Siddur Topics

• mishneh torah
• ramchal
• siddurim
• sefardic
• jewish services
• chassidim
• shela
• definitive version
• gaon
• sefarad
• ashkenazic
• simcha
• gamaliel
• century france
• maimonides
• 11th century
• baal
• vernacular
• half a century

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Siddur, Siddur

This article discusses how some of these prayers evolved, and how the siddur, as we know it today has developed. A separate article, Jewish services, discusses the prayers that appear in the siddur, and when they are said.

The siddur began appearing in the vernacular as early as 1538. The first - unauthorized - English translation, by Gamaliel ben Pedahzur (a pseudonym), appeared in London in 1738; a different translation was released in the United states in 1837.

Half a century later Rav Saadia Gaon, also of Sura, composed a siddur, in which the rubrical matter is in Arabic. These were the basis of Simcha ben Samuel's Machzor Vitry (11th century France), which was based on the ideas of his teacher, Rashi. Another formulation of the prayers was that appended by Maimonides to the laws of prayer in his Mishneh Torah: this forms the basis of the Yemenite liturgy, and has had some influence on other rites.

This text primarily focused on the exposition of his kavanot and consquently there were many siddurim printed under the title of "nusach ari" which ranged from having a text that was almost completely sefardic to one that was generaly ashkenazic. As a result of this considerable variance, multiple major scholars such as the ramchal, the baal hatanya, the shela and R' Chayim Vital decided to publish a definitive version. These siddurim have become the authoratative version for chassidim and certain mekubalim. In general they are referred to as nusach "sefarad" aside from that of the baal hatanya and those printed by actual mekubalim.

Source: Wikipedia > Siddur