Questions tagged [minhag]
Questions about Jewish customs and traditions.
1,897
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What is the meaning of כמר used as an honorific before introducing one's name?
It is standard among Jews writing in Hebrew to attach the honorific כמר before introducing one's name. This custom is actually quite old dating back at least to the days of the earliest Acharonim, and ...
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At which point during the Torah reading on Shabbat is it appropriate to recite the prayer for the sick (מי שברך לחולים)?
Is there a correct or preferred point (aliyah) during the Shabbat Torah reading at which the traditional "mi shebeirach lecholim" prayer for the sick should be recited by the gabbai?
If such ...
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Welcoming the Mourner in on Friday Night
On Friday night, a mourner, during the first 7 days, a mourner enters shul right before the recitation of Psalm 92 (Mizmor shir l'yom hashabbat).
A mourner enters the synagogue on Friday evening ...
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Kitnyot and hatarat nedarim
Can a Ashkenazi do hatarat nedarim on kitnyot? According to Halachipedia the Rosh holds that one can do hatarat nedarim (annuling of a Neder) on a meritorious personal minhag. The pri chadash says ...
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House on wedding ring, why not?
It seems in the past at least for Ashkenazim the wedding rings had houses on them (some of them had a hinge on the roof so that the house opened, from the top)
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See.
https://www.pinterest.com/...
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Can I revert from using techeiles back to using all-white strings?
I used to wear all-white tzitzis, as is the more "universal" custom.
Some time ago, I was convinced to start wearing a blue thread in them, to fulfill the commandment in the Torah to insert a psil ...
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Minhag not to eat ANY lamb at seder night?
I seem to recall an Ashkenazi minhag not to eat any form of lamb on seder night. I don't mean the widely spread custom not to eat a roasted lamb, but even , for example, braised lamb shanks.
Is this ...
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Under what circumstances can Ashkenazim rely on Sephardic poskim?
Is there any reason an Ashkenazi Jew should not hold by the psak of a Sephardi rov--or vice versa--for decisions relating to general matters (not ostensibly to do with particular minhagim)?
If so, ...
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When did the type of kippah worn become 'defining'?
Nowadays there is a mix of kippah styles within cities/communities/countries which can define which 'sect' you belong to and may even carry a political message.
Was there a point in history where the ...
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Wearing a gartel and a belt?
For those who hold by wearing a gartel for davening (for separating the upper and lower body), is it necessary when already wearing a belt?
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Why no play on words for apple and honey?
The other simanim eaten on Rosh Hashana contain a play on words with the name of the food and either a wish for a good omen or a wish for bad to befall our enemies. The yehi ratzon for the apple has ...
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Young boys returning Chumashim after Torah reading
I often see young boys going around shul after the Shabbos/Yom Tov morning Torah reading to collect Chumashim and return them to their shelves. Is this an actual 'minhag' with a history behind it? If ...
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"Motzi Matzah" or "Motzi and Matzah" (separately)? Passover Seder
In some haggadot, I have seen the numbers of sections as being 14, with Motzi Matzah being combined, and in other haggadot, I have seen 15 with them separated. What is the reason behind each side?
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When did the use of Rashei Tevot, Heh Kuf, הק׳ in writings, books, letters, etc., begin?
Perhaps I'm among the last to have found this out, but it took me quite a while to understand why, in a signature, the name was preceded by a הק׳. The Ozar Rashei Tevot book has 31 different ...
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Grammar and word choice of the Mi Shebeirach for Yom Tov
On Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot, the phrase "ויזכה לעלות לרגל" - "he should merit to go up [to the Beit Hamikdash]" is added to the end of the Mi Shebeirach after each aliyah.
I've ...
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Minhag vs Halacha - 3 types of clashes
There are minhagim that seemingly go against halacha. I want to know essays or sources that cover this age-old debate.
It is my view that these minhagim are of three types:
Machlokes of major poskim ...
