Mahzor of Worms
illuminated Hebrew prayer book in two volumes
The Mahzor of Worms is a thirteenth century illuminated manuscript. Dated to 1272, it is a Mahzor, a Jewish festival liturgical prayerbook, and the locus of the first written Yiddish. The scribe who copied the manuscript was Simhah ben Yehuda Ha-Sofer and it was illustrated by Shemiah Ha-Zarfati.
The first volume was completed likely in Würzburg. The second volume was produced at a later time, probably in Worms, where the two volumes were used by the local Jewish community.
References
External links
Machzor Worms in the catalog of the National Library of Israel, including a full scan.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Mahzor of Worms” as illuminated Hebrew prayer book in two volumes. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as illuminated Hebrew prayer book in two volumes. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3277913. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1272.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Mahzor of Worms”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Mahzor of Worms primary sources, Mahzor of Worms archive and Mahzor research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Mahzor of Worms”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Mahzor of Worms” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.