Menachem Mendel

A few days ago a program was broadcast on Israeli TV that featured the final moments of prayer and supplication in the synagogue of the Neve Dekalim settlement in the Gaza Strip before the Israeli withdrawal.

Posted on September 2nd, 2010 under Israel, Liturgy. Comments: None

Tomer Persico has a posted (Hebrew) about another article by Yoav Sorek, this one was about Tisha B’av and how the historical reality of Israel behooves us to change the way the day is observed. I haven’t read Sorek’s article, but Persico posted his own response which was printed in Makor Rishon. Persico wrote that [...]

Posted on July 31st, 2010 under Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Law, Liturgy, Rabbinic Authority, Religious Zionism. Comments: None

From the Jewish Week. (hat tip Failed Messiah) In a move that apparently would make history for an Orthodox synagogue in the United States, the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale is scheduled Friday night to have a woman lead a Kabbalat Shabbat service where both men and women are expected to be in the pews. Update: [...]

Posted on July 30th, 2010 under Jewish Law, Liturgy, Rabbinic Authority, Synagogue. Comments: 2

I have been watching the YU Tisha B’av channel with Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter on and off during the day. Dr. Schacter is continuing the tradition of Rav Soloveitchik who turned the kinot into a text whose recital was interspersed with historical, theological, and literary commentary. See here for a discussion about his approach [...]

Posted on July 20th, 2010 under Liturgy. Comments: None

Giluy Milta B’alma has a post about the well-known piyyut, Yedid Nefesh (ignore the version of the piyyut included in this entry, see below), that is recited on Friday night in many synagogues. The post describes the textual history of the piyyut and why it is attributed to R. Elazar Azkari (1533-1600). Pay attention to [...]

Posted on June 29th, 2010 under Liturgy, Manuscripts, Shabbat, Synagogue. Comments: 1

Rabbi Neil Fleischmann has a post on Paul Shaffer and Shaffer’s take on traditional nusah.

Posted on June 9th, 2010 under Liturgy, Popular Culture, Synagogue. Comments: None

Since the establishment of the State of Israel, Jews have been witnesses to the formative period of a liturgical response to this momentous event. This process is continuing to this very day, and may continue for years to come. The many different liturgical responses that have been composed are reflective of different religious, cultural, and [...]

Posted on April 15th, 2010 under Customs, Israel, Liturgy. Comments: 16

Here is an informative obituary of Naphtali Wieder (1905-2001) from the Independent.

Posted on February 25th, 2010 under Liturgy. Comments: 1

Both Makor Rishon (2.12.2010) and Behadrei Hareidim have reports about an interesting class-action suit. Two brothers are suing a number of publishers of siddurim and mahzorim, charging that despite claims to the contrary, these siddurim and mahzorim do not contain all of the prayers used during the entire year. In addition, because of the way [...]

Posted on February 14th, 2010 under Israel, Liturgy. Comments: 2