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Why we have to say Keriat Shma on the bed in the Sukkah?
It is known that on Passover night the custom is not to say Keriat Shma on the bed since it is called Shimurim night - a night that is preserved from the 'bad winds' (Mazikim). We don't put a Mezuza ...
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Fasting in Nissan for epidemic
In general we refrain from observing fast days during the month of Nissan (S"A O"C 429:2). There are some exceptions, like a taanis chalom.
For a communal distress such as a deadly epidemic a ...
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Why is Mar son of Ravina's prayer commonly recited after Amidah?
Berachot 16b-17a lists a number of prayers that various amoraim recited at the end of Amidah.
Common practice (at least in the Ashkenazi and Edot Mizrach siddurim that I've seen) seems to be to ...
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Is there a tradition not to mention the pink animal?
My family always say "pink animal" in reference to, well, the pink animal. But now we find nobody remembers the reasons for this.
It seems to me I've seen the Hebrew writers say "davar acher," or "...
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forgiving people on the first night of Pesach
According to the Ezras Torah Luach, we only say the bracha of המפיל and the Shema itself for Kriat Shema al Hamita, skipping the rest, because Pesach is leil shimurim, when we don't need extra prayers ...
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Are there any cases where Sephardim generally hold by the ReM"A?
The ReM"A famously wrote a gloss on the Shulchan Arukh called HaMapah where he pointed out places where the minhagim of the Ashkenazim (which he was familiar with) differed from the minhagim which ...
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How did the people of Zmigrod wrap tefilin?
My family is from there, but we've lost our ancestral minhag due to secularization and subsequent return to different sects within orthodox Judaism. I am just curious in reclaiming my ancestral ...
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5 Iyar vs. 10 Adar
In Jewish tradition, we generally commemorate the ends of wars rather than their beginnings (e.g./i.e. Chanuka, Purim). The commemoration of the rebirth of Israel as the Jewish homeland in the past ...
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Why don't Ramaniote Jews use the hei in names?
I am named after my grandfather and great grandfather on my mother's side, both of whom were Ramaniote. My name, therefore, is "Avram Mosh" (אברם מוש) instead of "Avraham Moshe" (אברהם משה). I've been ...
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Do Sepharadim celebrate Thanksgiving?
A good deal of ink has been spilled in the past century regarding the permissibility and appropriateness of American Jews celebrating Thanksgiving.
For the most part, Ashkenazim are split, with some ...
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Siddur for Skolyer Chasidim
Is there a specific siddur for the minhag of the Skolyer Chasidim (Chasidim of Ukrainian town of Skole)?
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What is the most widespread Israeli Minhag? [closed]
What is the single most widely practiced minhag among Jews in Israel today? By "widely practiced" I mean practiced by the most people.
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Do bananas make the best karpas?
For karpas at the seder, one is supposed to eat a food on which the blessing "borei pri ha'adama" is made. However, many of the most commonly used food items for karpas (e.g. parsley, raw onion, raw ...
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Married couples never sleeping in the same bed
I have heard that many Orthodox married couples never sleep in the same bed, even during the times that they are permitted to each other. Coming from a non-Orthodox background, this seems shocking to ...
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Fasting on the wedding day - when getting married right before or after a fast
When a person gets married a day before Yom Kippur or a day after Tzon Gedalya - does he/she have to fast two days in a row?
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Leaving Sefarim Open and forgetfulness
I heard that there is an idea of not leaving a Sefer open because it can cause forgetfulness.
Is this idea written about anywhere in Halachic literature? If so where is it located?
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Red/White wine at the Seder
Is there any Halacha or Minhag that specifies if red or White wine should be used for the four cups of wine during the Passover seder and does it matter what you use to spill out during the 10 plagues?...
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Why do we say Ushpizin in Aramaic?
There are things that we say in davening in Aramaic. I have seen a few explanations as to why (as per this Q and A) but I don't know where Ushpizin fits in with that. I'm not sure if anyone would call ...
