Choose Your Siddur
Our primary event and learning host uses Siddur Lev Shalem for Shabbat and Festivals. For those who want a personal copy to annotate, we also encourage purchasing a copy for personal annotations or a second siddur as a comparison lens or for prayers and uses that align more with your practices.
Maybe you like clean pages and structure, lots of commentary, poetic options, or a more explicit approach to inclusion and theology? There are a wide range of choices, so we've prepared this page to help you explore your options!
How to use this guide
1. Take the quiz for a quick starting point. 2. Browse the cards to compare recommendations, covers, and links. 3. Choose one primary siddur for regular use, then consider one comparison volume if you want to study how different communities shape prayer.
Privacy note: The quiz and filters run only on this page. They do not collect personal information, submit answers, create a profile, use cookies, or use browser storage.
Take the Siddur Match Quiz
Not sure where to start? Use this lighthearted, BuzzFeed-style quiz to get a few recommendations. There are no right answers; it is only a guide for choosing a siddur that fits how you pray, study, and participate.
Privacy note: This quiz does not ask for your name, email address, or any other personal information. It does not submit your answers anywhere, does not create a profile, and does not use cookies or browser storage. Your answers stay on this page and disappear when you leave or refresh it.
Options to Consider
The options below include Hebrew/English siddurim and a few comparison or companion volumes that are especially useful for studying how prayerbooks make choices about translation, theology, inclusion, commentary, minhag, and liturgical structure. The visual cards make it easier to compare covers, recommendations, and purchase links at a glance. Availability and editions vary, so confirm that you are selecting the edition that matches your needs for Shabbat, Festivals, weekday prayer, or comparative study.
Browse the recommendations visually, or use the filters to compare by liturgical family and learning use. Cover images are shown where a stable image URL was available; otherwise the card uses a neutral placeholder so the layout stays consistent. When an authorized, official, or clearly public-domain online edition is available, a secondary digital-access button appears on the card.
Conservative / Masorti
Siddur Lev Shalem (Conservative / Masorti)
Recommendation: Best default choice for this learning context. It should remain the shared base text because it balances traditional liturgy, contemporary translation, historical notes, poetry, and devotional prompts exceptionally well.
Choose this if you: want a strong traditional backbone with excellent notes, clear translation, and plenty to study closely. This is our shared base text at Rodef Shalom.
Best use: Primary communal siddur; excellent for Shabbat and festival learning.
View purchase / details
Conservative / Masorti
Siddur Lev Shalem for Weekdays (Conservative / Masorti)
Recommendation: Add this as a companion to Lev Shalem for Shabbat and Festivals. It extends the same editorial and spiritual sensibility into weekday practice, mitzvot, home ritual, and daily Jewish rhythms.
Choose this if you: want the Lev Shalem approach beyond Shabbat and festivals, especially for weekday prayer, personal practice, and home ritual.
Best use: Best companion volume for people already using Lev Shalem.
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Conservative / Masorti
Siddur Sim Shalom (Conservative / Masorti)
Recommendation: Recommended as the classic Conservative comparison text. It is especially useful for seeing the movement’s earlier liturgical style before Lev Shalem’s more expansive commentary format.
Choose this if you: prefer a cleaner page for annotation, want a classic egalitarian Conservative siddur, and like a straightforward, text-forward experience.
Best use: Annotation, comparison, and Conservative liturgical history.
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Conservative / Masorti
Or Hadash: Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom (study companion)
Recommendation: Add this even though it is a commentary companion rather than a stand-alone siddur. For scholarly learners, Reuven Hammer’s commentary makes Sim Shalom far more useful as a study text.
Choose this if you: already own or use Sim Shalom and want deeper historical, textual, and interpretive notes.
Best use: Study groups, adult learning, and close reading of prayer structure. Not a full replacement siddur; use alongside Sim Shalom.
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Reform / Progressive
Mishkan T’filah (Reform)
Recommendation: Essential for a progressive comparison shelf. Its two-page spread, inclusive language, transliteration, readings, and source notes make it valuable for studying how Reform liturgy creates multiple entry points.
