Omer Learning 2019: Day 8 | Siddur Q & A: When was the siddur translated…

Today is 8 days, which is 1 week and 1 day of the Omer

Instructions for counting the omer are found on our Omer Overview Page. You can find the specific blessing for today at chabad.org.

We’re dedicating new Siddurim on the first day of Shavuot. In honor of this wonderful occasion, we’re using the counting of the Omer to learn about the siddur.

Enjoy today’s siddur related question and answer, which was provided by The Internet.

When was the siddur translated into English?

“”The first translation of the prayer book into English was as part of a work on Jewish ceremonies, the Book of the Religion, Ceremonies and Prayers of the Jews, London, 1738, by the apostate Abraham Mears, who used the pseudonym Gamliel ben Pedahzur. It was not intended for liturgical use, so it is not in effect a prayer book.

That distinction belongs to an American edition, of which the first part, Evening Service of Rosh hashanah and Kippur, appeared in New York, in 1761.”

From: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-first-translations-judaic-treasures

It’s worth noting that one of the earliest siddurim was “Kitab Jami al-Salawot wa al-Tasebih (Collection of All Prayers and Praises)” and was written in Arabic around the year 900. So the idea of translating the siddur into an accessible form is about as old as the siddur itself.

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