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Chasan cigarettes - source & reason
Years ago it was a popular custom that a Chasan would give out cigarettes to his friends. Nowadays some still do so, however as smoking has become less popular so has this Minhag. What is the source ...
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Why don't we have a weaning party like Avraham did?
וַיִּגְדַּל הַיֶּלֶד וַיִּגָּמַל וַיַּעַשׂ אַבְרָהָם מִשְׁתֶּה גָדוֹל בְּיוֹם הִגָּמֵל אֶת־יִצְחָק׃
The child [Itzchak] grew up and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was ...
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Is there any basis for Chabad minhagim regarding tallit gadol?
I often daven at Chabad shuls and I have noticed that they have some particulars regarding tallit usage inconsistent with the rest of Ashkenazi Jewry, including:
not wearing when receiving an aliyah ...
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Which sephardic groups forbid eating rice during Pesach and why?
I was recently at a shiur where this came up briefly and somewhat tangentially. Does anyone know which groups forbid rice but allow other kitniyot (e.g., beans) during Pesach? Any references/pointers ...
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Handling Conflict between Jewish and Civil Law
This question is an offshoot from the one titled "Questions about Polygamy in Jewish Law and Culture"
Taking under the knowledge that the previous question was well answered with an observation:
It's ...
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Wishes to a mourner in addition to "Hamokom Yenachem Eschem"
I have heard some people say in Yiddish after "Hamokom Yenachem Eschem B'Soch Shaar Aveilei Tzion V'Yerushalayim" ("May God comfort you alongside the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem"), "Zulst Mer Nisht ...
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Is Kel Malei Rachamim (memorial prayer) said under the chuppah at a wedding?
I'd seen a book on wedding practices and customs that said if desired in appropriate cases, a memorial prayer ("El/Kel Malei Rachamim") could be said under the chuppah, e.g. a bride/groom who lost a ...
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Why is Hashkiveinu not considered a hefsek between Ga'al Yisra'el and the Amidah (Chabad)?
Read this first: Veshameru in Chabad siddur
TL;DR
Many recite Veshamru (Shemot 31:16) before the Amidah in the Friday night Ma'ariv service. The custom in Chabad, however, is to not recite this ...
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What is the source for singing zemirot on Shabbat?
Who and when did the custom of singing zemirot at the Shabbat table, and what was the basis (halacha, verse, etc.) for instituting it? What was the 1st zemirah?
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Why isn't it considered idol worship to give respect to the torah?
When the Sefer Torah is brought out of the ark, everyone stands up and kisses it.
On occasions such as simchat torah and hoshana rabbah people dance around the Torah.
To an outsider these actions can ...
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Can you wash your hands completely after Chatzos on Tisha B'Av?
One of the restrictions of Tisha B'Av is to only wash your hands until the knuckles. Is this restriction relaxed after Chatzos on Tisha B'Av? (sources please)
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Does cooking kitniyot in a pot render it non-kosher-for-Passover for Ashkenazic Jews? If so, why?
I've heard of cases where a Sephardic family, for whom rice is totally kosher for Passover (assuming it's checked and contains no additives etc.), cooked rice in a pot. The next day, they invite their ...
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Kitnios on Pesach
Why and when did the minhag start that allows Sephardim to eat Kitnios (Legumes)but not Ashkenazim?
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Chol-Kreisch Ceremony
Danny Schoemmann mentions a ceremony called a chol-kreisch in this answer for giving the secular name of a child. Is this custom still observed, and if so, how is it practiced?
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Godparents in Judaism
Does Judaism have any tradition resembling the Christian practice of assigning godparents? Godparents are a man and a woman entrusted by the birth parents to take care of their child spiritually and ...
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Why do the Ashkenazim say Selichos for a minimum of 4 days before Rosh HaShana?
The Ashkenazim start saying Selichos a minimum of 4 days before Rosh HaShana? What is the reason of a minimum of 4 days?