Please join us Mondays at 1:00pm Eastern time beginning November 18, 2024
Who Wrote the Siddur?
There are few Jewish books as ubiquitous as the Siddur. Each day, it guides us in directing our praise and
petition to God. But where do its prayers come from? Who are its authors? This 4-part class will study
the composition of the Siddur from Tanakh to modern times. We will explore the history of tefillah and
unpack crucial debates about the Siddur’s contents—encountering prophets, poets, sages, mystics,
grammarians, and reformers. Understanding the Siddur’s development will help us better appreciate the
words we say and, in these troubled times, anchor ourselves in the Siddur’s constancy and resiliency.
1. Jewish Prayer from Tanakh to the Talmud
November 18
The Siddur was not written by one person or at one time. In the first class, we will look at how the
prayers in Tanakh were incorporated into the Siddur, and then consider the role of the Mishnah and
Talmud in codifying many of our tefillot.
2: Did All Jews Pray With the Same Words? Between the Land of Israel and Babylonia
November 25
A copy of the Shemoneh Esrai discovered in the Cairo Genizah that is similar yet distinctive from the one
in use today helps reveal the history of Jewish prayer. In the second class, we will consider differences
between the wording of the prayers in the Land of Israel and Babylonia in early medieval times and
explore the wide-ranging debate over the inclusion of liturgical poetry, or piyyutim, in tefillah.
3: The Siddur from the Geonim to the Printing Press
December 2
The Siddur was once orally transmitted. What happened when it was written down? The third
installment will address several interrelated topics: important Geonic and medieval siddurim, the
incorporation of mysticism and Kabbalah, the impact of the printing press, and more.
4: How Did Modernity Change the Siddur?
December 9
The final class will explore the impact of modernity on the Siddur, including varied attempts to modify it.
While Reform congregations and other denominations made overt changes, there have been more
subtle changes affecting even Orthodox communities.
