In its lush, hushed green setting, Temple B'nai Or in Morristown seems an apt place for contemplation, and Rabbi Donald Rossoff, who leads the congregation, answered questions about his new children's book with a meditative calm embodying that state of quiet reflection.

"Hmm," he murmured, considering what makes for good storytelling. "I think it's about putting a human face to an idea."

The Perfect Prayer, published by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations' UAHC Press in New York, does just that. With its lyrical illustrations by Tammy L. Keiser, the book presents a play on the sounds "sh," "mm," and "ah" to make up the word "Sh'ma" and the attention, thoughtfulness, and awe that the prayer conveys. Rossoff, a genial man with round cheeks and a ready smile, said the book grew out of a sermon he composed for a Rosh Hashana family service at the synagogue.

"I wish I knew where I first heard that idea," he said. The rabbi who he thought had given him the drash (interpretation) denied ever hearing it. Rossoff questioned friends who share his dual passions for music and storytelling; many knew of the conceit, but none knew where it came from. In the end, the origin didn't matter so much as what Rossoff — or, as he says, his audience — made of it. His particular midrash (creative interpretation) on the drash clad the concept in a delightful cast of characters made up of a queen and her three wise advisers.

It's characteristic of Rossoff's approach that the main character is female, rather than the usual king. "In all these stories, it's a man," he said. "Why not have a woman? In many hasidic stories, the king is synonymous with God, so maybe the queen is God also. None of the children seemed to have any problem with that." Keiser's slightly childlike illustrations add a mystical touch to that feminism — an expansion he accepted with delight.

Though clearly traditional in many of his values, Rossoff has a respect for women — both contemporary and biblical — as prime movers. "My wife, Fran, is extraordinary. I could have spent much longer talking about her," he mentioned in an aside, after describing one of his favorite projects: tracing the line of proactive biblical women leading up to the Exodus.

In The Perfect Prayer, the queen asks her advisers for the sound of a prayer that would open their hearts to God. She takes all three answers and combines them into "Sh'ma."

The queen, her creator explained, "has the overarching wisdom to see that the combination is more holy" than its parts. Like a perfect mother, she makes the process of composing the prayer synergistic rather than competitive, an approach the rabbi clearly favors in his own undertakings. His other creative ventures include a number of collaborations in writing and in music.

Rossoff's mother died when he was four, three years after his father, and he was brought up in St. Paul, Minn., by what he describes as a wonderful grandmother and grandfather. He studied at Northwestern University in Chicago, where he met his wife. They have two sons, 17 and 12, and two daughters, 16 and 14.

Asked why he became a rabbi, given his love of storytelling and flute-playing, Rossoff drifted for a moment with characteristic ambient calm before answering. "I think I wanted a career that was a life, not just a living," he said. "I wanted to use my music but not depend on it, and to be involved with intellectual and human issues. I wanted to help people — and be paid for it," he added with a grin.

He is getting to do all that. A song and two melodies he cowrote with other musicians have been adopted by congregations around the country, Jewish and Christian. His retelling of a talmudic tale appears in the book Chosen Tales: Stories Told by Jewish Storytellers, and he is gathering material he has written to answer questions about family life and relationships submitted to the "Ask the Rabbi" segment of UAHC's Web site. He is also working on another children's book, this one with a Hanukka theme about the littlest vessel of oil and how it too helped bring light to the world.

Being creative, Rossoff suggested, "is not making something from nothing. Rather, it's taking the raw materials that are there and instilling order and coherence." He paused, his "hmm" indicating he was thinking about that little vessel and its role in his literary cosmos.

Elaine Durbach can be reached at .