לקט מנהגי ימים נוראים - ב

3 points not directly related to each other

1

In my last post, I mentioned (in the last footnote) that the congregation sits during תקיעות דמיושב in KAJ. This is a mistake, which ישראל Strauss thankfully caught me on: the congregation does indeed stand as is (to my awareness) almost universally practiced; the מגביהים holding the ספרי תורה sit, as opposed to other קהילות where the מגביהים return to their seats and the ספרי תורה are placed on the בימה.

This is, however, the practice at the Portuguese shul in Amsterdam [1].

(The reason why תקיעות דמיושב are referred to as דמיושב even though the congregation stands for the duration of those תקיעות will בע"ה be the subject of another post in the future.)

2

The פוסקים (specifically the מחבר and שו"ע הרב או"ח תקצ:ב ועיין מ"ב שם) describe the שופר sound as a wail. I have frequently wondered why the sound is described as such, being that most (if not all) of the תקיעות that are blown by the average בעל תוקע resemble a beep rather than a wail.

I later came across a recording of תקיעת שופר at the Bevis Marks shul in London. (Perhaps this series of תקיעות was staged on a weekday for the purposes of the recording or perhaps a gentile recorded on יו"ט itself.)

Here is a link to the recording:

http://www.londonsephardimusic.org/files/Music/RH/01c_WS2_ShofarBlowing.mp3

For a alternate form of "wailing" תקיעות, see here:

https://www.chazzanut-esnoga.org/high_festivals/RH-parasa.htm

3

Over the years I have observed many people experiencing only one emotion during ראש השנה, namely, a seriousness in awe of יום הדין. Indeed, there is certainly what to be serious about and this point does not need me to say it. Even a superficial look at such source texts as ונתנה תקף will cause such a feeling. I only point out another aspect of ר"ה which is perhaps frequently ignored, or, at best, not focused on, and that is, that aside from the seriousness and severity of יום הדין, there is an additional 'theme' to the יו"ט, namely the joy [2] of crowning הקב"ה as King of the world.

This point is not Chasidic in nature (as perhaps could be assumed). I will point out to you a מעשה רב of the גרא [3] in which this idea is illustrated:

אדמור (הגרא) שמח למאד בעת תקיעת שופר, כי כך אמר שצריך להיות ברוב שמחה וחדוה, כדוגמת המדינה שממליכים מלך ומעטרים אותו, כך אנחנו בתקיעת שופר ממליכים להקב"ה

Indeed, at שלמה's coronation, a שופר was blown, at which point the nation said יחי המלך שלמה and they were שמחים שמחה גדולה [4].

[1] https://www.chazzanut-esnoga.org/high_festivals/RH-parasa.htm

[2] Only a quick Google search is necessary to observe what elaborate festivities are conducted at the coronation of a monarch, and indeed, at the inauguration of democratic leaders as well.

[3] אות רו

[4] מלכים-א א:לח-לט

לקט מנהגי ימים נוראים - א - תפלות קודם תקיעות דמיושב

We will investigate the origins of the מנהג to say תפלות before and (בע"ה in a future post) after תקיעת שופר.

1

שולחן ערוך (או"ח תקפה:א-ב) only mentions the ברכות of לשמוע קול שופר and שהחיינו.

Yet, the practice of first saying מזמור מז seven times is (to my knowledge) universally accepted and, indeed, printed in אשכנזי מחזורים worldwide. Where did this come from?

The standard repositories of מקורות למנהג אשכנז (such as משנה ברורה, מהריל, and the like) do not mention such a practice at all.

Only מסכת סופרים (יט:ב) mentions, in a vague way, that on ראש השנה we say תהלים מז:ב כל העמים תקעו כף. The placement of this פסוק and whether the entire מזמור is intended in this statement or not is not clear. [1]

Upon further research, בס"ד I found in (טעמי המנהגים (מנהג תשטז a reason why we say מזמור מז seven times before תקיעות, and that is, that the מזמור has (together with מן המצר until ומשפטיך למדני, which we will בע"ה discuss at another opportunity) 587 words, which is the gymatria of שופר with the כולל. (Here is not the place to elaborate, but the כולל is a feature of gymatria which allows gymatrias to be 1 number off.) [2]

ר אלכסנדר משה לפידות offered a reason [3] that we say the מזמור specifically 7 times, namely, because 7 times correspond to the 7 skies [4].

Another reason, offered by מטה אפרים [5], is that אלקים is mentioned seven times in the מזמור, and by saying the מזמור seven times, one ends up saying אלקים forty-nine times, corresponding to the 49 levels of טומאה, as well as the converse 49 levels of טהרה, and through this the דינים are sweetened.

This is the מנהג of ישיבת טלז [6], as well as בית מדרש גבוה [7].

According to מנהג הגרא [8], we don't say any מזמור before תקיעת שופר. This is the מנהג in KAJ as well [9].

[1] Credit is due to ר אהרן Lopiansky's מחזור עליות אליהו for bringing this source to my attention

[2] The (בני יששכר (מאמרי חדשי כסלו טבת writes regarding the practice of the מקובלים to often add the כולל where needed, that there is a מסורה relying on the פסוק of אפרים ומנשה כראובן ושמעון יהיו לי (בראשית מח:ה); the gymatria of ראובן שמעון is equal to אפרים מנשה with the כולל.

[3] quoted by מנהגי ישרון סימן קמד

[4] אכמ"ל, but see ריש לקיש חגיגה יב:ב

[5] אות נ, and see אלף המגן שם ס"ק ה ושם כמה טעמים על פי הקבלה

[6] מנהגי ישיבת טלז אות נה

[7] נוהג בחכמה פרק ו אות כד

[8] מעשה רב (אות רו)

[9] related to me by ישראל Strauss, email correspondence 9/15/2022

As an aside, תקיעות דמיושב are indeed מיושב in KAJ. The congregation (including the מגביהים holding the 2 ספרי תורה) sits, while only the מקריא (who is the רב) and the תוקע stand.