Breathtaking 600-Year-Old Handwritten Siddur!
Only 12 cm!
Full Siddur with Machzor on Parchment. Italy, 15th century
Striking manuscript, beautiful Siddur in excellent condition preserved for over 600 years!
This siddur, inscribed with handsome, medium-size block letters across straight, neat lines on thin parchment, was written in Italy in the early 15th century!
The siddur is ornately bound in a new antique-style leather binding with brass clasps and gilded edges.
The siddur encompasses prayers for the entire year, among them tefillos for Shabbos and weekday, Shalosh Regalim, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Chanukah, Purim and fast days, according to the custom of Roman-Italian Jews.
The Italian Jewish congregation, and specifically the community in capital Rome, dates as far back as the era of the Second Temple and was the earliest known Jewish settlement in Europe. From Rome, Jews wandered east and dispersed to France, Germany and other European countries, which led to the growth of many of the famous Jewish congregations in Europe.
Ancient manuscripts such as this are the earliest and most accurate sources for the precise nusach hatefillah recited by ancient Jewish
communities and the customs they observed. One clear example of obvious changes implemented into the prayer text over the years is Birkos Hashachar, as manifest from the list of brachos appearing in the present manuscript on Leaf 3a: “Baruch Ata…sheasisani adam velo beheimah, ” “Baruch Ata…sheasisani mal velo arel, ” and “Baruch Ata…sheasisani Yisrael velo goy.”
The above blessings appear only in handwritten manuscripts of siddurim, but in none of the ensuing printed versions. (See more on this fascinating topic in Weider, Naftali. “Al Habrachos Goy, Eved, Isha, Beheimah, U’vor.”
Sinai Anthology, 1979. pp. 97-115; Goldsmith, “Mavo LaMachzor Bnei Roma” p.79 footnote 5.)
Sprinkled among the prayers in this manuscript are numerous liturgical poems unique to the congregation and customs of Roman Jewry. Examples include the poems “Av lo machal” (Leaf 141b); “Av lo chas” (Leaf 142a), “Asufim asufei ashpatos” (Leaf 145a) and more
“Kol Nedarim” (Leaf 155a) known to us as "Kol Nidrei" is recited entirely in lashon hakodesh, which is different to our
minhag to recite it in Aramaic.
Contents of the Siddur:
Tefillas Shacharis: (1a-45b)
Tefillas Arvis: (45b-49a)
Seder Hatavas Chalom: (49a-50a)
Tefillas Arvis for Leil Shabbos: (50b-55b)
Tefillas Shacharis for Shabbos: (55b-80a)
Tefillas Mussaf: (80a-83b)
Tefillas Minchah for Shabbos: (83b-86a)
Tefillas Arvis for Motzaei Shabbos: (86a-91a)
Tefillas Rosh Chodesh: (91a-99b)
Tefillas Chanukah: (100a-100b)
Tefillas Purim: (101a-101b)
Tefillas Pesach: (102-117b)
Tefillas Shavuos: (118a-125b)
Order of Fast Days and Tisha B’Av: (126a-127a)
Tefillos Rosh Hashanah: (127a-152b)
Tefillos Yom Kippur: (152b-185b)
Tefillos Succos & Hoshanos: (186a-207b)
Tefillos Shemini Atzeres and Geshem: (208a-214b)
Order of Avodas Yom Hakippurim: (215a-218a)
Italy, 15th century.
[218] leaves. Page size: 12×9 cm. 15 lines per page and attractive borders. The text was written on 8 cm. only! Letters with nekudos.
Instructions regarding prayers in smaller writing without nekudos.
The 3 last leaves of this manuscript, entitled “Seder Avodah, ” were written by a different scribe. Margins of 3 last paragraphs with minor tears and slight loss to margins. Leaf 18 with tear, missing 2 words.
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