Questions tagged [minhag]
Questions about Jewish customs and traditions.
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Lack of titles for esteemed Lubavitch rabbis
What is the reason for Chabad Lubavitch using very basic titles for great rabbis and scholars.
Most Mashpiim in lubavitch yeshivas are simply called "Reb" with no other prefix and usually no ...
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Shalom Zachor on Motza'ei Yom Kippur?
This Israeli news site quotes Rav Chaim Kanievsky saying to make a Shalom Zachor on Motza'ei Yom Kippur when Yom Kippur falls on Shabbos:
הגרש"ב גנוט מרבני העיר אלעד מספר כי זה לאחרונה שאל את ...
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Different ways to tie gartels
I have noticed that there are not only several different gartels but many different ways to tie them. I have always tied mine as I have seen most modern orthodox men tie it, with two loops on the side ...
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Why doesn't Chabad read Ruth on Shavuot?
I was at Chabad this Shavuot and they did not read Ruth. Everywhere else I've been (all Nusach Ashkenaz) has read it claiming that it's appropriate since this is the time of the wheat harvest.
Are ...
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Who should observe Isru Chag?
I'm trying to understand Isru Chag. While there is indeed a source in Psalms for the words, and while the Gemara indeed derives a notion of extra celebration, there seems to be little about the scope ...
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At what meal to eat Matza in Shavuot and Rosh Hashana
There is custom (Minhag) to eat Matza at Shavuos and Rosh Hashana. (Here is the source) based on the Kolbo and also in found in the book Shmo Yosef. My question is at what meal to eat the Matza (at ...
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Copy of Rambam's Mishna commentary in Arabic online
Does anyone know where I can find Rambam's full commentary on the Mishna in the Arabic original or if it's Judeo Arabic online whether it's digital or manuscript form as long as it's not missing any ...
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Is there an inyan to eat Cheesecake on Shavuos?
I know everybody does it, and I know there is an inyan to eat dairy, but is there an inyan specifically for eating cheesecake on Shavuos? And if so, where does it come from?
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Making a mistake in Brachot
BH
If you say a Bracha and make a mistake on the words Baruch or Ata or Elokeinu or Melech or HaOlam do you have to say the bracha over and if you do is it considered Levatalah because you say the ...
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Assuming the status of a Beit Knesset or Beit Medrash
I heard Beit HaKnessiot and Medrashot have certain laws like you can't eat or sleep inside a Beit Knesset, for example, and others for Beit Medrash.
Now I heard our synagogue is like a Beit HaMedrash ...
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Where does the custom of staying up all night on Shabbat originate from?
I heard there were some Tzadikim who would stay up all night on Shabbat where did this custom originate from?
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How can people dance around bonfires on Lag Lo'Omer - it's darchei emori?
In Tosephto Shabbos 7:1, it says that one who dances by a bonfire is following in the ways of the Emorites. In light of this, how can so many supposedly frum Jews dance around bonfires on Lag Lo'Omer?
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What do the different chassidish tefillin tying on the palm and hand mean, what sects uses them?
I have noticed many different styles of wrapping tefillin over the hand, fingers, and palm, as seen below.
My question is what is the significance of this, and who does this, and is it something ...
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What is the earliest source that brings the custom to light bonfires on Lag Baomer?
I've seen the reason of The Bnei Yisaschar (Iyar 3:3) that writes that there were many hidden secrets revealed on Lag Baomer that lit up the world, and we therefore light fires as a remembrance of the ...
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Sources for Minhag of Davening Fast (Better Kavannah, Middas Hadin etc.)
In some Chassidic circles davening fast is known to be somewhat of a minhag. Sometimes this is only in regards to a specific tefillah. For example:
In some of the Polish chassidic courts (i.e. Gur) ...
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What's the source for "The Minhag of Yisroel is Torah"?
B"H
There's a common expression that's quoted often in many different mefarshim of all kinds, and mentioned by many that even things the people of Yisroel accept upon themselves, that's not ...
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Why do Chabad men look like non-Chassidim in several respects? [closed]
As the comments began, I did two Google image searches.
When I searched "Hasidic man," this was the first result.
When I searched "Misnagdim," this was the first result.
That ...
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What greetings are appropriate on Pesach Sheni?
Are standard Passover greetings appropriate for Pesach Sheni? E.g. חג פסח שמח? Or just חג שמח because it's not Passover proper? I'm guessing "gut yontiff" would not be appropriate as it is ...
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Custom for Students to give gifts to teachers
Is it proper for a student to give gifts to their Rabbi.
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Prevalence of custom to put up photos of rabbis in the home
I've seen some Jewish homes with photos of respected rabbis framed on the wall. When historically did this Jewish custom begin? How widespread is it today?
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Bar Mitzvah on Yom Tov
In most situations a boy becomes a Bar Mitzvah and there are certain practices to mark that occasion which take place on the upcoming Shabbos. Those may include some or all of the following: getting ...
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Proper day and time for a Shloshim Seuda
Per Chabad.org: "Traditionally, families gather on the eve of the Shloshim to share support, recite prayers and Psalms, and to give charity in the merit of the deceased. Many will also make a Siyum, ...
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How does Hagbahah work on a Sephardic Torah case?
How does one do Hagbahah on a Torah in a Sephardic Torah case, such as one of these silver cases (picture courtesy of Hadad Brothers) :
See also the Ashkenazi version of this question.
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Gravesite Kaddish
I have noticed at funerals that some people face the grave while saying Kaddish and at others face a different direction.
Is there a reason for it for both ways?
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Why a Beitzah on the Seder Plate?
