Siddur and Machzor Kol Bo

Siddur and Machzor Kol-Bo with its commentary Hadras Kodesh was first printed over 300 years ago in the city of Zoltzbach, in the year 1699. This machzor was reprinted many times since then in various cities throughout Europe and many generations of Jews have davened in it.

Machzor Kol-Bo is a Siddur for the weekday as well as a Machzor for all holidays. It includes all prayers said throughout the year. For this reason it became accepted in all Jewish communities the world over. Its name Kol-Bo translates to mean “ all inclusive”.

The commentary Hadras Kodesh is a collection of commentary writings from the most widely acclaimed Ashkenazic Torah giants of that generation. It is well known that Rabbi Aharon of Belz and many other Great Rabbis would daven exclusively from Siddur and Machzor Kol-Bo because of the commentary. The Zoltzbach printers also included a wealth of laws and customs from the most famous Halacha Seforim such as the Rema, Bais Yosef, Maharil, and others that are the pillars of Jewish law on which all of Jewry rely as is explained in the introduction of the Machzor.

The latest reprint of the Siddur and Machzor Kol-Bo was in Vilna in the year 1914 by the widower and Ram brothers, well- known printers of Vilna. The Vilna print was renowned in those days for its elegant print and precision as well as clarity and beauty of its letters and binding. The Machzor was reprinted both in Ashkenzic as well as Sefardic text as it was accepted in all Jewish circles. Because of its demand, it was again reprinted in the years 1923 and 1935. It is interesting to note the differences between these two reprints. In 1914 the First World War was beginning and at that time Lithuania and Poland were under the dictatorship of the Czar in Russia. At the end of the Torah Reading, therefore, you will notice a prayer for the success of the Czar Nicholas Alexanderowitz, who was the last of the Czars in Russia and the son of the Caesar Alexander, son of the infamous Czar Nicholas II, hater of Jews. In the reprint of the years 1923 and 1935 this prayer is omitted as Vilna was under the leadership of Poland, which was led by their own Congress. This Machzor is photographed from the original copy from 1914.

After the Holocaust, there was a need to reprint this Machzor. Rabbi Aharon Flohr, z”l reprinted Siddur and Machzor Kol-Bo in 1953 in the city of New York, a copy of the original Vilna print of 1914. It spread throughout the world and can still be found today in certain old shuls. Many are still searching for it and it cannot be bought in stores anymore. With this in mind its being reprinted today anew.

A lot of work and effort was invested in this project so that it retain its original beauty of old, as far as the clarity and quality of the print and the quality of the paper. Also, careful attention was given to the binding, which was done in genuine bonded leather, to give it strength to endure many years. Much effort was made so that it resemble the original copy of the Vilna Machzor. The design was chosen from one of two designs of the Vilna print because of its beauty. It was done by a famous Warsaw binder by the name of Nathan Piekorsh. Each Machzor has his original seal on the back cover, which adds to its extreme rarity and beauty. It is truly a pride to use this Machzor and one cannot buy a nicer gift for a relative or important person.