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10

As I understand it, the markings of these shevas follow the rules given by R' Shlomo Zalman Hanau, an important 18th-century grammarian. In his system, every sheva following a tenuah kallah (a "light" vowel, i.e., one that substitutes for a sheva or a chataf vowel) is vocalized; examples include מַלְכֵי (since the independent form is מְלָכִים) and נֶעֶרְמוּ ...


8

The introductory note (in your second link), from Sefer Kerisus by R. Shimshon of Chinon (a prominent Tosafist), explains that the 32 middos are indeed an amplification of the 13, but that (a) not all of the former are universally accepted, (b) some of them aren't really middos (exegetical methods) at all, but amount to a different kind of peshat ("as if it ...


8

It's generally accepted to stack sfarim (books) in order of holiness, with the holiest on top. As a chumash is considered to be holier than a Siddur the Chumash goes on top. See this question for a quote from the Shulchan Aruch. Modern day Siddurim are a little more complicated, as they contain (often at the back) weekday and other Torah readings, but ...


7

Tur (O.C. 57) says that the custom everywhere is for the cong. to say יתברך וכו when the chazzan says Borchu, but it's really better not to say it, so that the people will pay attention to what the chazzan is saying. He notes further that Rav Amram Gaon does not bring this prayer, though the Rosh in a Teshuvah writes that he heard that it is said "in all ...


7

I have never seen a siddur that has TOras. The correct pronunciation, as far as I know, is toRAS. In general, the only reason a mil'ra word, such as toRAS, would become mil'ail, is if the word following it had its accent on its first syllable. For example, if the term was "toras chesed", it would be "TOras CHEsed", as the accent in "chesed" is on the first ...


7

Two stories explaining why the Alter Rebbe included V'shomru in his siddur: R' Avraham Chaim Na'ah, in his sefer Piskei Hasidur (paragraph 128), brings a story Chassidim would tell. Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev once asked the Alter Rebbe why his custom is not to say V'shomru, if it makes such a "יריד"‬ (usually translated as fair, or parade) in heaven. The ...


6

I haven't vetted these but they might be worth working through http://www.kehilathadar.org/content/davening-audio-files http://sidduraudio.com/ http://www.toraschaimdallas.org/resources/weekday-davening-2/ I just ran a google search and found a bunch. I also know that too much information can be as problematic as too little. You should ask your Rabbi to ...


5

Sepharadim don't touch the tefillin at "oter yisrael b'tifarah", because morning berachot are said at home, before one puts on tefillin. At "yotzer or, u'voreh choshech", you touch the shel-yad only, and kiss your hand. (Ben Ish Hai Shemot 1, Kaf HaHayyim 59:2) At "kadosh kadosh kadosh" in the beracha of yotzer or, some have the minhag to touch the ...


5

R' Shalom Dovber of Lubavitch writes that it has to do with the difference between the different modes in which Hashem constantly re-creates the world. On weekdays, this is done by Hashem speaking it into existence, which for Him is a form of action (דיבורו של הקב"ה חשיב מעשה), whereas on Shabbos this is done through Hashem's attribute of Wisdom (chochmah). ...


5

Perhaps it includes the Fast of the Firstborn. Contemporary practice is to override it, so I don't know if there's any liturgy for it, but maybe at some time in some communities, it was/is observed as a fast, with its own liturgy. Or maybe the sixth fast is the non-calendar-fixed "Ta'anit Dibbur," which the front cover says is included.


5

The best recording will come from your own community because it will reflect your local pronunciation. (Ashkenazi? Sephardi? Israeli?) Is your sponsoring rabbi (or some other reliable person he suggests) able to spend half an hour to make you a recording? Is there a telephone component to your remote study?


5

You can always use a Hebrew text disemvoweler (such as this one) and put the text from Wikisource's Siddur in it.


5

I found a discussion of possible problems, the writer seems not to like the idea, though doesn't rule it out completely. Issues that are addressed there (my comments in parentheses): Holding something valuable during Davenning is prohibited since the possibility of it falling bothers כוונה. (A Siddur is permitted, I woudn't assume a difference since ...


5

There is a text called שירת הקודש של ביתא ישראל - Holy Song of the House of Israel It is centuries old. It contains religious poetry including prayers.


4

Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 188:3) states that in the third blessing of the Grace After Meals, in which we pray for the restoration of the Davidic kingship, no other kingship - including Hashem's - should be mentioned, "since an earthly kingdom must not be compared to the Heavenly one." Based on this, Rema there cites Avudraham, who states that "melech" ...


4

If you ever look at sfarim that are commonly opened to specific sections (like a siddur), you'll notice that there are black lines around those pages that are more commonly used (you could, for example, land almost exactly on the last page of Shacharis). When the pages are colored, you don't see those lines.


