At what point to start saying סליחות

1

We are נוהג to get up באשמורת to say סליחות and תחנונים from ראש חודש אלול and on until יום כפור [1]. This is because these days are ימי רצון during which משה רבינו ascended הר סיני to receive the second לוחות [2]. So is the מנהג of the ספרדים. The מנהג of אשכנזים, however, is that where ראש השנה is on Thursday or שבת then we start saying סליחות on the Sunday immediately prior. (Some also fast and daven a תפלת תענית, including עננו and ויחל, etc.)  [3]. The חשבון of these 4 days before ראש השנה on which סליחות are said is to compensate for the 4 days between ראש השנה and יו"כ on which we eat סעודות מצוה such that we cannot fast as some used to [4]. Where ראש השנה falls on Monday or Tuesday, however, then we start on Sunday of the week before ראש השנה, rather than the Sunday of the week of ראש השנה [3]. The reason for this difference is because even though, strictly speaking, 4 days would be enough, nevertheless they instituted that סליחות should consistently begin on Sunday, so that no one should get confused what day סליחות start [5]. אשכנזים do, however, blow שופר every morning (and in some places every evening) from ראש חודש and on, which is a subject for its own article.

The reason for the specification of אשמורת is because הקב"ה floats, as it were, in 18,000 metaphysical worlds, and at the end of the night (which is, evidently, what אשמורת refers to) - He floats, as it were, in this world, such that the end of the night - i.e. before dawn - is an עת רצון [6]. The source of this concept (as pointed out by ביהגר"א [7]) is איכה ב:יט where the idea is expressed that ראש אשמרות (lit. the head of watches) is an appropriate point at which to pour one's heart out to Hashem.

2

There are those who are נוהג that whoever leads סליחות also leads the davening throughout the rest of the day [8].

3

On a practical level, ערוה"ש [9] offers an advisory that those who are not fasting should replace words referencing fasting in a given סליחה with words referencing תפלה. Additionally, there are words in סליחות referencing night or אשמורת הבוקר as the time where the particular סליחה is being said. One who says סליחות in the morning (i.e. before שחרית) should skip those words so as not to be saying falsehood.

Postscript:

There are various other technical דינים relating to who should lead סליחות, in what specific order they need to be said with what liturgical framework (such as אשרי, קדיש and the like), what do if one is wants to say סליחות individually, etc. These are purely halachic (rather than מנהג) in nature and, as such, are far beyond the scope of this article.

[1] שו"ע או"ח תקפא:א

The טז (ס"ק ב) points out that on ר"ח itself, however, we do not say סליחות and תחנונים.

[2] ביהגר"א אות א שם ע"פ פרקי דרבי אליעזר פרק מו

[3] טור שם

[4] פרישה שם ס"ק ו

[5] שם ס"ק ז

[6] מ"א שם ס"ק א

A vague reference to this point is made in :עבודה זרה ג.

[7] שם אות ב ובפסוק "קומי רוני בלילה לראש אשמרות שפכי כמים לבך נכח פני ה" ופי' הריד שהוא לשון תפלה, כמו אל הרנה ואל התפלה

[8] רמא שם

[9] שם סעיף ד

Where to Make על נטילת ידים

There are those who are נוהג to wait until they get to shul before making a ברכה on washing their hands in the morning. When they get to shul, they then arrange the ברכה together with the rest of the morning ברכות [1], which are said in shul to be מוציא those who don't know how to make their own [2] ברכות (and even where there are no such people, nonetheless, there is no exception made [3]). [4]

The reason for this is because we don't make the other ברכות juxtaposed to washing our hands rather we leave them for where we get to shul, therefore the ברכה on washing hands also gets pushed off with them. ספרדים, on the other hand, hold that washing hands is no different than any other מצוה whose ברכה has to precede the מצוה, only that here one cannot make the ברכה before washing their hands because there is still רוח רעה on one's hands, to which end one should make the ברכה at the earliest opportunity, namely immediately following washing one's hands. The רמא himself (uncharacteristically) conducted himself like the ספרדים [5].

לבוש is singular among the אחרונים [6] to the effect that once עובר לעשייתן is not possible due to one's hands being unclean, there is therefore no preference at all to say the ברכה as soon as possible, but rather once it is pushed off it is then pushed off completely.

[1] שו"ע או"ח ו:ב. Additionally, there are those who wish to answer אמן to each other's ברכות, to which end they purposely say the ברכה later than they would have otherwise, in order to facilitate the saying of אמן to each other's ברכות. See שו"ת הרמע מפאנו סימן קט.

