Browsed by
Category: Minhagim

Ghosts, Demons, Golems and their Halachik Status

Ghosts, Demons, Golems and their Halachik Status

Comments 0 Comment

One explicit mention of a ghost appears in the Talmud Ketubot 103a. The Talmud records that every week Rebbi used to return to his house after he died. The Talmud, however, does not record what Rebbi used to do when he came back. The Sefer Hassidim states that Rebbi was different than other dead people in that he was considered almost fully alive. Rebbi, according to the Sefer Hassidim, would make Kiddush for his family.[1] A much later instance of…

Read More Read More

Custom, Confusion, and Remembrances

Custom, Confusion, and Remembrances

Comments 0 Comment

There is an excellent book in which a women describes growing up in Lithuana in the early and mid 1800’s. This book, Rememberings, originally written in German, has recently been translated into English. The author, Pauline Wengeroff, grew up in a traditional Orthodox home. She records a terrific amout of customs and how life was then. Eventually, due in part to the influence of the haskalah she, her husband and her family did not remain Orthodox. The book was fully…

Read More Read More

The Custom of Reciting l’Dovid HaShem Ori

The Custom of Reciting l’Dovid HaShem Ori

Comments 14 comments

A fairly universal custom is to recite the passage from Psalms l’Dovid Hashem Ori twice a day during the month of Elul. A question which has received renewed scrutiny recently is where this custom came from. The most obvious answer is the work Hemdat Yamim. This work, however, is rather controversial. Many claim this book (which has many other well-accepted customs) was written by Nathan of Gaza, the prophet of the infamous false-Messiah Shabbetai Zevi. Thus, if the Hemdat Yamim…

Read More Read More

Jews, Beards and Portraits

Jews, Beards and Portraits

Comments 0 Comment

“If men be judged wise by their beards and their girth, Then goats would be the wisest creatures on Earth.” With the High Holidays approaching one of the more interesting attributes which takes a more prominent position is that of shaving or facial hair. Of course, prior to any Shabbat or Yom Tov, one is supposed to shave and take a haircut. Yet, for the High Holidays, there is a special emphasis on facial hair. One of the attributes that…

Read More Read More

Az Yashir, Another Kabalah Custom Gone Wrong?

Az Yashir, Another Kabalah Custom Gone Wrong?

Comments 1 comment

One of the most common and troublesome customs based upon kabalah is the addition of verses and targum to אז ישיר. Everyday, at the end of pesuki de’zimra we recite az yashir. However, we for one, don’t start at the beginning of the shira. The beginning is at the verse that starts ויהי באשמורות הבוקר we begin at the אז ישיר. Secondly, we don’t end at the end of the shira either. Instead, we add either 4 or 6 verses…

Read More Read More

Gettting Kabbalah Customs Wrong, Removing Teffilin on Hol HaMoad

Gettting Kabbalah Customs Wrong, Removing Teffilin on Hol HaMoad

Comments 0 Comment

On the Main Line had a discussion regarding whether one should or should not follow customs based upon kabbalah. He brought up the custom of removing teffilin on Rosh Hodesh “before Mussaf.” However, what is facinating about this custom of removing the teffilin is that most people actually get it wrong. That is, according to just about everyone that discusses this one should not remove ones teffilin right before mussaf. The first to address this custom in a meaningful manner…

Read More Read More

Eliyahu Drinking from the Cup

Eliyahu Drinking from the Cup

Comments 0 Comment

I hope to have a few posts in the coming days discussing some of the artwork found in various haggdah. While for hundreds of years artwork played an integral part of the haggadah recently this has fell into disuse. While there are few notable exceptions to this, Raskin, Moss Haggadahs, this practice of richly illustrating the haggdah has been replaced with a focus on commentaries. One of the reasons, however, the practice of illustrating the haggadah, can be found in…

Read More Read More

Purim, Mixed Dancing and Kill Joys

Purim, Mixed Dancing and Kill Joys

Comments 1 comment

Although the Megilah only lists mishloch monot, matnot l’evyonim, and reading the Megilah as the customs on Purim, many others have become accepted. Most are of the ilk of boofunery or merrymaking. From making noise to drinking in excess, all have become part of the Purim landscape. With these, however, there are some lesser known customs. What is perhaps of interest is that it seems that there are those authorities that permit much if not all of these types of…

Read More Read More

Ten Commandment Displays

Ten Commandment Displays

Comments 0 Comment

Menachem Mendel has a nice post collecting a lot of the material on the Ten commandments. However, there is one point that I think is worth discussing.While 10 Commandment displays are ubiquitous in synagogues, it is far from certain this is the correct approach. Specifically, the Talmud records that public recitations of the Ten Commandments are banned because there were those who understood these readings to mean only the Ten Commandments are important to the exclusion of the rest of…

Read More Read More

Chanukah Customs and sources

Chanukah Customs and sources

Comments 16 comments

While the only mandated mitzvot for Chanukah consist of lighting candles and saying the full hallel, there are numerous other customs that have come to be associated with Chanukah. The custom to play driedel on Chanukah is steeped in mystical allusions. From the letters which appear on the driedel to the way the driedel spins, people have offered explanations to link this to Chanukah. The Beni Yisscar, R. Tzvi Elimelch says that the reason the dreidel is spun from the…

Read More Read More

Minhagim Books No. 1

Minhagim Books No. 1

Comments 20 comments

I hope to present a couple of post on various Minhagim books. Some will focus on communal Minhagim books, and others on the minhagim of specific people. The Tashbetz, also known as the Tashbetz Koton to distinguish between this the teshuvot haTashbetz, are the customs of R. Meir of Rothenburg as recorded by his disciple. The disciple’s name formed the title, however, it is unclear what exactly was his name. Obviously, it is linked to the title, Tashbetz. Some explain…

Read More Read More

image_pdfimage_print