Siddur HaShalom, “prayers for the whole year edited by the head of the religious community in Moscow, Rabbi Shlomo ben HaRav Gaon Rabbi Yehiel Michal Schliper, shlita.” Follows minhag Poland, nusach Sfard (chassidim), with a few additions from nusach Ashkenaz. In lone places they changed or added to the accepted nusach, matching it to the ideology of the government. Published by the religious community of Moscow. 479 pages.
Catalogued in the Rare Books section of the National Library.
See: Emmanuel Michlin, HaGachelet, Jerusalem 1986, p. 155-161—
who states that only 3430 copies were printed!
Most of the siddur is a facsimile from various sources. The title page and additional prayers are facsimiles from a manuscript.
This is an exciting siddur testifying to religious Jewish life behind the Communist Iron Curtain, it gives a glimpse at the work of rabbis in preserving Jewish life. Additional title page in Russian. At the end is kaddish in Russian transliteration. At the beginning is a table of the alphabet and niqqud, with Cyrillic letters and an exercise for children to read. In the middle is a table of Gregorian dates in Russian for Jewish holidays, prayers for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and moadim, with explanations in Hebrew for the prayers and piyyutim, such as “uNetanah Tokef”, with an explanation on the author of the prayer and the heroic story ehind it (it would seem from the desire to reinforce the sacrifice of Russian Jewry). The depth of the galut is especially clear in the prayer for peace: “bless the government of the CCCP [USSR], the shield of peace for the entire world…” as well as the prayer for the government.
Original binding in red, stains, wax marks in the blessings for the Chanukah candles. The first leaves are worn from regular use. Very exciting item in good condition.
At the end of the Yehi Ratzon said after Birkot HaShachar, the end has not been printed (“u’Medina shel Gehenom”), probably from fear that the authorities would misinterpret the meaning of the prayer. In this copy, someone has filled in (in block letters) by hand with niqqud matching Russian pronunciation those missing words.
