A siddur ( ''sīddūr'', ; plural siddurim ) is a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
prayer book
A prayer book is a book containing prayers and perhaps devotional readings, for private or communal use, or in some cases, outlining the liturgy of religious services. Books containing mainly orders of religious services, or readings for them are ...
containing a set order of
daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.'
Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among
Sephardi Jews
Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
, ''tefillah'' among
German Jews
The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...
, and ''tiklāl'' () among
Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews, also known as Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ; ), are a Jewish diaspora group who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. After several waves of antisemitism, persecution, the vast majority ...
.
History
The earliest parts of
Jewish prayer
Jewish prayer (, ; plural ; , plural ; Yinglish: davening from Yiddish 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the ' ...
books are the ''
Shema Yisrael
''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; , “Hear, O Israel”) is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. Its first verse encapsulates the monothe ...
'' ("Hear O Israel") (
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy (; ) is the fifth book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called () which makes it the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament.
Chapters 1–30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to ...
6:4 ''et seq'') and the
Priestly Blessing
The Priestly Blessing or priestly benediction (; translit. ''birkat kohanim''), also known in rabbinic literature as raising of the hands (Hebrew ''nesiat kapayim''), rising to the platform (Hebrew ''aliyah ledukhan''), ''dukhenen'' (Yiddish fro ...
(
Numbers
A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The most basic examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...
6:24-26), which are in the
Torah
The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
. A set of eighteen (currently nineteen) blessings called the ''Shemoneh Esreh'' or the ''
Amidah
The ''Amidah'' (, ''Tefilat HaAmidah'', 'The Standing Prayer'), also called the ''Shemoneh Esreh'' ( 'eighteen'), is the central prayer of Jewish liturgy. Observant Jews recite the ''Amidah'' during each of the three services prayed on week ...
'' (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
, "standing
rayer), is traditionally ascribed to the
Great Assembly
According to Jewish tradition the Great Assembly (, also translated as Great Synagogue or ''Synod'') was an assembly of possibly 120 scribes, sages, and prophets, which existed from the early Second Temple period (around 516 BCE) to the early He ...
in the time of
Ezra
Ezra ( fl. fifth or fourth century BCE) is the main character of the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible, he was an important Jewish scribe (''sofer'') and priest (''kohen'') in the early Second Temple period. In the Greek Septuagint, t ...
, at the end of the biblical period.
The name ''Shemoneh Esreh'', literally "eighteen", is a historical anachronism, since it now contains nineteen blessings. It was only near the end of the
Second Temple period
The Second Temple period or post-exilic period in Jewish history denotes the approximately 600 years (516 BCE – 70 CE) during which the Second Temple stood in the city of Jerusalem. It began with the return to Zion and subsequent reconstructio ...
that the eighteen prayers of the weekday Amidah became standardized. Even at that time their precise wording and order was not yet fixed, and varied from locale to locale. Many modern scholars believe that parts of the Amidah came from the
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
apocrypha
Apocrypha () are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity. In Christianity, the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to ...
l work
Ben Sira.
According to the
Talmud
The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
, soon after the destruction of the
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Accord ...
a formal version of the Amidah was adopted at a rabbinical council in
Yavne
Yavne () is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel. In 2022, it had a population of 56,232.
Modern Yavne was established in 1949. It is located near the ruins of the ancient town of Yibna (known also as Jamnia and Jab ...
, under the leadership of
Gamaliel II
Rabban Gamaliel II (also spelled Gamliel; ; before –) was a rabbi from the second generation of tannaim. He was the first person to lead the Sanhedrin as '' nasi'' after the fall of the Second Temple in 70 CE.
He was the son of Shimon ben G ...
and his colleagues. However, the precise wording was still left open. The order, general ideas, opening and closing lines were fixed. Most of the wording was left to the individual reader. It was not until several centuries later that the prayers began to be formally fixed. By the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
the texts of the prayers were nearly fixed, and in the form in which they are still used today, albeït with significant variations across communities.
The Siddur was printed by
Soncino in Italy as early as 1486, though a Siddur was first mass-distributed only in 1865.
The Siddur began appearing in the
vernacular
Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...
as early as 1538.
The first English
translation
Translation is the communication of the semantics, meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The English la ...
was published in London in 1738 by an author writing under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
Gamaliel ben Pedahzur; a different translation was released in the United States in 1837.
Creation
Readings from the
Torah
The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
(five books of Moses) and the
Nevi'im
The (; ) is the second major division of the Hebrew Bible (the ''Tanakh''), lying between the () and (). The Nevi'im are divided into two groups. The Former Prophets ( ) consists of the narrative books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings ...
("Prophets") form part of the prayer services. To this framework various Jewish sages added, from time to time, various prayers, and, for festivals especially, numerous hymns.
The earliest existing codification of the prayerbook was drawn up by
Amram ben Sheshna of
Sura Academy
Sura Academy () was a Jewish yeshiva located in Sura in what is now southern Iraq, a region known in Jewish texts as "Babylonia". With Pumbedita Academy, it was one of the two major Jewish academies from the year 225 CE at the beginning of the ...
in
Sawad, the
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...
, an area known as "Babylonia" in Jewish texts, about 850 CE (''Seder Rav ʿAmram''). Half a century later,
Saadia Gaon
Saʿadia ben Yosef Gaon (892–942) was a prominent rabbi, Geonim, gaon, Jews, Jewish philosopher, and exegesis, exegete who was active in the Abbasid Caliphate.
Saadia is the first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Judeo-Arabic ...
, also of Sura, composed a siddur (see
Siddur of Saadia Gaon
A siddur ( ''sīddūr'', ; plural siddurim ) is a Judaism, Jewish prayer book containing a set order of List of Jewish prayers and blessings, daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.'
Other terms for prayer books a ...
), in which the rubrical matter is in
Judeo-Arabic
Judeo-Arabic (; ; ) sometimes referred as Sharh, are a group of different ethnolects within the branches of the Arabic language used by jewish communities. Although Jewish use of Arabic, which predates Islam, has been in some ways distinct ...
. These were the basis of
Simhah ben Samuel of Vitry's 11th century ''Machzor Vitry'', which was based on the ideas of his teacher,
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; ; 13 July 1105) was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. He is commonly known by the List of rabbis known by acronyms, Rabbinic acronym Rashi ().
Born in Troyes, Rashi stud ...
