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Mahzor in Ashkenaz (tzenna renna letters) according to the custom of Ashkenaz and Poland. It includes Kerovitz “The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous” (Psalms 118:15). The title page is dated, “Now åòúä (481 = 1721) therefore, O our G-d, hear the prayer of your servant” (Daniel 9:17). The verso of the title page has an introduction and below it the famous woodcut of a Jew in medieval clothes blowing the shofar. The text, in two columns encompasses the festival prayers for the entire year, beginning with Rosh Ha-Shanah through Shevu’ot. At the end of the book are the Megillot read on festivals. Within the text are the yozrot and other piyyutinm said in many communities on these festivals.
Piyyutim can be divided according to their liturgical purpose into a number of categories, differing in their histories and development, their structures, and their distribution. In different periods, certain types of piyyutim were more prevalent than others. The earliest and most important types of piyyut are the kerovah and the yozer. The kerovah is designed for inclusion in the Amidah prayer, while the yozer belongs to the benedictions before and after the Shema in the Shaharit service. The kerovot divide into a number of secondary categories, according to the types of Amidah to which they are attached: the kerovah of the daily Amidah is called kerovat Shemoneh Esreh because of the 18 blessings in that Amidah; that of Musaf or Ma'ariv Amidah for Sabbaths and the holy days is called shivata because of the seven blessings in these Amidot; while that of the Shaharit Amidah of the Sabbath and holy days, which include a kedushah, is called kedushata (in ancient Erez Israel, kedushah was said on Sabbaths and festivals only in the Shaharit service). Each of the types of kerovah has its own structural characteristics. The kerovah, mainly the kedushah, is thought of as the dominant type of ancient piyyut. The yozer is combined from several types of piyyut, according to the structure of the permanent prayers replaced or embellished by piyyut. The yozer enjoyed great circulation mainly in the second period of oriental piyyut, between the seventh and 11th centuries. Parallel to the yozerot, which were intended for Shaharit, there are also, during this period, piyyutim of Ma'ariv, intended to adorn the blessings before and after the Shema in the evening service. This type of piyyut, however, was never widely employed.
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