Creator Bio
Simḥah of Vitry
d. before 1105
Almost nothing is known of the life of Simḥah of Vitry, who composed what is now called the Maḥzor Vitry, a compendium of the liturgical and ritual customs and related legal rulings from his community in Vitry, in northeastern France. He was the grandfather of Isaac of Dampierre and one of the first and most important disciples of Rashi.
Content by Simḥah of Vitry
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Maḥzor Vitry: On Circumcision
On the eighth day, [the day of the] circumcision, they rise early and go to the synagogue to pray, for the zealous waste no time in performing commandments, as it is written: Abraham woke early in the…
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Maḥzor Vitry: On Rosh Hashanah
On Rosh Hashanah, we do not recite: “O Lord our God, bestow upon us the blessing of Your festivals for life, joy, and peace, as You desired and said You would bless us,” because blessing and joy are…
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Maḥzor Vitry: On the Conclusion of the Sabbath
Thus we lengthen the prayers at the conclusion of the Sabbath, saying Psalms 90:17–91:16, Seder Kedushah [a version of the prayer known as the sanctification of the name], and verses of comfort, for…
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Maḥzor Vitry: On the Eve of Yom Kippur
The custom of our ancestors constitutes Torah, and the following is in the Pesikta:
On the eve of Yom Kippur, we bring chickens, males for male persons, females for female persons. The head of the…