4

I am not certain but I suspect that it is simply a decorative practice. I believe I have seen it done on older, non-Jewish books and I assume that the practice has faded in favor of more economical/contemporary styles. Jews who buy seforim, on the other hand, are a little more inclined for "classic" styles and or more interested in a more distinguished ...


4

Try this link to one Selichos edition on Google Books. There is a search box on the left side with which you can find text in that particular edition. Not perfect, but fairly useful. There are probably other editions available there as well.


4

The most widespread opinion is that it was indeed the first Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel (father of Rabban Gamliel of Yavneh), and that the Romans killed him (along with R' Yishmael) during, or shortly after, the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash - i.e., around 3830 (70 CE). The chronology of the nesi'im, then, would be something like this: Rabban Gamliel ...


4

Not sure. The artscroll "diamond" is believed to be their modification of the crosses found in ... other groups' prayer books. Printed after the Rambam's Halachot of Prayer are his text of the siddur, which includes some notes of his on what the chazzan says out loud in kedusha. When it comes to Psukei D'Zimra, you really don't need a chazzan anyhow, ...


4

See this post on On The Main Line about a nun verse in Ashrei from antiquity, and whether is was original: As it turns out, at Qumran a Hebrew version of tehillim, Psalms, was found (11QPs-a) which contains a nun verse--in Hebrew--a version pretty close, but not identical, with the Septuagint verse. In fact, it read ne'eman adonay be-khol derakhav ...


4

Your siddur was probably "Od Yosef Hai", which is based on the teachings of Rabbi Yosef Hayyim of Bagdhad, the Ben Ish Hai. AFAIK, he didn't have a last name. He wrote two books on halacha that he's very well known for: Ben Ish Hai, and Od Yosef Hai. I'd be surprised if the siddur is missing commandments you say are missing. I have siddur Tefillat Refael, ...


4

The pasuk of ויהי נועם concludes, not the הנני מוכן exactly, but more specifically, the paragraph of לשם יחוד. This paragraph states intent to perform the mitzvot in conjunction with uniting the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Sh'china. This is a Kabbalistic declaration, in accord with the customs of the Ari. I'm certainly not qualified to answer ...


4

Grammatically speaking, the difference between b'-shabbos and ba-shabbos is that the the former contains just the "ב" prefix, while the latter is a contraction of both the "ב" and "ה" prefixes. So one would translate "b'-shabbos" as "of Shabbos" and "ba-shabbos" as "of the Shabbos". That said, it would depend on what the intention is of the phrase "היום יום ...


4

When the g'mara used the term "shacharis" it referred to Sh'moneh Esre, all of which is prayer. Likewise, when it used the term t'fila, generally translated as "prayer", it meant Sh'moneh Esre alone. It is a 3- (or 4-, including supplemental petitions at the end) part prayer, beginning with praise, continuing with requests, and concluding with gratitude. If ...


4

I have not found a source. I would like to suggest that from the subject matter of the zemiros some could possibly be assigned to Friday night as follows. “Menucho vesimcho” mentions the sixth day, “ki leshisho kol beruim veomdim”. “Mah Yedidus” speaks about the evening “mai’erev mazminim”. “Mah Yofis” cites being ready before Shabbos “nechonim ...


4

Aruch Hashulchan (YD 293:6) equates all printed sefarim in kedusha and in terms of placing one on top of another: יורה דעה סימן רפג סעיף ו וכתב רבינו הרמ"א דכל זה בחומשים העשויים בגליון כספר תורה. אבל בשלנו שהם נכרכים – אין חילוק בין חומש לנביא. עד כאן לשונו. כלומר: דוודאי כל ספרי קודש הם קדושים, אך זהו קדושה כללית. אבל בפרטי הקדושות זה למעלה מזה, וספר ...


4

Sephardi siddurim vary somewhat based upon the traditions they follow. For example, De Sola Pool's siddur is used in Spanish-Portuguese synagogues, while Moroccans while often use Siddur Darkei Avot. Some obvious variants include the texts of Havdalah. You can read more about these (and other) variants relevant section of Keter Shem Tob by Shem Tov Gaguine. ...


4

Siddur Ezor Eliyahu claims that ורב was the nusach in מקצת סידורי פולין -- some of the siddurim in Poland, but not found at all in the western Ashkenazic rite. (He doesn't discuss Sefardim.) Berdychiv, while not in modern Poland, is certainly not a western Ashkenazic community so I guess that it is likely just the nusach they have always had and there was no ...


4

Seder Avodat Yisrael by Rabbi Seligman Baer comments that the nusach with the Vav is found in many old siddurim, while the now-prevalent nusach without the Vav is found in the Tur and in the Abudarham. He adds that he considers the nusach without the Vav to be the "ikkar" as it reflects Isaiah 63:1 (as Yoel pointed out in the comments). Seder Avodat Yisrael ...



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