Kol Nidrei with Dragons

A Jew walking into a synagogue tonight or tomorrow, anywhere in the world, will pick up or be handed a maḥzor, or High Holy Day prayer book. In medieval times, however, most congregations had only a single maḥzor reflecting their particular liturgical customs, and from this the cantor would lead the prayers. Some of these, like the Leipzig Maḥzor—composed in Worms in the 13th century and used in that city for nearly four centuries—were massive, richly illuminated volumes. David Stern describes the book’s illustration for Kol Nidrei, the solemn prayer that ushers in Yom Kippur: