Mahzor (Roman rite). 1526
Seder ha-Ma'amadot mi-lifne Rosh ha-Shanah
Venice: Daniel Bomberg, 1526.

The ancient liturgical tradition of the Jews of Rome is the parent of the Ashkenazi rite. The Jews of Italy have kept it to this day, calling it Minhag Italya. This small size Mahzor was published by Daniel Bomberg, the most important and prolific Renaissance printer of Hebrew books. Born in Antwerp, he started his business in Venice around 1515. He employed several erudite rabbis as editors, who produced many pioneering editions. The Hebrew Bible, Mikraot Gedolot, (1524-1525) in four volumes, with Aramaic Targum and the standard medieval commentaries surrounding the text, set the standard for all subsequent printings of the Bible. The pagination of his edition of the Babylonian Talmud (published 1520-1523) with commentaries has become standard ever since.

Kol Bo [Includes All]
Venice: Marco Antonio Giustiniani, 1547.

Kol Bo is a type of Ashkenazi prayer book, in large format, which contains all the prayers of the entire year, daily, Sabbath, festivals. Also called Mahzor Gadol [Large Mahzor].

Abravanel, Isaac, 1437-1508.
Sefer Zevah Pesah.
Cremona: Vincenzo Conti, 1557.

Passover Haggadah with the popular commentary written in 1496 by Don Isaac Abravanel rabbi, statesman, and philosopher. Born in Lisbon, he served as the treasurer of King Alfonso V of Portugal, and later Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile and Aragon. In 1492 Abravanel tried in vain to revoke the Edict of Expulsion of Spanish Jewry. Together with his fellow Jews, he found refuge in Italy, where he was quickly recruited into the service of the King of Naples.

Mahzor. Ashkenazi. 1568.
Mahzor mi-kol ha-shanah ke-minhag kehilot kodesh Ashkenaz.
Venice: Giorgio de Cavalli, 1568.

A Mahzor in Yiddish and Hebrew, including the festival prayers.

Selihot. Ashkenazic rite. 1627.
Selihot: ke-minhag Pihem, Mehrin, Polin, ve-Ashkenaz
Prague: Bene Yaakov Bak, 1627.

Yiddish edition of Penitential prayers printed specifically for women. It does not include the entire Hebrew text of the Slikhes. Rather, it gives the first words of each passage to enable women to follow the men’s prayers. The rest is a translation/paraphrase in Yiddish, demonstrating the separate sphere of females in traditional Judaism. The printers were sons of Jacob Bak, who started printing Hebrew books in Verona, Italy. He moved his press to Prague in 1606 at the request of the MaHaRaL and published numerous Hebrew and Yiddish books.

Sidur. Kabbalistic. 1666.
Tikun li-kero be-khol lailah va-yom.
Amsterdam: Bi-defus Yosef Atias, 1666.

Tikun [literally repair] is a kabbalistic term referring to the restoration of the spiritual lights, which for various reasons have been dimmed. To accomplish this "repair" several prayers were composed, called Tikunim. The illustration on the title page depicts the "false messiah" Shabbetai Zevi, observing the custom of holding a vigil on the first night of Shavuot, to read passages from Jewish religious classics [Tikun Lel Shavout].

Grace After Meals. Yiddish & Hebrew
Birkat ha-Mazon.
Amsterdam: Isaac de Cordoba, 1723.

Text in Hebrew; translation and commentary in Yiddish. The book contains numerous beautiful woodcuts, which first appeared in an edition of Sefer ha-Minhagim [Book of customs] published by Proops in 1700.

Sidur. Karaite. 1742.
Seder ha-Tefilot le-Minhag ha-Karaim.
Kale (Crimea), Afda and Shabetai Yarka, 1742.

The Karaites, or Bene Mikra, are members of a Jewish sect, which emerged in the 8th century. Karaites reject the Talmudic-rabbinical tradition, and adhere only to the Biblical tradition. They also ignored the printing press, and continued to copy their prayer books by hand. The Sidur displayed here is one of the last books printed by the Karaite brothers Afda and Shabetai Yarka, who lived in Chufut-Kale (Crimea) and were active in printing only during the years 1733-1742.