Amidora · Library
How are a text version and a prayer tradition different source choices?
Choosing Ashkenaz, Sefard or Edot HaMizrach in Amidora loads a separate text of 423, 101 or 82 leaves; the edition credited inside it is a second, separate choice.
Two different choices
The nusach setting in Amidora decides which text file is loaded: Siddur Ashkenaz, Siddur Sefard or Siddur Edot HaMizrach, each drawn from its own Sefaria index. The three share the same five top sections, starting with Weekday, Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh, but differ greatly in size: 423, 101 and 82 leaves.
The edition is a second layer. Sefard and Edot HaMizrach both take their default Hebrew from Torat Emet 357, and the Metsudah siddur of 1981 appears in both Ashkenaz and Sefard. Sharing an edition name does not make two nusach texts the same.
Keeping the choice consistent
- Set the nusach that matches the prayer book you follow before you start reading.
- Check the Texts and sources screen to see which editions that text uses.
- When comparing wording, compare leaves within one nusach first.
- Record both the nusach and the edition when saving an excerpt.
What changes with the nusach
Switching from Ashkenaz to Sefard changes the outline and the leaf you land on, not only the wording: a section present in one text can be missing from the other, and the app then reports that the section is not in the selected nusach. The setting also feeds the calendar engine that marks tagged additions, so the marks can differ for the same day.
- Ashkenaz
- 423 leaves · Siddur_Ashkenaz
- Sefard
- 101 leaves · Siddur_Sefard
- Edot HaMizrach
- 82 leaves · Siddur_Edot_HaMizrach
Mistakes
- Changing nusach to find an English translation and forgetting to change back.
- Treating Torat Emet 357 as one text across Sefard and Edot HaMizrach.
- Comparing leaf counts as a measure of completeness of a tradition.
- Saving an excerpt with the edition but not the nusach.
Scope
The setting is a navigation choice inside the app, with texts from the Sefaria editions listed below. Which rite a person follows is for their community; the existing guide to choosing a siddur nusach, linked below, covers that step.