Why do we use a roasted (maybe?) egg on the Seder Plate to represent the Festival offering?
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Is there a chart for the Shir Shel Yom for chagim in English?
Individuals have been kind enough to post in at least two previous questions a link to the chart for the Gra's Shir Shel Yom for the chagim which is
http://www.daat.ac.il/encyclopedia/images/...
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Can a Sephardi Jew use Yemenite-style Tzitzit?
I'd like to ask if a sefardi Jew from Iberia can use Rambam/Temani tzitziyot instead of the classic Sephardic tying with the ridge.
Edit Reason why I'm asking is because of the rules against ...
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Ashkenazim eating kitniyot that is batel b'rov on Pesach
According to various opinions, Ashkenazim may eat food that comprises kitniyot on Pesach (e.g., mixtures), if it is batel b'rov (see Peninei Halacha here). For example: foods comprising kitniyot ...
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Breaking a cheap glass under the Chuppah
The source for breaking a glass under the Chuppah according to many commentaries is a Tosfos in Berachos 31a. The Gemara there says the following- (taken from the Sefaria website)
רַב אָשֵׁי עֲבַד ...
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What was the shape of the Luchot?
According to the Talmud in Bava Batra 14a, the Luchot HaBrit were square. As a side note, I have seen those "correctly-modeled Luchot" in the Shteblach of Meah Shearim.
Where did the common "tablet" ...
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Minhag to eat Dessert First?
A while ago (at least 25 years ago) I recall a friend's mother saying there was a minhag in Tzfat to eat dessert first, because if you had to suddenly stop your meal in the middle because the Moshiach ...
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Stripes on a Talis
Is there any reason for the stripes on a talis? Does the color of the stripes have any significance?
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Were there any instances of Ashkenazim using a tallit with white stripes?
I heard that such tallits were worn by Yekke and Yemey Norayim. Did anyone else use white stripes from Ashkenazim?
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Must Rosh HaShannah Simanim be Eaten in a Certain Order?
Is there a specific minhag regarding when and in what order to eat the simanim? In other words, is it acceptable to serve simanim as a matter of course (leeks with the steak, date cookies for dessert, ...
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Black Yerushalmi Kippah?
First, not talking about the Na Nach kippahs (which have different stitching and band). Those come on all kinds of colors.
I am wondering who wears a black yerushalmi kippah? Karlin-Stolin, some ...
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What is this tefillin minhag?
In this article discussing how Rav Eliezer Berland came to Breslov Chassidus, there is a photo of young Berland prior to his bar mitzvah, wrapped in tallis and tefillin.
I immediately noticed the ...
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Was there a custom of praying twice a day and what was it like?
The Talmud [Berachot 26b] gives two opinions about the origin of the daily prayers:
Prayers replace two daily sacrifices in the Temple.
Prayers are composed in honor of the forefathers Abraham, ...
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Banging by Zeresh in the Megillah
In The Monsey Mevaser (page 100), a six-year-old child child asked the following:
We have the custom to bang when we hear Haman's name in the Megillah. Why don’t bang the two times his evil wife ...
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Walking around indoors without shoes
Does anyone know of a source for the practice of not walking around indoors without shoes? (I am seeking an actual source, not speculation)
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Are men allowed to refer to another man's wife by her first name?
I heard a halacha a long time ago that men are not allowed to use the first name of a married woman who is not their wife. The suggestion I heard was to refer to her as Mrs. So-and-so.
Does anyone ...
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Where is the source that one is supposed take out their peyos when they are davening Shemona Esrei?
There have been many times where I have seen people pull out their Peyos from behind their ears right before Shemona Esrei. Anyone I have asked said there is a source, but I can not locate it. (...
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Minhag - for each of the tribes
I heard that there was a "minhag" (custom/practie) for each of the twelve tribes.
Does anyone have a source for this?
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Is there a formal Jewish way of wishing someone a safe journey?
Before someone you know goes on a trip, such as a flight, it is polite to wish them a safe journey. In English, one might use some variation of "safe travels" or "have a safe trip"....
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(Not) kissing the mezuzah
Kissing one’s mezuzah seems to be an almost universally accepted custom nowadays, at least among Ashkenazim. However, I once heard it was the minhag of R. Hirsch to simply look at it and meditate on ...
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Is there a makor for the simcha of a siyum/hachnasas Sefer Torah?
I heard once that it says that the simcha of a siyum Sefer Torah is greater than that of a chasunah. Does anyone know if/where this is from?
Also, are there any other פתגמים (gemara, medrash, etc) ...
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Personal Prayer - Silent or Audible
Several years ago, a sofer gave a class and said that personal prayers (prayers composed by myself) outside the synagogue must be said aloud. You can say them quietly, but the words must be audible. ...
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Why is there a Minhag not to eat sesame in Erev Yom Kippur?
I found sources that say that there is a Minhag not to eat sesame in Erev Yom Kippur, since it is considered as a heavy food and might disturb the dawening in Yom Kippur. I would like to understand ...
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Laughing during havdalah- Why do we laugh after Gefen in Havdalah - Laughing after drinking Wine on Motzei Shabbat (Saturday NIght) Havdalah [closed]
I was, recently, staying with a group of Sefardim on Shabbat. During the havdallah service, after saying the bracha on the wine, the leader bent over, looked at the cup of wine for a few seconds and ...
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The kittel as tachrich
I recently heard and was extremely moved by the idea that the kitlen worn on Pesach, Yom Kippur, and under the chuppah are intended to resemble tachrichim – and are, in some cases, the actual garments ...
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