[2] ביהגר"א שם אות יב

[3] פרישה שם ס"ק ג

[4] According the בח (שם) this would only be allowed if one goes to shul right away, whereas if one engages in other tasks prior to going to shul then one must make the ברכה at home.

The בח seems to assume that if one goes straight to shul then that is already some form of עובר לעשייתן, whereas engaging in other tasks prior to that would be considered a הפסק גמור. This point, however, is not entirely clear from the בח itself but rather constitutes my own attempt to fill in the blank.

[5] טז שם ס"ק ד

[6] או"ח שם סעיף ב

אמירת קרבנות בכל יום - או"ח א:ט

There are those who are נוהג to say פרשת הכיור which was the first עבודה done in the בית המקדש on a daily basis, followed by the פרשה of תרומת הדשן, and then פרשת התמיד, followed by the פרשה of the מזבח הקטורת and the פרשה of the ingredients of the קטורת and how it is made, because after the קרבן תמיד is brought - the קטורת is brought. They then say the פרשה of ברכת כהנים, because at that point the כהנים would bless the nation [1]. This is the order of the עבודה as it was done in the בית המקדש, which our תפלה is supposed to take the place of.

Those who say קרבנות before מנחה, however, say פרשת התמיד before קטורת because that was the order of the עבודה of the afternoon קרבן תמיד [2].

[1] שו"ע או"ח א:ט וב"י על הטור שם

[2] מ"א שם ס"ק יב

Memorial Prayers 2 - השכבות (cont'd)

Following קריאת התורה on שבת morning (in some congregations on weekday mornings as well) we recall the souls of the departed. This is based on דברים כא:ט as darshened by ספרי there, as follows: כפר לעמך refers to the living; אשר פדית refers to the departed, meaning that the dead need כפרה. To this end, one whose relative’s yahrzeit or the like was the past week makes a memorial prayer and pledges צדקה in order to atone for the sins of the departed.

We do so specifically on שבת because at that point the shuls are full and those who are attending can take to heart that one day they will also need their sins atoned for, to which end they should be involved in תשובה ומעשים טובים while they still have the opportunity to do so.

Similar to אבהרחמים, which is a communal memorial prayer on behalf of martyrs collectively, individual memorial prayers (referred to in ספרדי tradition as השכבות, while having no formal title in the אשכנזי one) are subject to rules as to where they are said or not. While each congregation is entitled to establish its own custom in this regard, nevertheless we present here some broad guidelines as put forth by the פוסקים.

1) השכבות are not said:

a.      On שבת מברכים (even during ספירה, during which we would say אב הרחמים) including שבת מברכים חודש אב and שבת ר"ח אב

                                                              i.      Except for someone who was buried that week (according to some opinions)

b.      שבת ר"ח אייר

c.      All of חודש ניסן (even what of it that overlaps with ספירה, where we would say אב הרחמים)

2)השכבות are said on any other occasion at which there is קריאת התורה (I have seen those who are מקפיד   not to say השכבות on ר"ח, though this is by no means universal).

References: רמא או"ח רפד:ז, מ"א שם ס"ק ז-ח, מ"ב שם ס"ק יז-יח

Memorial Prayers 2 - השכבות

As a continuation of our series on the liturgical texts said between הפטרה and אשרי that precedes מוסף. We have so far discussed יקום פורקן and the תפלה on behalf of the congregation. In this article we will discuss אל מלא רחמים, a type of השכבה (prayer on behalf of the deceased - this is the term used in the ספרדי tradition, while the אשכנזי tradition has no specific title for this category).

1

While the concept of remembering the deceased on שבת is mentioned as early as מדרש תנחומא [1], its specific placement is first spelled out by מחזור ויטרי [2] which writes as follows:

"After the שליח ציבור executes a תפלה on behalf of the congregation, he then remembers the departed who increased תורה and תקנות in כלל ישראל, and those that left צדקה for the community.

Now, perhaps one may say that there is no way to spiritually assist the deceased - on that the פסוק in (דברים (כא:ח says כפר לעמך ישראל אשר פדית ה which tells us (by way of דרשה) that where we ask for mercy for the departed - they are then thrown from גהנם to גן עדן like an arrow is shot from a bow."

2

שבולי הלקט adds [3] that שבת is a day of rest, similar to the Messianic Era, a day that even the departed rest from being judged - and it is therefore fitting to remember them לברכה and to daven for them.

Now, the question is, why should we daven for the departed on שבת, while they are not actually being judged? Instead, we should daven for them on weekdays, while they are being judged! -?- The answer is, while the departed are not being judged is an עת רצון [4].

