religious literature. Clear instructions are provided for all brachot, including the special additions for simchas and holidays. And the second edition is set in large, easy-to-read fonts.

2. Pluralism. Az Yashir Moshe includes the full, traditional benching, but also includes opportunities to add egalitarian liturgy and new blessings. It includes a complete set of traditional zmirot (hymns) yet also includes over thirty pages of Israeli songs. It includes a full seudah shlishit section, the first of its kind in a mass-produced bencher. And we have included Sephardic songs, Yiddish songs, even songs of Yale, to fully reflect the diversity that makes the Yale Jewish community such a wonderful microcosm of klal yisrael as a whole.

3. Respect for Jewish poetry. Az Yashir Moshe is focused on the beauty of text, both as a bearer of meaning and as a physical object. There are no illustrations; the book is intended to be beautiful, elegant, and simple.

4. Preserving the memory of Matt Eisenfeld z"l. Matt died in a 1996 terrorist attack in Israel, but we have tried, in this volume, to create a bencher that is full of joy and love. We have included short excerpts from Matt's writings as a small opportunity for those never had the privilege of knowing Matt to be inspired by his teachings.

5. Accessibility. This is a nonprofit project, thanks to the generosity of a Yale alumnus, who underwrote the publication of the first edition in memory of Dr. Donald. J. Cohen (1940-2001), and our staff of volunteers. This is how we are able to sell a 130-page volume for $6.

For more information on how to order Az Yashir Moshe for your home or simcha, please click here.