Siddur
Jewish prayerbook (plural, Siddurim)
The siddur is the prayerbook used by Jews the world over, containing a set order of daily prayers. Some siddurim have only prayers for weekdays; others have prayers for weekdays and Shabbat (the Sabbath); many now have prayers for weekdays, Shabbat, and the three Biblical festivals, Sukkot, Shauvot and Pesach. Such a complete siddur is referred to as a Siddur Shalem.
There are many additional liturgical variations and additions to the siddur for the Yamim Nora'im (The Days of Awe; the High Holy Days, i.e. Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kipur). As such, a special siddur has developed for just this period, known as a machzor. A machzor usually contains not only the basic liturgy of the holiday or holidays for which it is written, but a number of piyutim, liturgical poems, appropriate to its content.
History of Jewish liturgy
The earliest parts of Jewish prayer are the "Shema Yisrael" (Hear O Israel) (Deut. Vi. 4) and the set of 19 blessings called the Shemoneh Esreh (literally means: the Eighteen) or the Amidah. The name "Shemonah Esrah (18)" obviously is a historical anachronism, since 19 prayers now exist in it.
Readings from the Torah (five books of Moses) and the Prophets also formed part of the service. To this framework were fitted, from time to time, various prayers, and, for festivals especially, numerous hymns. The earliest existing codification of the prayerbook is the Siddur (order) drawn up by Amram Gaon of Sura about 850. Half a century later the famous Gaon Saadiah Gaon, also of Sura, issued his Siddur, in which the rubrical matter is in Arabic.
There are ritual differences according to the Sephardic (Spanish), Ashkenazic (German-Polish), Roman (Greek and South Italian) and some minor uses, in the latex additions to the Liturgy. The Mahzor of each rite is also distinguished by hymns (piyyutim) composed by authors (payyetanim) of the district. The most important writers are Yoseh ben Yoseh, probably in the 6th century, chiefly known for his compositions for the day of Atonement, Eleazar QalIr, the founder of the payyetanic style, perhaps in the 7th century, Saadiah, and the Spanish school consisting of Joseph ibn Abitur (died in 970), Ibn Gabirol, Isaac Gayyath, Moses ben Ezra, Abraham ben Ezra and Judah ha-levi, Moses ben Natiman and Isaac Luria.
Reading
"A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice" Isaac Klein, Ktav, 1992
"The Artscroll Siddur" Ed. Nosson Scherman, Mesorah Publications
"The Encyclopaedia Judaica", entry on "Shabbat", Keter Publishing House Ltd. "To Pray as a Jew" Hayim Halevy Donin, Basic Books
"Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals" Ed. Leonard S. Cahan, The Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
"Siddur Sim Shalom" Ed. Jules Harlow, The Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism