The beginnings of Jewish liturgy are obscure. The prayers found occasionally in the Bible are spontaneous reactions to personal events or experiences, e.g., the short prayers of Moses (Num. 12:13), Jethro (Ex. 18:10), and Hannah (I Sam. 1:11), and the extended prayer of Solomon at the inauguration of the Temple (I Kings 8:15ff., 23ff.). The only formal prayers are the confessions to be recited when bringing the first fruits (Viddui Bikkurim) and the tithe (Viddui Ma'aser; Deut. 26:5–15), and that of the high priest which had no prescribed formula (Lev. 16:21). Pious individuals seem to have prayed thrice daily (Dan. 6:11; cf. also Ps. 55: 18), and some of the psalms may have served as texts for the levitical service twice a day in the First and Second Temples (I Chron. 23:30). There is no evidence, however, of communal prayer in the Temple. There was only a short liturgy for the priests on duty which comprised a benediction, the recitation of the Shema and the Decalogue, three additional benedictions and the priestly blessing (Tam. 5:1). The laymen present for the sacrifices participated in the ritual by prostrating themselves (Tam. 7:3; cf. Ber. 11b) and at appropriate pauses, probably chanting such responses as "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good" (Ps. 136:1). This ceremony might have been one of the sources out of which the liturgy later developed. The rise of the synagogue, the frequent fasts prescribed in times of drought for which a special liturgy was fixed in the Mishnah (Ta'an. 2:1–5; see Fasting), and the ma'amadot institution (Ta'an. 2:7; 4:1–4) contributed to the development of liturgy. The ma'amad consisted of representatives of the people, part of whom were present at the sacrifices and the rest assembled at home, both conducting prayers four times a day—Shaharit, Musaf, Minhah and Ne'ilat She'arim (see Ne'ilah, Mishmarot, and Ma'amadot). The hours later fixed for the Shaharit, Minhah and Arvit prayers were in accordance with the times (of prayer of the members of the ma'amadot and thus) of the sacrifices as well as in accordance with the practices of pious individuals who fixed their prayer schedule according to the position of the sun (TJ, Ber. 4:1, 7b; Ber. 26b).

Jewish prayer is comprised of various rites with different arrangements of prayers. The Sephardic rite, represented in this prayer-book, differs from the Ashkenazi by putting Hodu before Barukh she-Amar, inserting Ve-Yazmah Purkaneh in the Kaddish; introducing the Kedushah with Nakdishakh and Keter; different versions of the ninth benediction of the Amidah for summer and winter; minor differences in the general wording of the Amidah; and the formula Le-Moshe Zivvita (instead of Tikkanta) for the Sabbath Musaf. The Sephardi (Castilian) rite has only a few piyyutim since most of them had been deleted by the time of David Abudarham (see his commentary to the piyyutim, Tashlum Abudarham, ed. by L. Prins (1900)). Even in the Day of Atonement Amidot there are only one or two piyyutim for the introduction of the Kedushah, and the selihot come after the Amidah.

[א]: סדר תפלות. עם השער הנ"ל. קמד דף. [ב]: סדר תפלות... נלוה עמו סדרן של תפלת עמידה ומזמורים של ימים טובים וקידוש... ותיקון הגשם והטל ומוסף היום... ועוד... ההושענות... סדר יום הושענא רבא... שמיני עצרת... עם תיקון... יום שמחת תורה... הובא לבית הדפוס על ידי... רב אחא"י (אברהם חלואה... בכמוהה"ר יוסף)... מבדין[!] שבעיר לונדון... בפקודת... הפרנסים... של חברת ת"ת [תלמוד תורה] של שערי תקוה וגם חברת ת"ת של שערי אורה ואבי יתומים שבק"ק ספרדים... של שער השמים במתא... לונדון... מג דף. מעבר לשער הקדמת ר' אברהם חלואה, "העומד לשרת בקדש בק"ק שער השמים ולשמור את דרך בית המדרש עץ החיים בלונדון".