. Another formulation of the prayers was that appended by
Maimonides
Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...
to the Book of Love in his ''
Mishneh Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' (), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' (), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''halakha'') authored by Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon/Rambam). The ''Mishneh Torah'' was compiled between 1170 and 1180 CE ( ...
'': this forms the basis of the
Yemenite liturgy, and has had some influence on other rites. From this point forward all Jewish prayerbooks had the same basic order and contents.
Two authoritative versions of the Ashkenazi siddur were those of Shabbetai Sofer in the 16th century and Seligman Baer in the 19th century; siddurim have also been published reflecting the views of
Jacob Emden
Jacob Emden, also known as the Yaʿavetz (June 4, 1697 – April 19, 1776), was a leading German rabbi and talmudist who championed traditional Judaism in the face of the growing influence of the Sabbatean movement. He was widely acclaimed for ...
and the
Vilna Gaon
Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman''), also known as the Vilna Gaon ( ''Der Vilner Goen''; ; or Elijah of Vilna, or by his Hebrew acronym Gr"a ("Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu": "Our great teacher Elijah"; Sialiec, April 23, 172 ...
.
Different Jewish rites

There are differences among, amongst others, the
Sephardic
Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
(including
Spanish and Portuguese and
Mizrachim),
Teimani (Yemenite),
Hasidic
Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...
,
Ashkenazic (divided into German, Polish and other European and eastern-European rites),
Bené Roma or Italkim,
Romaniote (Greek, once extending to Turkey, Crimea and the southern Italian peninsula) and also
Persian,
Kurdish,
Bukharian,
Georgian,
Mountain Jewish,
Ethiopian
Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
and
Cochin-Jewish liturgies. Most of these are slight differences in the wording of the prayers; for instance, Oriental Sephardic and some Hasidic prayer books state "חננו מאתך חכמה בינה ודעת", "Graciously bestow upon us from You wisdom (''
ḥochmah''), understanding (''
binah'') and knowledge (''
daat'')", in allusion to the
Kabbalistic sefirot
Sefirot (; , plural of ), meaning '' emanations'', are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah, through which Ein Sof ("infinite space") reveals itself and continuously creates both the physical realm and the seder hishtalshelut (the chained ...
of those names, while the Nusach Ashkenaz, as well as
Western Sephardic and other Hasidic versions retain the older wording "חננו מאתך דעה בינה והשכל", "Graciously bestow upon us from You knowledge, understanding, and reason". In some cases, however, the order of the preparation for the Amidah is drastically different, reflecting the different halakhic and kabbalistic formulae that the various scholars relied on in assembling their prayer books, as well as the
minhagim, or customs, or their locales.
Some forms of the Sephardic rite are considered to be very overtly
kabbalistic, depending on how far they reflect the ritual of
Isaac Luria
Isaac ben Solomon Ashkenazi Luria (; #FINE_2003, Fine 2003, p24/ref>July 25, 1572), commonly known in Jewish religious circles as Ha'ari, Ha'ari Hakadosh or Arizal, was a leading rabbi and Jewish mysticism, Jewish mystic in the community of Saf ...
(see
Lurianic Kabbalah
Lurianic Kabbalah is a school of Kabbalah named after Isaac Luria (1534–1572), the Jewish rabbi who developed it. Lurianic Kabbalah gave a seminal new account of Kabbalistic thought that its followers synthesised with, and read into, the earli ...
). This is partly because the
Tetragrammaton
The TetragrammatonPronounced ; ; also known as the Tetragram. is the four-letter Hebrew-language theonym (transliteration, transliterated as YHWH or YHVH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four Hebrew letters, written and read from ...
frequently appears with varying vowel points beneath the letters (unpronounced, but to be meditated upon) and different
Names of God
There are various names of God, many of which enumerate the various Quality (philosophy), qualities of a Supreme Being. The English word ''God (word), god'' (and its equivalent in other languages) is used by multiple religions as a noun to ref ...
appear in small print within the final hei (ה) of the Tetragrammaton. In some editions, there is a Psalm in the preparations for the
Amidah
The ''Amidah'' (, ''Tefilat HaAmidah'', 'The Standing Prayer'), also called the ''Shemoneh Esreh'' ( 'eighteen'), is the central prayer of Jewish liturgy. Observant Jews recite the ''Amidah'' during each of the three services prayed on week ...
that is printed in the outline of a
menorah, and the worshipper meditates on this shape as he recites the psalm.
While the Ashkenazic rite does contain some kabbalistic elements, such as acrostics and allusions to the sefirot ("To You, God, is the greatness
edullah and the might
evurah and the glory
iferet longevity
etzach..." etc.), these are not easily seen unless the reader is already initiated. It is notable that although many other traditions avoid using the poem
Anim Zemiroth on the Sabbath, for fear that its holiness would be less appreciated due to the frequency of the Sabbath, the poem is usually sung by Ashkenazi congregations before concluding the Sabbath
Musaf service with the daily psalm. The ark is opened for the duration of the song.
Hasidim, though usually ethnically Ashkenazi, usually use liturgies with varying degrees of Sephardic influence, such as
Nusach Sefard and
Nusach Ari, in order to follow the order of the prayers set by
Rabbi Isaac Luria, often called "Ari HaKadosh", or "The Holy Lion". Although the Ari himself was born Ashkenazi, he borrowed many elements from Sephardi and other traditions, since he felt that they followed Kabbalah and
Halacha
''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mi ...
more faithfully. The Ari did not publish any siddur, but orally transmitted his particular usages to his students with interpretations and certain meditations. Many siddurim containing some form of the Sephardic rite together with the usages of the Ari were published, both by actual Sephardic communities and for the use of Hasidim and other Ashkenazim interested in Kabbalah. In 1803, Rabbi
Schneur Zalman of Liadi compiled an authoritative siddur from the sixty siddurim that he checked for compliance with Hebrew grammar, Jewish law, and Kabbalah: some call this siddur "Nusach Ari", and is used by
Lubavitch Hasidim. Those that use Nusach HaAri claim that it is an all-encompassing nusach that is valid for any Jew, no matter what his ancestral tribe or identity, a view attributed to the
Maggid of Mezeritch.
The
Mahzor of each rite is distinguished by hymns (''
piyyut
A piyyuṭ (plural piyyuṭim, ; from ) is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Most piyyuṭim are in Mishnaic Hebrew or Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, and most follow some p ...
im''). The most important writers are
Jose ben Jose, probably in the 4th-5th century CE, chiefly known for his compositions for
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...
and
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October.