3

There are גאונים who say that the צדקה pledged in memory of the departed doesn't have any effect on the departed at all, and there are those who say it does. Either way, its a good thing, because at least it helps the living, and perhaps the departed as well. [5]

4

We specifically remember the departed on שבת because that is where shuls are (relatively) at their peak capacity so that the living can take the reward for being involved in תורה and מצוות to heart. [6]

Now, even though we do not normally say תחינות on שבת, and we are not supposed to cause people pain, still, the departed need atonement, so for this need it is allowed. [7]

5

Residual benefits of אל מלא רחמים are the strengthening of belief in reward and punishment, in that, if we assume the necessity of giving צדקה for the benefit of the departed, it is implied that there is reward and punishment; as well as a התעוררות to תשובה, in that the congregation will (hopefully) keep in mind that life is not eternal, and that it is never too soon to do תשובה [4].

[1] האזינו א

[2] סדר שבת אות טו (מהדורת אוצר הפוסקים)

[3] שבולת פא

[4] שו"ת בצל החכמה סי' קכא

[5] תניא רבתי סי' טז; רוקח סי' ריז

[6] ביאור הגרא או"ח רפד:ז; מטה משה תנח

[7] אג"מ או"ח ב סי' עד

Memorial Prayers 1 - אב הרחמים

Following the Prayer for the Congregation and/or the Prayer for the Government, there is a מנהג in Eastern אשכנזי congregations to say a prayer in memory of martyrs. (Western אשכנזי congregations do so after אשרי, and that only twice a year: שבת חזון and the שבת before שבועות, where public memorial prayers are considered seasonally appropriate.) This prayer was probably written in response to the Crusades [1] (which would easily explain why ספרדי congregations don't say it at all, as they, by contrast, were experiencing the Golden Age around that juncture in history).

There are also specific joyous שבתות of the year where אב הרחמים is not said. While strictly speaking every congregation is entitled to establish their own מנהג, as there are not really any חיובים or איסורים one way or the other, nonetheless there are some basic guidelines given by the פוסקים, which we will present here:

1) We don't say אב הרחמים:

⦁ Wherever we don't say צדקתך צדק (itself a subject for its own article) by מנחה on שבת 

    ⦁ except תשעה באב

⦁ where there is a חתן present

⦁ where there is a ברית in shul 

    ⦁ except during ספירה, because the Crusades took place in that part of the year

        ⦁ unless ר"ח אייר is on שבת

        ⦁ Where ר"ח אב is on שבת is a מחלוקת מנהגים

    ⦁ on שבת מברכים (except during ספירה, as above)

2) We do say אב הרחמים all other weeks of the year (i.e. by default), including:

⦁ שבת מברכים חודש אב

⦁ The part of חודש ניסן that overlaps with ספירה

References:

רמא או"ח רפד, מ"א שם ס"ק ח, לבושי שרד שם ס"ק ט

[1] Hertz, Rabbi Herman J., The Authorized Daily Prayer Book (Bloch, 1951), pg. 511

The Prayer for the Government

Following the הפטורה and the Prayer for the Congregation on שבת morning, there is a מנהג in some congregations to say a תפלה on behalf of the government of the country in which one lives.

The source of this מנהג is ירמיה [1] who exhorts his listeners to seek the peace of the city to which they have been exiled and daven for it to Hashem, "for with its peace will be your peace".

Based on the above, רבי חנינא סגן הכהנים teaches that one should daven for the peace of the government, because if not for fear of the law, people would simply swallow each other alive (whether literally or figuratively). [2]

This exhortation includes not just the monarch themselves, but rather even the government as a whole, as is implied by רבי חנינא's language of 'מלכות' rather than מלך [3].

The reason why we should daven for the government is (not because of loyalty or patriotism per se, or because we necessarily agree with their political policies etc. but rather) because stability in society has a positive effect on all. To that end, we should daven for the government to have peace, for if the government is at peace, then society as a whole is at peace, and everyone benefits. [4]

Now, within the standard traditional text of the Prayer is a phrase asking for the downfall of the enemies of the monarch (monarchy being the most common form of government up until about a century ago), nevertheless we do not specifically mean his enemies in other countries against whom he may be waging war, because there may be fellow Jews in that country as well; rather, we mean the king's enemies in his own country (which, it is assumed, would not include any of our coreligionists). [5]

[1] כט:ז

[2] אבות ג:ב

[3] תפא"י שם אות ז

[4] ע"פ שם ושם אות יא

[5] מ"א או"ח רפד ס"ק ז, לבושי שרד שם, מחצית השקל שם