Seder Tefillah with Torah Or and Shaarei Tefillah, according to the Arizal Nusach. Vilna: Widow and Brothers Romm, 1891.

Two parts in one volume. Two title pages to Torah Or and a separate title page to Shaarei Tefillah; first title page printed in red and blue ink.

The Siddur was first printed in Vilna in 1886 (see item 51) and later in 1889 (see item 52). The present Siddur is a stereotype print of the 1889 edition, identical except for the year of publication indicated on the title page. The author, who passed shortly before the printing, is still mentioned with the blessing for the living.

Siddur Torah Or is considered to be the most accurate and reliable version of Siddur HaRav – the Baal HaTanya's Siddur. Siddur Torah Or was compiled and revised by Rabbi Avraham David Lavut, Rabbi of Nikolayev, who added his own compositions Shaarei Tefillah and Netiv HaChayim. At the head of Torah Or Siddur appears an approbation by Rabbi Yehuda Leib of Janowitz, brother of the Baal HaTanya, originally written for the Kopust 1823 edition. Following the title page is the Rabbi Avraham David Lavut's renowned foreword written for his work Shaarei Tefillah.

* Part I (Torah Or): [4], 5-24, 27-49, 51-187, [1] ff. missing three leaves (leaves 25-26, 50). * Part II (Shaarei Tefillah and Netiv HaChayim): [2], 5-28; [1], 2-60; 70 ff. Missing seven leaves at end.

20 cm. Fair-bad condition. Dark stains and browning. Creases and wear. Tears and worming, affecting text. Margins of first title page trimmed, affecting border (strips of tape to verso for reinforcement). One leaf detached. Leaves trimmed with damage to headings and pagination. New binding.

Levin, List of Publications of the Torah Or Siddur , IIII; Oberlaender, HaSiddur, 84, page 334.

Siddur Torah Or

The Siddur compiled by the Alter Rebbe R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi - Siddur HaRav, was printed during his lifetime in several editions, in Shklow and Kopust. From the passing of the Baal HaTanya, until 1886, the Siddur was reprinted in dozens of editions. In many of the editions, the printers were not particular to preserve the accurate text of the prayers and laws, and in some editions, they combined the text of Siddur HaRav with texts of other prevalent Siddurim.

In the 1880s, R. Avraham David Lavut, Rabbi of Nikolayev (Mykolaiv; maternal grandfather of the Lubavitcher Rebbe), began studying and researching the original text of Siddur HaRav. To that end, he searched for editions of the Siddur published in the lifetime of the Baal HaTanya. Upon finding such a Siddur, he set to work proofreading and correcting the text of Siddur HaRav, according to the siddur he found. In 1886 he printed the Siddur HaRav in Vilna under a new title – "Siddur Torah Or" (item 51).

However, immediately after the first version of the Siddur was published, R. Lavut obtained another edition of Siddur HaRav, published in the lifetime of the Baal HaTanya, which contained some variations. In light of this, R. Lavut produced a new, corrected edition of Siddur Torah Or – the Vilna 1889 edition (Item 52).

The Siddur, published by R. Lavut, was supplemented by two of his own compositions: "Shaarei Tefillah", focusing on the sources, versions, and traditions, upon which the Alter Rebbe based his Siddur, and "Netiv HaChayim", which compares between contradicting rulings in "Derech HaChayim" by the Gaon of Lissa, and the Alter Rebbe's Siddur and Shulchan Aruch.