For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...
;
Yannai;
Eleazar Kalir, the founder of the payyetanic style, perhaps in the 7th century;
Saadia Gaon
Saʿadia ben Yosef Gaon (892–942) was a prominent rabbi, Geonim, gaon, Jews, Jewish philosopher, and exegesis, exegete who was active in the Abbasid Caliphate.
Saadia is the first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Judeo-Arabic ...
; the Spanish school, consisting of
Joseph ibn Abitur
Joseph ibn Abitur was a Spanish rabbi of around the 10th century. He was a student of Moses ben Hanoch.
Abitur was from a very prestigious Spanish family from the city of Mérida. His great great grandfather was a communal and Rabbinic leader. ...
(died in 970),
ibn Gabirol,
Isaac Gayyath,
Moses ibn Ezra,
Abraham ibn Ezra
Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra (, often abbreviated as ; ''Ibrāhim al-Mājid ibn Ezra''; also known as Abenezra or simply ibn Ezra, 1089 / 1092 – 27 January 1164 / 23 January 1167)''Jewish Encyclopedia''online; '' Chambers Biographical Dictionar ...
and
Judah ha-Levi, Moses ben Nahman (
Nahmanides
Moses ben Nachman ( ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ramban (; ) and by the contemporary nickname Bonastruc ça Porta (; l ...
) and
Isaac Luria
Isaac ben Solomon Ashkenazi Luria (; #FINE_2003, Fine 2003, p24/ref>July 25, 1572), commonly known in Jewish religious circles as Ha'ari, Ha'ari Hakadosh or Arizal, was a leading rabbi and Jewish mysticism, Jewish mystic in the community of Saf ...
; and the Ashkenazic and French schools including
Shimon bar Yitzchak,
Meir bar Yitzchak and many others.
The
Ari recited only early piyyutim, such as those by
Eleazar Kalir, but did not like the Sephardic piyyutim. Therefore, on holidays he would daven (recite the prescribed liturgical prayers) with Ashkenazim—as opposed to his practice the rest of the year to daven with Sephardim—in order to recite their piyyutim, which include many more earlier piyyutim. For this reason, many Hasidim (such Belz and Viznitz) recite many piyyutim on Yom Tov and the sabbaths of the four special portions preceding
Passover
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt.
According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...
in accordance with the practice of the Ari. However, in Sephardic communities which accepted most of the practices of the Ari, they never accepted the Ashkenazic piyyutim.
Complete and weekday siddurim
Some siddurim have only prayers for weekdays; others have prayers for weekdays and
Shabbat
Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...
. Many have prayers for weekdays, Shabbat, and the
three Biblical festivals,
Sukkot
Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths, is a Torah-commanded Jewish holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which Israelite ...
(the feast of Tabernacles),
Shavuot
(, from ), or (, in some Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi usage), is a Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday, one of the biblically ordained Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan; in the 21st century, it may ...
(the feast of weeks) and
Pesach
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt.
According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...
(Passover). The latter are referred to as a ''Siddur Shalem'' ("complete siddur").
Variations and additions on holidays
* There are many additional liturgical variations and additions to the siddur for the ''Yamim Noraim'' (The "Days of Awe"; High Holy Days, i.e. ''Rosh HaShanah'' and ''Yom Kippur''). As such, a special siddur has developed for just this period, known as a ''
mahzor'' (also: ''machzor''). The ''mahzor'' contains not only the basic liturgy, but also many ''piyyutim'', Hebrew liturgical poems. Sometimes the term ''mahzor'' is also used for the prayer books for the
Three Pilgrimage Festivals
The Three Pilgrimage Festivals or Three Pilgrim Festivals, sometimes known in English by their Hebrew name ''Shalosh Regalim'' (, or ), are three major festivals in Judaism—two in spring; Passover, 49 days later Shavuot (literally 'weeks', or ...
, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot.
* On ''
Tisha b'Av
Tisha B'Av ( ; , ) is an annual fast day in Judaism. A commemoration of a number of disasters in Jewish history, primarily the destruction of both Solomon's Temple by the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Second Temple by the Roman Empire in Jerusal ...
'', a special siddur is used that includes the text of the
Book of Lamentations
The Book of Lamentations (, , from its incipit meaning "how") is a collection of poetic laments for the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. In the Hebrew Bible, it appears in the Ketuvim ("Writings") as one of the Five Megillot ("Five Scroll ...
, the
Torah
The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
and
Haftarah
The ''haftara'' or (in Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazic pronunciation) ''haftorah'' (alt. ''haftarah, haphtara'', ) "parting," "taking leave" (plural form: ''haftarot'' or ''haftoros''), is a series of selections from the books of ''Nevi'im'' ("Pr ...
readings for that day, and ''
Kinnot
Kinnot (; also kinnos, kinoth, qinot, qinoth; singular kinah, qinah or kinnah) are Hebrew dirges (sad poems) or elegies. The term is used to refer both to dirges in the Hebrew Bible, and also to later poems which are traditionally recited by Jews ...
'' or special mournful piyyutim for that day. This siddur is usually called "''Kinot''" as well. Traditionally, every year many Jews hope that the
Messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; ,
; ,
; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...
will come and the
Third Temple
The "Third Temple" (, , ) refers to a hypothetical rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. It would succeed the First Temple and the Second Temple, the former having been destroyed during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in and the latter having bee ...
will be rebuilt, so ''Tisha b'Av'' will not happen again. So after the fast ends, many traditions place their ''Kinot'' siddurim in a ''
geniza'', or a burial place for sacred texts.
Popular siddurim
Below are listed many popular siddurim used by religious Jews. This list mostly excludes prayer books specifically for the High Holidays; see
Machzor (Popular versions).
Ashkenazi Orthodox
*
Siddur Avodat HaLev', ed. Rabbi Basil Herring (the new siddur from the
Rabbinical Council of America
The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union (OU). ...
, published 2018)
* ''The
Authorised Daily Prayer Book'' (also known as the "Hertz Siddur"), ed.
Joseph Hertz. NY, Block Publ'g Co., rev. ed. 1948. (an annotated edition of "
Singer
Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...
's Prayer Book" of 1890)(Hebrew-English)
*
Siddur Ha-Shalem' (also known as the ''Birnbaum Siddur'') Ed.