Choose this if you: like poetic English, multiple readings and options, inclusive language, and several spiritual entry points on each page.
Best use: Comparing theology, translation choices, and progressive worship design.
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Inclusive / Renewal
Kol Haneshamah: Shabbat Vehagim (Reconstructionist)
Recommendation: Strongly recommended for people who want liturgy to be transparent about theology and editorial choices. It is one of the best “conversation starter” siddurim for learners who like to ask what a prayer means and why it is framed this way.
Choose this if you: appreciate transparent theology and editorial choices, and want a siddur that invites thoughtful reflection and conversation about meaning.
Best use: Reconstructionist comparison, theological discussion, and reflective learning.
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Comparative
Eit Ratzon (Traditional-Egalitarian)
Recommendation: Recommended for learners who want a very traditional service structure without a heavy editorial voice. Its four-column format is especially good for comparing Hebrew, translation, transliteration, and commentary.
Choose this if you: want a very traditional structure, an egalitarian approach, and minimal editorial overlay so you can build your own notes and kavvanot.
Best use: Personal annotation, traditional-egalitarian settings, and learners who want structure without clutter.
View purchase / details Free service PDFs
Inclusive / Renewal
Siddur Sha’ar Zahav (LGBTQ+ inclusive community siddur)
Recommendation: Important to include because it shows what happens when a siddur is shaped by a particular lived community. It is especially valuable for studying inclusive translation, queer liturgy, and contemporary communal authorship.
Choose this if you: want a siddur shaped by lived experience in an LGBTQ+ spiritual community, with a strong commitment to inclusion and meaningful language.
Best use: Inclusive liturgy, life-cycle readings, Pride Shabbat, and pastoral/community prayer resources.
View purchase / details Free online PDF
Inclusive / Renewal
B’chol L’vavcha / With All Your Heart (Renewal or LGBTQ+ progressive option)
Recommendation: Keep this as a “similar option” rather than a single required purchase because editions and contexts vary. It works well for people drawn to chant, kavvanah, commentary, and contemporary progressive prayer language.
Choose this if you: are drawn to meditation, chant, and a more mystical, experiential, or radically inclusive tone.
Best use: A contrast lens alongside Lev Shalem; especially good for experiential learning.
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Reform / Progressive
Historic Reform option: Gates of Prayer or Union Prayer Book
Recommendation: Recommended as a historical comparison text rather than a primary siddur. These volumes help learners see how Reform theology, English style, gender language, and communal assumptions changed over time.
Choose this if you: love seeing how liturgy evolves over time, especially around translation style, theology, and denominational identity.
Best use: Historical comparison and adult learning on liturgical change.
View purchase / details Free public-domain Union Prayer Book
Reform / Progressive
Siddur Tefilat Ha-Adam (Israeli Reform / Progressive)
Recommendation: Add this for a non-North-American progressive lens. It is especially useful for comparing Israeli Reform language, Hebrew poetry, traditional texts, and contemporary creativity.
Choose this if you: want to compare North American progressive prayerbooks with Israeli Reform and Progressive liturgy.
Best use: Advanced comparative study; especially good for Hebrew-comfortable learners. Primarily Hebrew; not the easiest choice for beginners.
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Orthodox / Traditional
Siddur Avodat HaLev / RCA Siddur (Orthodox, scholarly)
Recommendation: Best Orthodox study siddur to include. The commentary explicitly draws on rabbinic and academic sources, making it one of the strongest scholarly additions for a mixed comparison shelf.
Choose this if you: want a contemporary Orthodox siddur with full daily, Shabbat, festival, and holiday structure, contemporary translation, and serious commentary.
Best use: Scholarly Orthodox comparison, halakhic notes, and study of modern Orthodox liturgical framing.
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Orthodox / Traditional
The Koren Sacks Siddur (Orthodox)
Recommendation: Recommended for readers who care about typography, flow, and theological commentary. It is less academically annotated than Avodat HaLev, but it is superb for daily use and reflective study.
