MAHZOR (MAHÂZOR). - A synagogue ritual for the annual festivals (literally "cycle," from hâzar "to return periodically," originally an astronomical term); in the Syrian Church, mahzôrtâ is equivalent to the Breviary. It is not unlikely that the most ancient mahzor was a calendar enriched with liturgical indications. As the texts were enriched by the "pajjetani" (synagogue poets), the calendar was omitted.
Unlike the siddhâr ("order" of prayers), which contains only the fundamental prayers, the mahzor also includes the later poetic parts (pijijûtim). The most ancient mahzors belong to the 6th century A.D. The best known and most appreciated is that of Simhâh of Samuel of Vitry (ca. 1100). The siddhâr of R. H. Selômôh Jîshâqî was published in Berlin in 1911. The mahzor varies according to the rite (Spanish, German, Italian). A complete mahzor includes, in addition to the prayers and festive poems, the readings from the Pentateuch (pârâšôth) and the prophetic readings haphârôth, as well as the mâghillôth.