1. General

The word maḥzor (מחזור) currently describes a prayer book designed for use on one or a number of Jewish festivals. This usage is relatively recent in Jewish literary history. The word maḥzor originated as a noun form, derived from an Aramaic root ḥzr חזר)) that also occurs widely in mishnaic Hebrew and bears the meaning of “going around,” “going back,” and “repeating.” The form is used in talmudic-midrashic texts to describe an annual cycle, such as that of the sun, or that relating t…