Menachem Mendel » Customs

Tefillin at Minha on Erev Yom Kippur

Menachem Mendel — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:18:09 +0000

Over the holiday I saw an advertisement for a Syrian synagogue, Magen David of Union Square, that described minḥa before Yom Kippur as being “with tefillin.” I had never heard of this custom before and a little searching found some discussion of this custom.

In the always helpful Keter Shem Tov I found the following: (6:272)

Herbert C. Dobrinsky in his book, A Treasury of Sephardic Laws and Customs wrote the following in the section on Syrian Jewish customs for Yom Kippur: (p. 333)

Minḥa is prayed on Ereb Yom Kippur early in the afternoon between one and four o’clock. All the men put on tallit and tefillin (with berakha) to demonstrate to the Almighty that, should they have been neglectful in the performance of this mizvah during the course of the year, this extra effor to put on tefillin on this day is to prove their sincerity in desiring to do teshubah.

This custom is also mentioned here.

Tikkun Leil Shavuot 5771

Menachem Mendel — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:01:26 +0000

Below is a source sheet from a shiur that I’ll be teaching at tonight’s Tikkun. Hag Sameaḥ.

Competing Communities

Yoel Rappel on Shavuot Customs

Menachem Mendel — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:19:59 +0000

In the Shavuot edition of Musaf Shabbat, Yoel Rappel discusses (Hebrew) a few customs that are observed on Shavuot.

When to Pray on Shavuot

Menachem Mendel — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:36:38 +0000

With Shavuot almost upon us, it is worthwhile to read this summary by Ethan Tucker of the sources about the question when one should pray on Shavuot evening.

Jerusalem Customs

Menachem Mendel — Tue, 31 May 2011 14:28:34 +0000

Reading for Jerusalem Day:

David Golinkin, “Jerusalem in Jewish law and Custom: A Preliminary Typology” (here)

An expanded version of this article can be found in Lee Levine, ed., Jerusalem: its Centrality to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Continuum Press, New York, 1999, pp. 408-423.

Chanting Israel’s Declaration of Independence

Menachem Mendel — Thu, 05 May 2011 13:20:54 +0000

Ynet has an article (Hebrew) about a new custom from the Movement for Progressive Judaism (Reform) in Israel, chanting selections from Israel’s Declaration of Independence (English, Hebrew) on Yom ha-Atzmaut with cantillation. You can hear a few selections here. It’s too bad that the section of their web site about Yom ha-Atzmaut there doesn’t seem to be anything, hopefully they’ll post it for all to see and hear.

See here for a previous post on Liturgical Responses to Yom ha-Atzmaut

The only similar undertaking that I am aware of is Megillat Hashoah, which was written by Prof. Avigdor Shinan for the Masorti Movement (Conservative) and the Schechter Institute. Although most of the scroll is read, two small sections are chanted with the cantellations of Lamentations. See this (Hebrew) article for more details about the process and discussion that went into Megillat Hashoah. I personally think that chanting a ritual text has more of an effect than reading it.

Rav Kook Ate Manischewitz Matzah

Menachem Mendel — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 14:35:45 +0000

According to this (Hebrew) article from Musaf Shabbat by Rabbi Prof. Neriyah Gotel, Rav Kook was an enthusiastic consumer of machine-made Manischewitz matzah while he was in London during WW I. The article describes the different versions of a letter by Rav Kook that were published in different editions of Igrot Ha-Ra’ayah, one that includes explicit praise and description of using machine-made matzah, and the other that doesn’t seem to make much sense since it was heavily edited.

See this post by Menachem Butler for references to literature on machine-made matzah. My custom is to use machine-made shemurah matzah for the mitzvah of eating matzah at the seder whenever it is available.

Rabbi Hayyim Navon on Halakhah and the Jewish Women

Menachem Mendel — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:40:03 +0000

Rabbi Hayyim Navon has published a new book on halakhah and the Jewish woman. Navon tries to be responsive to calls for halakhic change, but he doesn’t give much. If despite his discomfort with the blessing שלא עשני אשה he keeps saying it because he thinks that we need some central halakhic authority to change the blessing, then I have difficulty seeing how he’s going to find much room for flexibility within the halakhah.

The Origins of Ta’anit Esther

Menachem Mendel — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 05:38:08 +0000

See Mitchell First’s post at the Seforim blog on “The Origin of Ta’anit Esther.”

Asarah be-Tevet and Hayyim Nahman Bialik

Menachem Mendel — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:48:29 +0000

The fast of Asarah be-Tevet is this Friday. See here for a post about how to observe the fast when it falls on a Friday. For a more in-depth discussion of the origins of the fast and some of its halakhic issues, see this post from Mechon Hadar.

In this post, Uri Heitner describes the Asarah be-Tevet of his youth. They didn’t fast, nor speak about any reason for fasting, rather, it was an important day because it was Hayyim Naḥman Bialik’s birthday (b. January 9, 1873). See here and here for programs to mark this day.