Siddur HaTalmud

Review by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Mishpacha Magazine:

RABBI YISROEL ROLL recently presented me with a unique siddur – a typesetting miracle. At the top of the page are Gemaras and other ma'arei mekomos from Chazal related to the specific paragraph of text, and at the bottom a commentary called V'sein Chelkeinu B'Sorasecha, based on the chiddushim of Rav Moshe Shapiro on the Siddur.  

Though Rav Moshe never gave shiurim on the Siddur per se, he had complete mastery of the Siddur, in all its nusachos. Anyone who ever had the privilege of hearing him daven can attest to the centrality of tefillah to everything he did. In his shiurim, he frequently cited different nusachos hatefillah as prooftexts for concepts he was developing.

The new Siddur appears in time for Rav Shapiro’s fifth yahrtzeit on Asarah B'Teves, and is one of a plethora of new publications based on his Torah. Some years ago, Rabbi Akiva Tatz told me that he has gathered over 16,000 shiurim of Rav Moshe. And these shiurim are not only being listened to by thousands – my oldest grandson enjoys sharing with me every comment on “itonayim v’k’eleh” Rav Moshe directed to me in a chabura on perek Cheilek – but many sets of shiurim – e.g., Pirke Avos, Hilchos De'os, Perek Chelek – are being prepared by talmidim.

Rav Aharon Lopiansky and Rav Yehoshua Hartman, two of Rav Moshe’s closest talmidim, who have between them brought twenty or so annotated volumes of Maharal to print, have both written effusive haskomos for Rabbi Roll’s Siddur HaTalmud. And I can attest that he writes with exceptional clarity.

Siddur HaTalmud is an ideal format for anyone interested in deepening their knowledge and appreciation of the Siddur. The clear, bold text and instructions taken from Rav Lopiansky’s Aliyos Eliyahu, make for easy reading. And the commentary is, as expected, filled with startling, new insights.