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Looking for a good siddur (Jewish prayerbook)?
There are many siddurim (Jewish prayerbooks) in use today. Within the
Orthodox world, there are siddurim for
different nusachim (Ashkenaz, Sepharad, Eidot Hamizrach, and others). The basic
text is the same, yet there are some differences in local usage. Certainly
different congregations using the same siddur use different tunes, but that's a
different story. (You can try our Jewish music pages to
learn the traditional and new melodies to various prayers, how to learn to
chant, etc.)
There are also siddurim published by the Reform,
Conservative, and
Reconstructionist movements in North
America. These usually have more English in them, and often come in separate
editions for Sabbath and weekday use. Translations in these siddurim tend to be
both more modern in idiom and a bit freer.
Finally, there is a growing number of good books on how to pray Jewishly,
both in terms of the mechanics and in learning how to make Jewish prayer a
deeper, more spiritual experience by understanding the meaning and background of
the prayers. You may also want to have a look at our recommended books for
building a Jewish library, which naturally
include siddurim.
Also below you'll find benchers (the Yiddish term; they're birconim
in Hebrew - grace after meals), machzorim (high holiday prayerbooks and in some
cases, also with volumes for the festivals), and some special editions,
including siddurim in Russian and Spanish, a guide for gabbais (lay
leaders at synagogue services), large-type editions, pocket-size editions, and
more.
Conservative Siddurim (and Chumashim)
Reform Siddurim (and Chumashim)
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