[1] He was taught by his uncle, Jacob Levy, author of the "Neuhebräisches Wörterbuch", and then attended the gymnasium and the Jewish Theological Seminary in Breslau.

Elbogen served as a lecturer on Biblical exegesis and Jewish history at the Collegio Rabbinico Italiano in Florence.

Originally published in German in 1913, this book was updated in a number of subsequent Hebrew editions.

The latest Hebrew edition was translated into English by Raymond P. Scheindlin, and published by the Jewish Publication Society in 1993.

This work covers the entire range of Jewish liturgical development, beginning with the early cornerstones of the siddur; through the evolution of the medieval piyyut tradition; to modern prayerbook reform in Germany and the United States.