Philip Birnbaum. The Hebrew Publishing Company. (Hebrew-English)
* ''The Metsudah Siddur: A New Linear Prayer Book'' Ziontalis. (Hebrew-English)
* ''The Authorised Daily Prayer Book of the British Commonwealth'', translation by Chief Rabbi Sir
Jonathan Sacks (the new version of "
Singer
Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...
's Prayer Book") (Hebrew-English)
* ''The
Artscroll Siddur'', Mesorah Publications (multiple editions, including an interlinear translation) (Hebrew, Hebrew-English, Hebrew-Russian, Hebrew-Spanish, Hebrew-French) The "great innovation" of the Artscroll was that it was the first siddur that "made it possible for even a neophyte
ba’al teshuvah (returnee to the faith) to function gracefully in the act of prayer, bowing at the correct junctures, standing, sitting and stepping back" at the correct place in the service.
* ''Siddu
Saffah Berurah' and
Sfat Emet', also known as the
Rodelheim Siddur. Edited by
Wolf Heidenheim and in use in many editions for the last two hundred years, and they are still used in many
Yekkish communities. In the same general family is the
Siddur Avodat Yisrael', edited by
Seligman Baer
Seligman (Isaac) Baer (1825–1897) was a Masoretic text, Masoretic scholar, and an editor of the Hebrew Bible and of the Siddur, Jewish liturgy. He was born in Mosbach, the northern district of Biebrich, on 18 September 1825 and died at Biebric ...
; the siddur contains the piyyutim for shabbatot, and there are two version containing the piyyutim of the Western and Eastern Ashkenazic rites.
* ''Siddur
Rinat Yisrael'', ''Hotsa'at Moreshet'',
Bnei Brak
Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...
, Israel. (In a number of versions, popular in Israel.) (Hebrew)
* ''Siddur Siach Yitzchak'' (Hebrew and Dutch), Nederlands-Israelitisch Kerkgenootschap, Amsterdam 1975 (in a number of editions since 1975)
* ''Siddur Tefilas Kol Peh'' (Hebrew)
* ''Siddur Tefilas Sh'ai'', Feldheim Publishers : Israel/New York (Hebrew)
* ''Siddur HaGra'' (reflecting views of the
Vilna Gaon
Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman''), also known as the Vilna Gaon ( ''Der Vilner Goen''; ; or Elijah of Vilna, or by his Hebrew acronym Gr"a ("Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu": "Our great teacher Elijah"; Sialiec, April 23, 172 ...
)
* ''Siddur Aliyos Eliyahu'' (Popular among followers of the Vilna Gaon who live in Israel and abroad) (Hebrew)
* ''Siddur Ezor Eliyahu'' - An attempt to reconstruct the actual Nusach of the
Vilna Gaon
Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman''), also known as the Vilna Gaon ( ''Der Vilner Goen''; ; or Elijah of Vilna, or by his Hebrew acronym Gr"a ("Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu": "Our great teacher Elijah"; Sialiec, April 23, 172 ...
* ''Siddur Kol Bo'' (Hebrew)
* ''
Koren Sacks Siddur'' (Hebrew-English),
Koren Publishers Jerusalem: based on latest Singer's prayer book, above (described as the first siddur to "pose a fresh challenge to the ArtScroll dominance.")
* Siddu
''Nehalel beShabbat'' the complete ''Shabbat'' siddur in the projected siddur ''Nehalel'' series (Nevarech Press, Hebrew and English), which contain photographs juxtaposed with the text to depict its meaning and enhance ''
kavanah'', a central requirement of authentic prayer.
* A rendering of both the siddur and the entire high holy day prayer book into English rhymed verse has been made by Rabbi Dr. Jeffrey M Cohen. The Siddur in Poetry (London, Gnesia Publications, 2012) and The Machzor in Poetry (London, Gnesia Publications, 2012).
Hasidic
Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...
or
Nusach Sefard Siddurim
Seder Hatefillah Zolkeve 1781. This is the siddur of the Kloyze in Brod, and is arguably the first Nusach Sefard siddur.
* "Siddur Tefilah Yesharah," first published circa 1800, was later reprinted with the early Hasidic commentary "Keser Nehora" by Rabbi Aharon Hakohen (Katz) of Zhelichov. This became known as the "Berditchever Siddur." (The commentary received approbations from early Hasidic luminaries Rabbi
Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, the
Maggid of Kozhnitz, the
Seer of Lublin
Yaakov Yitzchak HaLevi Horowitz (), known as "the Seer of Lublin" (), ''ha-Chozeh MiLublin''; (c. 1745 - August 15, 1815) was a Chasidic Judaism, Hasidic rebbe from Poland.
"Rabbi Yaacov Yitzchak, the Chozeh of Lublin, is one of the truly beloved ...
, and the non-Hasidic Chief Rabbi of Lublin.) The Berditchever Siddur has been reprinted many times, more recently by Rabbi Meir Yechezkel Weiner (Jerusalem 2011) and Pe’er (Kiryas Joel 2015).
* ''Beis Aharon V'Yisrael'' is the second published siddur ever produced by
Karliner Chassidim. It superseded ''Siddur Beis Aharon V'Yisrael'' published by Rebbe Yochanan Perlow (1900–1956).
* ''The Breslov Siddur'' published in a 2014 hardcover edition (828 pages in length) is one of the few Hasidic siddurim available in an English language translation (and contains the original text). Translated by Avraham Sutton and Chaim Kramer. Y. Hall is the editor.
* ''Siddur
Tehillat HaShem'' (the version currently used by
Chabad
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...
), available in a Hebrew-English version. Also available in Hebrew-Russian and Hebrew-German as well as in Hebrew-French, Hebrew-Spanish and Hebrew only.
* ''Siddur Torah Or'' (a previous edition of the Chabad siddur).
* ''Siddur Tefillah La-El Chayi'' (Hebrew-English siddur released in 2014 with commentary based on the teachings of
Nachman of Breslov
Nachman of Breslov ( ''Rabbī'' ''Naḥmān mīBreslev''), also known as Rabbi Nachman of Breslev, Rabbi Nachman miBreslev, Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover ( ''Rebe Nakhmen Breslover''), and Nachman from Uman (April 4, 1772 – O ...
)
* Many publishing houses have Nusach Sefard versions of the siddur, including (among others) ArtScroll, Tefillat Kol Peh, Koren-Sacks and Rinat Yisrael. However, a number of Hasidic groups have published their own variations of Nusach Sefard, including the communities of Spinka, Bobov, Munkatch, Slonim, Vizhnitz, Biala and Boston (who use the nusach of the Berditchever Siddur with a few minor variations). Many Hasidim follow a unique version of Nusach Sefard - for example, all of the branches of
Chernobyl hasidim recite ויקרב קץ משיחיה in the Kaddish. In
Belz
Belz (, ; ; ) is a small city in Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine, located near the border with Poland between the Solokiya River (a tributary of the Bug River) and the Richytsia stream. Belz hosts the administration of Belz urban hromada, one of ...
and
Dushinsky, the
Shemoneh Esrei (except for
kedusha and a few other minor changes) is recited similarly to the Ashkenazic rite.
Italian Rite
1486 Italian Machzor This is the first machzor of any type ever printed.
Machzor Shadal* ''The Complete Italian Rite Machazor'' (3 vols.)
* ''Mahzor Ke-Minhag Roma'', ed.
Robert Bonfil, Jerusalem 2012,
* Angelo Piattelli and Hillel Sermoneta (eds.), Seder Tefilloth ke-minhag benè Roma, Jerusalem 2014. A full set of Machzorim is also availabl
here
Romaniote Rite
* The Romaniote Rite, 2017/18 (a series containing the Siddur, Piyyutim, the Haftarot readings and a
Haggadah
The Haggadah (, "telling"; plural: Haggadot) is a foundational Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. According to Jewish practice, reading the Haggadah at the Seder table fulfills the mitzvah incumbent on every Jew to reco ...
according to the old Romaniote Rite
Romaniote Machzor Venice 1524.
Romaniote Machzor Venice 1665. Most of the
piyyutim included in the previous edition have been eliminated.
* "Mekor Chayim: A Reform Liturgy for Erev Shabbat Based on the Romaniote Rite", Greenberg, Yonatan, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, 236 pages, 2018.
Sephardic
Israel and diaspora
* ''Siddur
Rinat Yisrael Sephardic
Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
and Edot ha-Mizrach Nusach'' edited by Rabbi
Amram Aburbeh. (Hebrew, big clear modern Hebrew fonts)
=Israeli, following Rabbi
Ovadia Yosef
Ovadia Yosef (, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013) also known as Maran (Hebrew language, Hebrew: מרן) "Our Master", was an History of the Jews in Iraq#Otoman rule, Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, hakham, posek, and the Sephardi Jews, Sephar ...
=
These siddurim follow the
halakha
''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...
of Rabbi
Ovadia Yosef
Ovadia Yosef (, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013) also known as Maran (Hebrew language, Hebrew: מרן) "Our Master", was an History of the Jews in Iraq#Otoman rule, Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, hakham, posek, and the Sephardi Jews, Sephar ...
(1920–2013) a
Talmud
The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
ic scholar, and
authority
Authority is commonly understood as the legitimate power of a person or group of other people.
In a civil state, ''authority'' may be practiced by legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government,''The New Fontana Dictionary of M ...
on Jewish religious law, and spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-orthodox
Shas
Shas () is a Haredi Judaism, Haredi religious List of political parties in Israel, political party in Israel. Founded in 1984 by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former Israeli Sephardic Jews, Sephardi chief rabbi, who remained its spiritual leader until ...
party. Yosef believed that the Sephardic halakhic tradition favoured leniency, and these principles are reflected in his siddurim.
please note, these siddurim are also for the Edot Ha-mizrach communities.
* ''Ohr V’Derech Sephardic Siddur''
* ''Siddur Yeḥavveh Daat''
* ''Siddur Avodat Ha-shem''
* ''Siddur Ḥazon Ovadia''
* ''Siddur L'maan Shmo''
* ''Siddur Ha-Miforash Kavanat Halev''
Sephardic Women's Siddur
Some notable editions are:
* ''Avodat Hashem -l'bat yisrael- with psalms''
* ''Ha-Siddur Ha-Meforash Kavanat Halev -l'bat yisrael- with psalms''
* ''Avodah Shebalev- L'bat yisrael- with psalms''
Spanish and Portuguese Jews
''(Characterised by relative absence of
Kabbalistic elements:)''
* ''Book of Prayer of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews’ Congregation, London. Volume One: Daily and occasional prayers.'' Oxford (Oxford Univ. Press,
Vivian Ridler), 5725 - 1965.
*
Book of Prayer: According to the Custom of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews'
David de Sola Pool, New York: Union of Sephardic Congregations, 1960.
Greek, Turkish and Balkan Sephardim
''(Usually characterised by presence of
Kabbalistic elements:)''
* ''Mahzor LeYom Kippur-Proseuchologion tes hemeras tou Exilasmou'' (Hebrew-Greek) According to the Sephardic Rite of Thessalonike, Athens 1969
* ''Siddur Sha'arei Tefillah-Ai Pylai ton Proseuchon'' (Hebrew-Greek) Prayerbook for the whole year, Athens 1974
* ''Siddur Zehut Yosef'' (Daily and Shabbat) According to the Rhodes and Turkish Traditions, Hazzan Isaac Azose, Seattle, Washington: Sephardic Traditions Foundation, 2002
North African Jews
''(Usually characterised by presence of
Kabbalistic elements, except for the Moroccan siddurim which generally contain fewer Kabbalistic elements:)''
* ''Siddur Od Abinu Ḥai'' ed. Levi Nahum: Jerusalem (Hebrew only, Livorno text, Libyan tradition)
* ''Mahzor Od Abinu Ḥai'' ed. Levi Nahum (5 vols.): Jerusalem (Hebrew only, Livorno text, Libyan tradition)
* ''Siddur Vezaraḥ Hashemesh'', ed.
Messas: Jerusalem (Hebrew only, Meknes tradition)
* ''Siddur Ish Matzliaḥ'', ed. Mazuz, Machon ha-Rav Matzliah: B'nei Brak (Hebrew only, Djerba tradition)
* ''Siddur Farḥi'' (Hebrew with Arabic translation, Egypt)
* ''Siddur Tefillat ha-Ḥodesh'', ed. David Levi, Erez : Jerusalem (Hebrew only, Livorno text, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian traditions
* ''Siddur Patah Eliyahou'', ed. Joseph Charbit, Colbo: Paris (Hebrew and French, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian tradition
* ''Mahzor Zechor le-Avraham'', Yarid ha-Sefarim : Jerusalem (Based on the original ''Zechor le-Abraham'': Livorno 1926, Hebrew only, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian traditions, days of awe only)
* ''Siddur Darchei Avot'' (Moroccan)
* ''Siddur Oro shel Olam''
Middle Eastern Mizrachim (Sephardim)
''(Usually characterised by presence of
Kabbalistic elements:)''
=Edot Ha-mizrach (Iraqi)
=
* ''Tefillat Yesharim'': Jerusalem, Manṣur (Hebrew only)
* ''Siddur Od Yosef Ḥai''
* ''Kol Eliyahu'', ed.
