In
Judaism, Nusach (
Hebrew: נוסח,
romanized: nusaḥ,
Modern Hebrew pronunciation nusakh,[1] plural (נוסחים nusaḥim, also
Yiddish: נוסחאות,
romanized: nuskhóes)) is the exact text of a prayer service; sometimes the English word "rite" is used to refer to the same thing. Nusakh means "formulate" or "wording".
Textual nusach is distinct from
musical nusach, which refers to the musical style or tradition of a community, particularly the chant used for recitative prayers such as the
Amidah.
Meanings
Nusach primarily means "text" or "version", the correct wording of a religious text or liturgy. Thus, the nusach tefillah is the text of the prayers, either generally or in a particular community.
In common use, nusach has come to signify the entire liturgical tradition of the community, including the musical rendition. It is one example of minhag, which includes traditions on Jewish customs of all types.
It may be subdivided into the German, or western, branch ("Minhag Ashkenaz"), used in western and central Europe, and the Polish/Lithuanian branch ("Minhag Polin"), used in eastern Europe, the United States and among Ashkenazim, particularly those who identify as "
Lithuanian", in Israel.
The form used in the
United Kingdom and the
Commonwealth (except Canada, which follows the American style), known as "Minhag Anglia" [2] is technically a subform of "Minhag Polin" but has many similarities to the German rite. See
Singer's Siddur.
Nusach Sefard is the style of service used by some Jews of central and eastern European origins, especially
Hasidim, who adopted some
Sephardic customs emulating the practice of the
Ari's circle of
kabbalists, most of whom lived in the
Land of Israel. Textually speaking it is based on the Sephardic rite, but in melody and feel it is overwhelmingly Ashkenazi.
There is not one generally recognized uniform nusach for
Sephardi and
Mizrahi Jews. Instead, Sephardim and Mizrahim follow several slightly different but closely related nuschaot.
The nearest approach to a standard text is found in the siddurim printed in
Livorno from the 1840s until the early 20th century. These (and later versions printed in
Vienna) were widely used throughout the Sephardic and Mizrahi world. Another popular variant was the text known as Nusach ha-Hida, named after
Chaim Yosef David Azulai. Both these versions were particularly influential in Greece, Iran, Turkey and North Africa. However, most communities also had unwritten customs which they would observe, rather than following the printed siddurim exactly: it is easy, from the printed materials, to get the impression that usage in the
Ottoman Empire around 1900 was more uniform than it really was.
Other variants include:
the customs of the
Spanish and Portuguese Jews, based on an older form of the Castilian rite, with some influence from the customs both of
Italian Jews and of Northern Morocco. This version is distinguished by the near-absence of Kabbalistic elements.
Nusah Adot Hamizrah, originating among
Iraqi Jews but now popular in many other communities. These are based on the opinions of
Yosef Hayyim and have a strong
Kabbalistic flavour.
Minhag Aram Soba, as used by
SyrianMusta'arabi Jews in earlier centuries (the current Syrian rite is closely based on the Livorno prints).
the Moroccan rite, also related to the text of the Livorno prints but with a strong local flavour. This subdivides into the customs of the Spanish-speaking northern strip and the Arabic-speaking interior of the country.
formerly, there were variants from different parts of Spain and Portugal, perpetuated in particular synagogues in
Thessaloniki and elsewhere, e.g. the
Lisbon and
Catalan rites, and some North African rites appear to reflect Catalan as well as Castilian influence.[3]
Under the influence of the former Sephardi Chief Rabbi, Rabbi
Ovadia Yosef, many Israeli Sephardim have adopted a nusach based largely on the Nusach Edot Hamizrach but omitting some of the Kabbalistic additions.
A "Temani" nosach was the standard among the
Jews of Yemen. This is divided into the Baladi (purely Yemenite) and Shami (adopted from Sephardic siddurim)[4] versions. Both rites are recited using the unique
Yemenite pronunciation of Hebrew, which Yemenite Jews, and some scholars, regard as the most authentic, and most closely related to the Hebrew of Ancient Israel.
The Baladi rite is very close to that codified by
Maimonides in his
Mishneh Torah. One form of it is used by the
Dor Daim, who attempt to safeguard the older Baladi tradition of Yemenite Jewish observance. This version used by dardaim was originally used by all Yemenite Jews near the time of Maimonides.
