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The inspiration for On The Derekh’s inception centered around the concept of this siddur. It was our first publication, circa 2015. To date, it remains the most comprehensive Moroccan Sephardic siddur on the market, a weekday and Shabbat prayer book inclusive of various traditions throughout Morocco, and inclusive of both the French and Spanish Moroccan customs.
Featuring:
This prayer book was named Siddur Tefillat Shemuel in memory of Sr. Samuel Oziel, z”l, the master of the Classic Series of prayer books.
This edition was dedicated in honour of Rachel & Meir (z”l) Benmergui, and Celia & Isadore (z”l) Bullion by their children, Joe & Mindy, and grandchildren, Michael and Sarah.
Not everyone wants a siddur with over 1,000 pages and an English translation. As well, many ancillary prayers found in other siddurim were not included in Siddur Tefillat Shemuel — Benmergui Edition as they were not directly connected to the weekday and Shabbat prayers. The content in the Benmergui Edition was limited in scope due to its page count and our choice not to compromise on the font size.
Siddur Tefillat Shemuel — Serruya Edition is the natural counterpart to the Benmergui Edition. This edition does NOT feature an English translation of the prayers (i.e., each two-page spread has Hebrew prayers on both sides). It does, however, maintain an English commentary, instructions, halakhot (Laws & Customs sections), and sources on the margins.
Featured in this edition are all the aforementioned supplemental prayers that were excluded from the Benmergui Edition, including:
For the Jewish People, there is no day of the year holier than Yom Kippur. It stands out as the day that all Jews commit to a long day of fasting and repentance. Each kehilah joins together at their synagogue, harnessing the power of communal prayer to beseech the Merciful Judge to have compassion on His people. Such a solemn and consequential day imposes considerable demands on each of us to dedicate our minds and open our hearts to the task at hand. How much more enhanced would our efforts be if we could understand the basic translation and the deeper explanations of our prayers? For the English-speaking Jew of Moroccan descent who is interested in attaining this level of cognizance, Emet LeYa’akov is essential.
This prayer book is built in the same structure and style as Siddur Tefillat Shemuel — Benmergui Edition. It features English instructions, translation, commentary, prayer laws, and sources. Within the Moroccan Sephardic tradition, the liturgy on Yom Kippur varies more so than on other holy days. The variance in prayer arrangement and songs (piyutim) between the common practice of communities from the Spanish-speaking northern part of Morocco versus the rest of the country demanded separate arrangements of the machzor. As such, we published two versions of Emet LeYa’akov – The Oziel Edition is tailored to those who follow the Spanish-Moroccan custom, and the Rbibo Edition is arranged according to the French-Moroccan nusach.
VaYashkem Moshe was On The Derekh’s second publication (launched in 2018). It is a prayer book for the daily Selichot service that begins on the first of Elul in preparation for Yom Kippur. Despite the solemn nature of these prayers, Moroccan Sephardic Jews are especially inspired by the melodies and collaborative performance of its service.
Leon Elmaleh was the driving force behind this project. In 2017, he approached On The Derekh with the desire to honour his mother, Marie Elmaleh, z”l, who was deeply inspired by the Selichot prayer service. For 35 years, Mrs. Elmaleh was the executive administrator at Petah Tikva Congregation, the largest and oldest Sephardic synagogue in Ontario. She was a beloved matriarchal figure in the Toronto Sephardic community whose warm demeanor made the synagogue a welcoming place. During the production of this book, Leon’s father, Moses Elmaleh, z”l – a stalwart community leader in Toronto – passed away. Moses was a founding member of Minyan Sepharad Congregation in Thornhill, Ontario. For 40 years he served as the parnass, was responsible for the chevrah kadisha, and tirelessly performed acts of chessed with a dedication to halakhah and tradition. Upon Moses’ passing, this project expanded into a dedication of the collective memory of Moses & Marie Elmaleh by the their children and grandchildren.
VaYashkem Moshe features English instructions, translation, commentary, halakhot, and sources in the same structure and style of Siddur Tefillat Shemuel – Benmergui Edition.