Mordechai Eliyahu
* ''Siddur
Rinat Yisrael'' - (Edot Hamizrach edition), ''Hotsa'at Moreshet'',
Bnei Brak
Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...
, Israel. (Hebrew)
=
Syrian
Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...
=
* ''The Aram Soba Siddur: According to the Sephardic Custom of Aleppo Syria'' Rabbi Moshe Antebi, Jerusalem: Aram Soba Foundation, 1993
* ''Siddur Abodat Haleb / Prayers from the Heart'' Rabbi Moshe Antebi, Lakewood, New Jersey: Israel Book Shop, 2002
* ''Kol Yaacob'': Sephardic Heritage Foundation, New York, 1990.
* ''Bet Yosef ve-Ohel Abraham'': Jerusalem, Manṣur (Hebrew only, based on Baghdadi text)
* ''Orḥot Ḥayim'', ed. Yedid: Jerusalem 1995 (Hebrew only)
* ''Siddur Kol Mordechai'', ed. Faham bros: Jerusalem 1984 (minhah and arbit only)
* ''Abir Yaakob'', ed. Haber: Sephardic Press (Hebrew and English, Shabbat only)
* ''Orot Sephardic Siddur'', Eliezer Toledano: Lakewood, New Jersey, Orot Inc. (Hebrew and English: Baghdadi text, Syrian variants shown in square brackets)
* ''Maḥzor Shelom Yerushalayim'', ed. Albeg: New York, Sephardic Heritage Foundation 1982
Yemenite Jews (Teimanim)
Baladi
The Baladi Jews (from Arabic ''balad'', country) follow the
legal rulings of the ''Rambam'' (
Maimonides
Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...
) as codified in his work the ''
Mishneh Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' (), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' (), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''halakha'') authored by Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon/Rambam). The ''Mishneh Torah'' was compiled between 1170 and 1180 CE ( ...
''. Rabbi
Yiḥye Tsalaḥ (Maharits) revised this liturgy to end friction between traditionalists (who followed Rambam's rulings and the siddur as it developed in Yemen) and
Kabbalists who followed the innovations of the
Ari. This prayer book makes very few additions or changes and substantially follows the older Yemenite tradition as it had existed prior to this conflict.
* ''Siddur Tiklal'', Yiḥyah Salaḥ ben Yehuda, 1800
* ''Siddur Shivat Tzion'', Rabbi
Yosef Qafih
Yosef Qafiḥ ( , ), widely known as Rabbi Yosef Kapach (27 November 1917 – 21 July 2000), was a Yemenite-Israeli posek, authority on Jewish religious law (''halakha''), a Dayan (rabbinic judge), dayan of the Judiciary of Israel#Jewish courts, ...
, 1950s
* ''Siddur Siaḥ Yerushalayim'', Rabbi
Yosef Qafih
Yosef Qafiḥ ( , ), widely known as Rabbi Yosef Kapach (27 November 1917 – 21 July 2000), was a Yemenite-Israeli posek, authority on Jewish religious law (''halakha''), a Dayan (rabbinic judge), dayan of the Judiciary of Israel#Jewish courts, ...
(5th edition, Jerusalem 2003)
* ''Siddur Tiklal: Torath Avoth''
* ''Tiklal Ha-Mefoar (Maharits)'' Nosaḥ Baladi, Meyusad Al Pi Ha-Tiklal Im Etz Hayim Ha-Shalem Arukh K'Minhag Yahaduth Teiman: Bene Berak : Or Neriyah ben Mosheh Ozeri,
001 or 2002
Shami
The Shami Jews (from Arabic ''ash-Sham'', the north, referring to Palestine or
Damascus
Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
) represent those who accepted the Sephardic rite, after being exposed to new inexpensive, typeset prayer books brought from Israel and the Sephardic diaspora by envoys and merchants in the late 17th century and 18th century.
The "local rabbinic leadership resisted the new versions....Nevertheless, the new prayer books were widely accepted."
As part of that process, the Shami modified their rites to accommodate the usages of the
Ari to the maximum extent. The text of the Shami siddur now largely follows the
Sephardic
Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
tradition, though the pronunciation, chant and customs are still Yemenite in flavour.
* ''Siddur Tefillat HaḤodesh - Beit Yaakov'', Nusaḥ Sepharadim, Teiman, and Edoth Mizraḥ
* ''Siddur Kavanot HaRashash,
Shalom Sharabi'', Publisher: Yeshivat HaChaim Ve'Hashalom
Minhagei Eretz Yisrael
* Siddur ''
Nusach Eretz Yisrael'' edited by Rabbi
David Bar-Hayim (''Machon Shilo, "Shilo Institute"'') Jerusalem, Israel. (Hebrew,
Minhagei
Eretz Yisrael
The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine. The definitions ...
),
an attempted reconstruction of the ancient
Palestinian minhag from the
Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud (, often for short) or Palestinian Talmud, also known as the Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century Jewish oral tradition known as the Mishnah. Naming this version of the Talm ...
, the
Cairo Geniza
The Cairo Geniza, alternatively spelled the Cairo Genizah, is a collection of some 400,000 Judaism, Jewish manuscript fragments and Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid administrative documents that were kept in the ''genizah'' or storeroom of the Ben Ezra ...
documents and other sources.
Conservative Judaism
* ''Sabbath and Festival Prayer Book'' Ed.
Morris Silverman with
Robert Gordis, 1946. USCJ and RA
* ''Weekday Prayer Book'' Ed.
Morris Silverman, 1956. USCJ
* ''Weekday Prayer Book'' Ed. Gershon Hadas with Jules Harlow, 1961, RA.
* ''
Siddur Sim Shalom'' series of Siddurim:
** ''Siddur Sim Shalom'' Ed.
Jules Harlow. 1985, 980 pages, RA and USCJ.