The modern Nusach Eretz Yisrael is a recent attempt by Rabbi
David Bar-Hayim at reconstructing the ancient Nussach Eretz Yisrael, based on the
Jerusalem Talmud and documents discovered in the
Cairo Geniza and other sources. The reconstruction is published in the form of a
siddur ("prayer book"), and used by Rabbi Bar-Hayim's Jerusalem followers in public prayers held in Machon Shilo's synagogue.[6]
Other nuschaot
In addition, there are other nuschaot.
Nussach HaGR"A was a very brief version of Nussach Ashkenaz written by the
Vilna Gaon, removing some passages which he believed had were not in the original prayer text, correcting some grammatical errors (according to him), and some additional small changes.
Closely related to these was the "
Romaniote" rite[7] from Greece where have lived an ancient, pre-Diaspora Jewish community. The surviving Romaniote synagogues are in
Ioannina,
Chalkis,
Athens,
Tel Aviv,
Jerusalem and
New York. These now use a Sephardic rite but with Romaniote variations, selections of a few Romaniote
piyyutim, combined with own melodies and customs and their special form of Byzantine-Jewish
Cantillation.[8] There were formerly Romaniote synagogues in Istanbul. (The customs of
Corfu are a blend between Romaniote, Apulian and Sephardic rites.)[9]
There was once a French nusach, closely related to the Ashkenazi. The rite mostly died out after the expulsion of Jews from France in 1394, but certain usages survived on the High holidays only in the
Appam community of Northwest Italy until shortly after WWII, and has since become extinct.[10]
In the Middle Ages, there was a unique Nusach Morocco, unrelated to Sephardic liturgy, this original minhag has not be practiced since shortly after the Expulsion of Jews from Spain, and it is unfortunately not well documented.[11]
Until the
16th century, the Aleppo community had its unique prayer rite.[14] After Jews expelled from Spain arrived, they managed to convince the local community to adopt their practices, and the rite died out completely.
The Jews of
Catalonia had a Nusach distinct from the "standard" Spanish rite. This rite was preserved partially until the 20th century.[15]
The
Urfalim Jews of south eastern
Anatolia follow their own prayer rite, which differs from the Syrian, Kurdish and Iraqi Jewish rites.[citation needed]
It is said among some mystics that an as-yet undisclosed nusach will be revealed after the coming of the
Mashiach, the
Jewish Messiah. Others say that the differences in nusach are derived from differences between the twelve tribes of Israel, and that in Messianic times each tribe will have its proper nusach. The concept of one nusach for each of the 12 tribes was formulated by R'
Isaac Luria; at the time there were exactly 12 Jewish communities in Luria's city of
Safed, and each community's nusach was meant to stand in place of that of one of the tribes.[16]
Halakhot
Most halakhic authorities believe that one should follow the nusach of his family, or at the very least follow one nusach consistently. Rabbi
David Bar-Hayim disputes this and permits a Jew to change his nusach at any time, even on a daily basis.[17][18][19]
^In 2019, Idan Peretz publish "Siddur Catalonia" based on manuscripts.
^Note that Rabbi Shalom ben Aharon Ha-Kohen Iraqi would go to a different synagogue each Shabbath with printed Sefardic siddurim, requesting that they pray in the Sephardic rite and forcing it upon them if necessary (Rabbi
Yosef Kapach,
Passover AggadtaArchived 2016-10-05 at the
Wayback Machine [Hebrew], p. 11).
^Ha-Chilukim Bein Anshei Ha-Mizrach Uvne Eretz Yisrael, edition Margaliot, Jerusalem, 1928, "The differences between the people in the east and the people of Eretz Yisrael", from the early Geonic period;
Nusach Eretz YisraelArchived 2015-12-22 at the
Wayback Machine.
^There are 2 surviving copies of the first printing of this rite from 1527, both of which are missing pages. Recently, Yad HaRav Nissim produced a facsimile of a combination of the two copies, using pages from one edition where the other was is missing, see
here. The copy that from the
National Library of Israel is scanned and available
here. It was printed once more in
1560, but the second printing was highly censored, see a reprint of
Volume I and
Volume II.
^ Joseph Davis, The Reception of the "Shulḥan 'Arukh" and the Formation of Ashkenazic Jewish Identity, AJS Review: Vol. 26, No. 2 (Nov., 2002), pp. 251-276 (26 pages), pages 254-256. Davis writes that the twelve communities had their origins in 'Portugal, Castile, Aragon, Seville, Cordoba, the Maghreb, "Italy," Calabria, Apulia, the Arab lands, Germany, and Hungary'.