The term commonly refers to the book containing the order of the regular Jewish prayer service for weekdays and the Sabbath, in contrast to the MACHZOR, which includes the liturgy for the yearly festival cycle. Codified from the 9th century AD onwards, the siddur and machzor were originally one unit, the distinction in terminology and content dating from the High Middle Ages. After the invention of the printed book, small-format siddurim were printed for individual use. The text itself was rarely, if ever, illustrated. The earliest title pages, printed in Italy c. 1500 (e.g. Soncino and Naples), have decorative woodcut borders, in imitation of similarly decorated Hebrew manuscripts from Portugal. A gateway, influenced by contemporary Renaissance and Baroque architectural prints, became the most popular form of Hebrew title page, including those of siddurim. Sometimes biblical heroes, such as Moses and Aaron, or biblical scenes are depicted on the title page as well, referring in general terms to the content of the book. A siddur with Yiddish explanations meant for women (Amsterdam, 1704; Amsterdam, Joods Hist. Mus.) shows on the title page the three specific commandments for women: the separation of dough (hallah), the lighting of the Sabbath lamp and withdrawal during menstruation. Some Italian printed siddurim had silver bindings with heraldic devices.
See the Abbreviations for further details.