** ''Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals'' Ed. Lawrence Cahan, 1998, 816 pages. RA and USCJ.
** ''Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays'' Ed. Avram Israel Reisner, 2003, 576 pages. RA and USCJ.
* ''Siddur Va'ani Tefilati'' Ed.
Simchah Roth, 1998, 744 pages. Israeli Masorti Movement and Rabbinical Assembly of Israel. Hebrew.
* ''Va'ani Tefilati: Siddur Yisre'eli'' Ed. Ze'ev Kenan, 2009, 375 pages. Israeli Masorti Movement and Rabbinical Assembly of Israel. Hebrew.
* ''
Siddur Lev Yisrael'' Ed.
Cheryl Magen, 1998, 432 pages.
Camp Ramah. Hebrew.
* ''
Siddur Lev Shalem for Shabbat and Festivals'' Ed.
Edward Feld, 2016, 466 double pages, RA.
Progressive and Reform Judaism
* ''Ha-Avodah Shebalev'', The prayer book of The Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, Ed. The Council of Israel Progressive Rabbis (MARAM), 1982
* ''The Companion to Ha-Avodah Shebalev'' published by Congregation Har-El Jerusalem in 1992 to help English-speaking immigrants and visitors; Hebrew pages from the original ''Ha-Avodah Shebalev'', English translations from ''
Gates of Prayer: The New Union Prayer Book'' with additional translations by Adina Ben-Chorin.
* ''Seder ha-Tefillot: Forms of Prayer'': Movement for Reform Judaism, London 2008, ; Official prayer book of the Reform movement in Britain
* ''Liberal Jewish Prayer Book'': Vol. 1 (Services for Weekdays, Sabbaths, Etc.), 1926, 1937; Vol. 2 (Services for The Day of Memorial
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...
and
The Day of Atonement), 1923, 1937; Vol. 3 (Services for
Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles), 1926; all published by the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London, U.K.
* ''Service of the Heart: Weekday Sabbath and Festival Services and Prayers for Home and Synagogue'',
Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues, London, 1967
* ''
Vetaher Libenu'': Purify Our Hearts, Congregation Beth El, Sudbury, MA 1980
* ''Siddur Lev Chadash'',
Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues, UK, 1995.
* ''Olath Tamid: Book of Prayers for Jewish Congregations'', United States,
R. David Einhorn, 1872 (Originally in German; English translation extant)
All of the following are published by the
Central Conference of American Rabbis:
* ''
Union Prayer Book, vol. 1 (Sabbath, Festivals, and Weekdays)'', 1892, 1895, 1918, 1940; ''vol. 2 (High Holidays)'', 1894, 1922, 1945
* ''Weekday Afternoon and Evening Services for Use in the Synagogue and the House of Mourning'', 1957
* ''
Gates of Prayer'' series of siddurim:
** ''Gates of Prayer: The New Union Prayer Book'', 1975
** ''Gates of Prayer for Weekdays and at a House of Mourning'', 1975
** ''Gates of Prayer: Afternoon and Evening Services and Prayers for the House of Mourning'', 1978
** ''Gates of Prayer for Shabbat: A Gender Sensitive Prayerbook'', 1992
** ''Gates of Prayer for Weekdays and at a House of Mourning: A Gender Sensitive Prayerbook'', 1992
** ''Gates of Prayer for Weekdays: A Gender Sensitive Prayerbook'', 1993
** ''Gates of Prayer for Assemblies'', 1993
** ''Gates of Prayer for Shabbat and Weekdays: A Gender Sensitive Prayerbook'', 1994
* ''
Mishkan T'filah'' series of siddurim:
** ''Mishkan T'filah''
abernacle of Prayer': A Reform Siddur: Weekdays, Shabbat, Festivals, and Other Occasions of Public Worship, 2007; ; ''
** ''Mishkan T'filah for Gatherings'': A Reform Siddur, 2009
** ''Mishkan T'filah for Travelers'': A Reform Siddur, 2009
** ''Mishkan T'filah for the House of Mourning'', 2010
** ''Mishkan T'filah Journal Edition,'' 2010
** ''Mishkan T'filah for Children,'' 2013
** ''Mishkan T'filah for Youth,'' 2014
** ''Divrei Mishkan T'filah -- Delving into the Siddur,'' 2018
* ''Chaveirim Kol Yisrae2018il, a Siddur for
Chavurot, 2000 a Project of The Progressive Chavurah Siddur Committee of Boston''
* ''Seder ha-Tefillot: Forms of Prayer'': Movement for Reform Judaism, London 2008, ; Official prayer book of the Reform movement in Britain
Congregation Beit Simchat Torahs ''Siddur B'chol L'vav'cha, (With All Your Heart)'' for Friday night services; Publisher: Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (2008); ;
* ''Siddur Sha'ar Zahav,'' the first complete prayer book to address the lives and needs of LGBTQ as well as straight Jews; Publisher: J Levine Judaica
Sha'ar Zahav(2009); ;
* ''Seder Tov Lehodot: Teksten, gebeden en diensten voor weekdagen, Sjabbat en andere gelegenheden'', Amsterdam 2000, Verbond van Liberaal-Religieuze Joden in Nederland now Nederlands Verbond voor Progressief Jodendom;
Reconstructionist Judaism

Prayer books edited by Rabbi
Mordecai Kaplan
Mordecai Menahem Kaplan (June 11, 1881 – November 8, 1983) was an American Conservative rabbi, writer, Jewish educator, professor, theologian, philosopher, activist, and religious leader who founded the Reconstructionist movement of Judaism al ...
and others:
* ''Sabbath Prayer Book'', Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation, 1945
* ''High Holiday Prayer Book'' (Vol. 1, Prayers for Rosh Hashanah; Vol. 2, Prayers for Yom Kippur), Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation, 1948
* ''Supplementary Prayers and Readings for the High Holidays'', Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation, 1960
* ''Festival Prayer Book'', Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation, 1958
* ''Daily Prayer Book'', Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation, 1963
* ''Hadesh Yameinu (Renew our days): a book of Jewish prayer and meditation'', edited and translated by Rabbi Ronald Aigen. Montreal (Cong. Dorshei Emet), 1996.
Kol Haneshamah Prayerbook series, ed.
