Adult Prayer Books and Reading
        for Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur

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Make Your Machzor Your Own with Kesher

Choose a beautifully bound machzor in the nusach, language and style that feels right for your Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur davening.

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Choosing books for the High Holidays

What is the difference between a machzor and a siddur?

A siddur holds the daily and Shabbos prayers; a machzor holds the prayers for the festivals, and a Rosh Hashanah machzor is specific to those days. You need the machzor for the Yamim Noraim — the daily siddur does not contain most of what is said.

Which machzor should I choose?

It depends on what you want from it. An interlinear machzor puts the English directly under each Hebrew word and is the fastest route to following along. The Koren Sacks edition is chosen for its commentary and essays. A pocket edition is for carrying rather than for sitting with.

What is worth reading before Rosh Hashanah?

The books here on teshuvah and the meaning of the days are written to be read in Elul, a few pages at a time, rather than in one sitting. A repentance journal serves a different purpose — it is for writing rather than reading, and works best started well before the holiday.

Are these suitable as gifts?

A machzor is a personal choice and hard to buy for someone else unless you know which nusach and which edition they use. The books on teshuvah, the essays and the cookbook are far safer gifts, and a beautifully bound machzor is a fitting present for a bar or bat mitzvah.

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