Choose this if you: want elegant typography, clear layout, modern Orthodox liturgical framing, and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’s theological and literary commentary.
Best use: Daily use, sermon preparation, and philosophical/theological reading.
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Orthodox / Traditional
Authorised Daily Prayer Book / Singer Siddur (Minhag Anglia)
Recommendation: Recommended as a classic Anglo-Jewish reference point. It helps readers see Minhag Anglia, older English prayer style, and the bridge between Singer and later Koren/Sacks editions.
Choose this if you: want a classic Anglo-Jewish Orthodox reference point, especially for comparing English translation style, synagogue custom, and Minhag Anglia.
Best use: Historical comparison and Anglo-Orthodox liturgical context.
View purchase / details Free public-domain Singer scan
Historical / Scholarly
Ha-Siddur Ha-Shalem / Birnbaum Siddur (classic American reference)
Recommendation: Recommended as a historical control. It is not the most current siddur, but it is invaluable for understanding midcentury American Jewish translation, layout, and explanatory style.
Choose this if you: want a historically important midcentury Hebrew/English siddur for comparing translation choices and American Jewish prayerbook culture.
Best use: Scholarly comparison, historical research, and translation analysis.
View purchase / details Free public-domain scan
Orthodox / Traditional
Siddur Tehillat Hashem Annotated (Chabad / Nusach Ari)
Recommendation: Recommended for a Chabad/Nusach Ari comparison lens. It is especially useful for seeing how custom, practical instruction, and Chassidic liturgical tradition are presented for English readers.
Choose this if you: want a Chabad/Nusach Ari siddur with extensive practical guidance, clear instructions, and a useful contrast to Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and Modern Orthodox siddurim.
Best use: Chabad practice, Nusach Ari comparison, and practical prayer instruction.
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Orthodox / Traditional
ArtScroll Sephardic Siddur (Sephardic / Edot Mizrach)
Recommendation: Recommended because any serious siddur comparison should include a Sephardic/Edot Mizrach option. This is practical, accessible, and heavily guided.
Choose this if you: want a practical Sephardic Hebrew/English siddur that foregrounds Sephardic liturgy, customs, and halakhic instructions.
Best use: Sephardic comparison, practical use, and learning differences among Jewish prayer traditions.
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Orthodox / Traditional
ArtScroll Wasserman Siddur (Orthodox, practical reference)
Recommendation: Recommended as the most recognizable practical Orthodox reference siddur. It is not the most scholarly, but it is useful because so many English-speaking Orthodox spaces use ArtScroll conventions.
Choose this if you: want a widely used Orthodox Hebrew/English siddur with extensive explanations, practical instructions, and a familiar reference format.
Best use: Practical Orthodox reference, synagogue familiarity, and comparison with Koren.
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Orthodox / Traditional
Seder Avodat Yisrael / Baer Siddur (historical-critical reference)
Recommendation: Add this only for the seriously scholarly reader. It is a historical/textual reference rather than a congregational siddur, but it is valuable for studying nusaḥ, variants, grammar, and the German-Ashkenazic scholarly tradition.
Choose this if you: want a deeper historical-critical reference for the development and wording of Ashkenazi liturgy.
Best use: Advanced research, textual comparison, and historical liturgy. Not primarily a user-friendly prayerbook; best as a reference text.
View purchase / details Free public-domain scanDigital editions note: Free online links are included only when they appear to be official community resources, publisher-authorized resources, or public-domain scans. For current copyrighted siddurim, please use the purchase/details link unless the publisher or community explicitly provides online access.
Privacy note: These cards and filters run only on this page. They do not ask for personal information, submit answers, create a profile, use cookies, or use browser storage.
Want help choosing?
If you tell us what you like (clean layout, lots of commentary, inclusive language, traditional structure, poetic English, academic notes, or a particular nusach), we will suggest a few options and point you to purchase links.
Contact: help@the-merkaz.org