In the late 1940s, Paltiel (Phillip) Birnbaum was engaged in preparing an English translation of the daily prayer book. He would frequently visit the late Rabbi Hayim Heller to consult him on specific problems.
Once Reb Hayim asked him, “How do you translate ‘Adon Olam’?”
“It is generally rendered “L-rd of the Universe,” was Birnbaum’s reply.
Reb Hayim Heller became excited. “This rendering is wrong,” he said. “The theme of the entire hymn is centered on the eternity of G-d.”
Accordingly, Birnbaum translated Adon Olam, “Eternal L-rd”. His translation of the Siddur appeared in 1949 under the imprint of the Hebrew Publishing Company. In his introduction Paltiel expressed his grateful acknowledgment to Reb Hayim Heller for his illuminating suggestions.
Paltiel’s association with Reb Hayim Heller and the Hebrew Publishing Company actually began a few years earlier, when he published his abridged version of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah.
The Mishneh Torah, Maimonides’ great classic comprises all Jewish ideals and laws. It is written in a vivid and most lucid style. A long time ago it was widely used. With the passage of time, the Mishneh Torah became the “monopoly” of Talmudic scholars. Birnbaum cherished the idea of making the Rambam accessible to as many people as possible. For this reason he selected the most interesting sections of the Mishneh Torah that are relevant to the present generation from the point of view of Jewish law, ethics, history, philosophy, language, liturgy and custom. He carefully vocalized the Hebrew text and provided it with modern punctuation marks to facilitate a better understanding of the subject matter. On each page glossaries and English explanations were added.
Birnbaum was encouraged in this endeavor by Reb Hayim Heller who told him that for many years he had been urged by Hayim Nachman Bialik to prepare an abridged, popular version of the Rambam but somehow he never came to do it.
Birnbaum’s edition of the Mishneh Torah was published in 1944. It was widely acclaimed by rabbis, scholars, teachers and laymen. The book used in Jewish schools and colleges all over the world has had several editions.
It was soon after its appearance that Birnbaum was asked to prepare a new translation of the Siddur. At first he hesitated to undertake this task, but after looking at some of the then available Siddur translations, he became convinced of the desirability of a new one. Some of the previous translations had followed the King James version of the Biblical passages of the Siddur. The King James version is not only archaic, but being a gentile product is devoid of Jewish spirituality. and the translations of the siddur which followed it, displayed invariably these defects.
“Reading those translations, you feel as one walking on stilts. They seem so unnatural,: Birnbaum told me.
“The Siddur is the only Jewish book, many of our people ever take into their hands and from its translation they generally learn all they know about Judaism. I felt sad at the thought of them acquiring their knowledge from translations, conveying nothing of the beauty of our faith and prayers.”
Birnbaum set out to revitalize the translation of the Siddur. He accomplished his task superbly. His translations are beautiful, modern, easy to read and to understand. On each page he added footnotes relating to the origins of the prayers and their full meaning.
The Siddur was well received and soon Birnbaum was commissioned to prepare a variety of other translations. He has translated the Machzor for the High Holidays, (both the Ashkenazic and the Sephardic versions) the Ethics of the Fathers, the Passover Haggadah and the Selichot. His Siddur and Machzor are used throughout the English speaking world, including also the State of Israel.