The Artscroll Siddur ‘According To The Customs Of Eretz Yisrael’

Until about fifty years ago, most siddurim in Israel relied on previous ones, which were produced abroad for many years and which were usually only somewhat adjusted to fit the needs of congregants in the Holy Land. It was only in the country’s twenties that a wide range of new siddurim began to be printed for all communities and traditions. These siddurim better reflected the time and place in which they were created, including the new national prayers which most shul-goers now said.

However, it is still possible, even today, to find siddurim produced both in Israel and abroad, which reflect the two-way influence between Israeli communities and the diaspora. One of these siddurim is the Ner Naftali siddur, part of the Artscroll series, defined as a complete siddur “according to the customs of Eretz Yisrael.”

Artscroll publishing – a separate imprint of Mesorah publishing – was established in New York in 1975 by Rabbis Zlotowitz and Scherman. The two had originally joined forces to produce English translations and commentaries for some of the books of the Bible, and later became a large and particularly popular company producing a wide range of books for reading and study, including siddurim, chumashim, and of course annotated versions of the Bavli and Yerushalmi Talmud.

Artscroll-Mesorah is one of the largest publishing houses in the Jewish world, and despite its strongly conservative character, it enjoys increasing popularity – including in nationally minded Israeli communities. The first siddur it produced came out in 1984, in an English-Hebrew version. It swiftly became one of the most popular siddurim in the United States, including in some of the conservative communities. Artscroll then published additional siddurim for weekdays and Shabbat, the holidays, and the High Holidays – all of which maintained the design of the original siddur, which had become synonymous with the company and its products.

Artscroll’s siddur for the Land of Israel – Ner Naftali – first came out in Jerusalem in 2006 as an entirely Hebrew siddur, one which has gone through several reprints. Aside from being based “according to the customs of Eretz Yisrael,” the publisher declared on the siddur’s inner cover that “we rearranged everything anew according to the nusachs followed in Eretz Yisrael, in large and clear letters.”

Indeed, there is no doubt that the siddur stands out for its precise and clear design, which maintains its predecessors long standing format and makes it into a particularly convenient siddur for reading and prayer. Like many of Artscroll’s books, the siddur is based on one of the fonts of the “Hadassah” series, whose original form was designed by Henri Friedlaender over the course of decades, and which was completed by 1958, in time for the State of Israel’s tenth birthday. It’s worth noting that this font is considered synonymous with the Artscroll library as a whole, as its books make fairly consistent use of it.

The siddur’s commitment to Israeli custom is marked by its being a wholly Hebrew siddur, as well as by the omission of portions said outside Eretz Yisrael. However, there are places – such as during weekday Maariv, where it does note that some communities add the pasukim of “Baruch Hashem Le’Olam” before Shmoneh Esreh, which appear at the end of the siddur.

The siddur also contains a collection of prayers said at holy places in Israel, as well as brief halachic instructions including components of the Gra’s minhag, which many also identity with the customs of Eretz Yisrael. All that being said, the siddur does not include the Israeli national prayers such as the prayer for the State of Israel – not where they are usually said during prayer or even at the end of the book.

Is this truly a siddur of the Land of Israel, then? Of course it is: it is produced in Jerusalem, marketed for an Israeli audience, and makes clear use of a font made special for the State of Israel. Nevertheless, it also embodies the ongoing and unresolved gap between “the Land of Israel” and Israel, the country. Thus, despite the ongoing process of siddurim making cultural “Aliyah,” we still have what to pray for.

Originally published on JFeed.com.