David Teutsch:
* ''Erev Shabbat: Shabbat Eve'', Reconstructionist Press, 1989; 2nd edition, 1993
* ''Shirim Uvrahot: Songs, Blessings and Rituals for the Home'', Reconstructionist Press, 1991, 1998
* ''Shabbat Vehagim: Sabbath and Festivals'', Reconstructionist Press, 1994; 3rd edition (August 1, 1998)
* ''Limot Hol: Daily Prayerbook'', Reconstructionist Press, 1996; Reprint edition (September 1, 1998)
* ''Mahzor Leyamim Nora'im: Prayerbook for the Days of Awe'', Reconstructionist Press, 1999; Fordham University Press; Bilingual edition (May 1, 2000)
* ''T'filot L'veit HaEvel: Prayers for a House of Mourning'', Reconstructionist Press, 2001; Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (October 10, 2001)
Jewish Renewal
* ''Sh'ma': A Concise Weekday Siddur For Praying in English'' by
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
Meshullam Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (August 28, 1924 – July 3, 2014), commonly called "Reb Zalman" (full Hebrew name: ), was an American Rabbi, writer, and activist, and one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement and an innovator in ecu ...
, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2010.
Feminist siddurim
* ''Siddur Nashim: a Sabbath prayerbook for women'' by Naomi Janowitz and Margaret Moers Wenig; 1976.
* ''Siddur Birkat Shalom'' by the Havurat Shalom Siddur Project;
Havurat Shalom, 1991.
''
Siddur Nashim
''Siddur Nashim: A Sabbath Prayer Book for Women'' is a feminist siddur written in 1976 by Naomi Janowitz and Margaret Wenig of the Brown University Women's Minyan. It is the first siddur to use female imagery (a biblical transgression) and pronou ...
'', by
Margaret Wenig and Naomi Janowitz in 1976, was the first Jewish prayer book to refer to God using female pronouns and imagery.
Reconstructionist Rabbi
Rebecca Alpert (''Reform Judaism'', Winter 1991) commented:
Following in the footsteps of feminist prayerbooks,
liberal prayerbooks tend increasingly to avoid male-specific words and pronouns, seeking that all references to God in translations be made in gender-neutral language. For example, the
UK Liberal movement's ''Siddur Lev Chadash'' (1995) does so, as does the
UK Reform Movement's ''Forms of Prayer'' (2008). In
Mishkan T'filah, the American Reform Jewish prayer book released in 2007, references to God as "He" have been removed, and whenever Jewish patriarchs are named (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), so also are the matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah).
Humanistic and atheist siddurim
* ''Celebration: A Ceremonial and Philosophic Guide for Humanists and Humanistic Jews'' by
Sherwin T. Wine; Prometheus Books, 1988
* ''A Humanistic Siddur of Spirituality and Meaning'' by
David Rabeeya; Xlibris Corporation, 2005
* ''Liturgical Experiments: A Siddur for the Sceptical'' in Hebrew, by Tzemah Yoreh (2010?)
Yoreh writes about his work: "I think prayer is communal and private expression of hopes, fears, an appreciation of aesthetic beauty, good attributes. But that has nothing to do with God."
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Other siddurim
There are also some Karaite, Samaritan
Samaritans (; ; ; ), are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Hebrews and Israelites of the ancient Near East. They are indigenous to Samaria, a historical region of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah that ...
and Sabbatean[Ben Zvi Institute Manuscript 2276] prayer books.
See also
* Siddur Rashi
* Siddur and mahzor
References
Bibliography
* ''Jewish Liturgy: A Comprehensive History'', Ismar Elbogen, Jewish Publication Society
The Jewish Publication Society (JPS), originally known as the Jewish Publication Society of America, is the oldest nonprofit, nondenominational publisher of Jewish works in English. Founded in Philadelphia in 1888, by Reform Rabbi Joseph Krauskop ...
, 1993. This is the most thorough academic study of the Jewish liturgy ever written. Originally published in German in 1913, and updated in a number of Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
editions, the latest edition has been translated into English by Raymond P. Scheindlin. This work covers the entire range of Jewish liturgical development, beginning with the early cornerstones of the siddur; through the evolution of the medieval piyyut tradition; to modern prayerbook reform in Germany and the United States.
* Joseph Heinemann "Prayer in the Talmud", Gruyter, New York, 1977
* ''Kavvana: Directing the Heart in Jewish Prayer'', Seth Kadish, Jason Aronson
Jason Aronson was an American publisher of books in the field of psychotherapy. Topics dealt with in these books include child therapy, family therapy, couple therapy, object relations therapy, play therapy, depression, eating disorders, per ...
Inc., 1997.
* ''The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer'' Macy Nulman, Jason Aronson Inc.,1993. Provides in one volume information on every prayer recited in the Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions. Arranged alphabetically by prayer, this book includes information on the prayers, their composers and development, the laws and customs surrounding them, and their place in the service.
* Jakob J. Petuchowski "Contributions to the Scientific Study of Jewish Liturgy" Ktav, New York, 1970
* Goldschmidt, ''Meḥqare Tefillah u-Fiyyut'' (On Jewish Liturgy): Jerusalem 1978
* Wieder, Naphtali, ''The Formation of Jewish Liturgy: In the East and the West''
* Reif, Stefan, ''Judaism and Hebrew Prayer'': Cambridge 1993. Hardback , ; Paperback ,
* Reif, Stefan, ''Problems with Prayers'': Berlin and New York 2006 ,
* ''The Artscroll Siddur'', Ed. Nosson Scherman
Rabbi Nosson Scherman (, born 1935, Newark, New Jersey) is an American Haredi rabbi best known as the general editor of ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications. He is widely considered to be the father of modern-day English Torah literature.
Early life ...
, Mesorah Publications. A popular Orthodox prayerbook with running commentary. The amount of commentary varies by version.
* '' The Authorised Daily Prayer Book of the British Commonwealth'', translation by Rabbi Eli Cashdan. An Orthodox prayerbook widely used in the UK and other Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
countries.
* Amidah, entry in the Encyclopaedia Judaica, Keter Publishing
External links
* Siddur HaEsh (of Fire) in Hebrew Wikibooks
History and Liturgy: The Evolution of Multiple Prayer Rites
The Italian Rite
The Koren Avoteinu Series
A complete Moroccan Siddur for weekdays and Shabbat.
''Siddur''
'' Tehillat HaShem'' Chabad Hebrew-English Siddur
The Open Siddur Project
{{Authority control
Jewish services
Jewish theology
Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law
Sifrei Kodesh