Liturgy · R' Avraham Farissol (scribe) · 15th c. · Ferrara · Siddur · Illuminated · Italian Rite · Women's Manuscript

סדור — נוסח איטלקי, לאשה

Siddur (Italian Rite) made for a woman — scribed by R' Avraham Farissol

Italy, 1471 or 1478 · The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary

A small, beautifully written 15th-century Italian-rite siddur (147 leaves, 13 × 17 cm) copied by R' Avraham ben Mordechai Farissol (c. 1451–c. 1525) — the noted Italian scholar, scribe, and geographer — and made for the use of a woman. On image 14 the morning blessing has been altered from the standard women's formulation "She'asani Kirtzono" ("who has made me according to His will") to the more affirmative "She'asani Isha v'lo Ish" ("who has made me a woman and not a man") — a striking and historically rare scribal choice. The manuscript is one of the illuminated Hebrew codices catalogued in the JTS Library's 1965 Illuminated Hebrew Manuscripts. A downloadable PDF facsimile is also available.