Questions tagged [minhag]
Questions about Jewish customs and traditions.
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Did anyone propose switching back to using date honey on Rosh-Hashanah to dip apples?
As seen from "why-use-bee-honey-on-rosh-hashana", the use of bee honey in the minhag is clearly circumstantial - the lack of "the original" honey led to use its substitute - bee honey.
Some ...
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Sources for when we change the Parochet to white
It is customary to change the Parochet, Torah covers, and some other items in the shul to white for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and it is common practice to keep the white covers up until after ...
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Changing Hagba During Simchas Torah?
How can allusions to like "turn the Torah over because it's all in it" - הֲפֹךְ בָּהּ וַהֲפֹךְ בָּהּ, דְּכֹלָּא בָהּ [Avos 5:22]) justify putting the Torah at greater risk of falling or tearing by ...
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Possible to change tefillin from outward wrapping to inward?
Is it possible to change the tefillin shel yad from one that wraps outward to one that wraps inward? Is it necessary to re-tie the knot?
Thanks in advance and shanah tovah.
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Does one need to fast if a pasul Torah is dropped?
There is a minhag to fast when a Sefer Torah is dropped. Does this apply if the dropped Torah was pasul (not "kosher")?
My thinking - a pasul Torah is not a "true" Torah in the sense that it can be ...
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Giving Gift to Mourning Spouse?
Although the Rema (YD 385:3) writes
ואסור לשלוח מנות לאבל על אביו ואמו כל י"ב חדש - It is forbidden to
send [or bring] gifts to one who is in mourning for his father or
mother, throughout the ...
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Why use bee honey on Rosh Hashana?
The honey in "land of milk and honey" is date honey (I believe), and yet most people use bee honey on Rosh Hashana. Does it matter what kind of honey you use at all?
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Does the concept of "leaving a sefer open leads to forgetfulness" apply to Torah on a computer screen?
(related: "Leaving Sefarim Open and forgetfulness")
The Be'er Hetev in Yoreh Deah 277 quotes the Bach who states:
וכתב הב''ח מכאן יש ללמוד שלא ילך אדם חוץ ויניח הספר פתוח [...] מי שמניח ספר ...
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Source for Red Apples?
Rav Yisroel Reisman (Ki Savo 5775) mentions an interesting concept for dipping apples in honey,
The Mechabeir says that a sweet apple is typically red. I have seen
those who wonder of why we use ...
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List of establishing rabbis for each set of minhagim [closed]
I am a baal teshuva who is becoming orthodox and wondering what customs to hold. Is there a list of important rabbis who set minhagim (ie ashkenazi, sephardi yekki, chabad, notable subgroups, etc) and ...
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Is switching customs allowed?
To what extent are, say, Ashkenazic Jews halachically obligated to follow Ashkenazic customs by, say, refraining from eating kitniyot on Pessah? Chullin 110a-b says: Follow the restrictions of the ...
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If a man converts to Judaism, does his already-Jewish son have to follow the custom his father decides to follow?
If a man converts to Judaism and follows Sephardic customs, and his son (who is Jewish-by-birth or has already converted) follows Ashkenazic customs, does the son have to follow his father and also ...
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Married Jewish women and tzedaka
Are married Jewish women permitted to give tzedaka by themselves? Are they required to give it only together with their husband?
There seems to be some question about this based on the Rashi and ...
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Birkat kohanim at shacharit and ne'ilah of Yom Kippur
Rema Orach Chayyim 128:44 notes that some Ashkenazi communities recite birkat kohanim at ne'ilah of Yom Kippur, and some even at shacharit.
Every Ashkenazi synagogue (outside of Israel) that I've ...
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Shabbat clothing on shabbat chazon
The rema writes in סימן תקנ"א that on shabbat chazon one does not wear shabbat clothing and instead one wears weekday clothing.
אפי' בשבת של חזון אין מחליפין ללבוש בגדי שבת כי אם הכתונת לבד (מרדכי ...
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Source for not whistling at night?
I have heard that one is not allowed to whistle at night, something to do with bringing demons.
does anyone know a source for this?
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Number of times the names of the husband & wife appear on the Ketubah
From a few Ketubot that I've seen, it seems that the husband's name is written 6x and the wife's name is written 3x.
Is there a specific number of times a husband's and wife's names should appear on ...
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When were "acrobatics" introduced at weddings?
The "earliest" samples of "acrobatics" that I have seen at weddings were bottle dancers, which seemed to be popular among Hassidim, and I guess originated from Russian custom.
The Talmud mentions in ...
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Origin of wearing a hat [duplicate]
Wearing a hat has become so widespread in the orthodox community but what is it’s origin? Is it based off of anything from the Torah or Chazal? How old is the custom to wear a hat? And when did it ...
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Why do women wave their hands in front of the Shabbos candles before making the bracha? [duplicate]
There seems to be a widespread custom among women to wave their hands in front of Shabbos candles before making a bracha on them. I have never seen men do this when lighting the Shabbos candles. Why ...
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Eating an Egg Whole
Is there a basis for this custom that one may not bite into an egg which is still whole, but must be first cut or broken in two, unless it's a time of mourning (aveilut) and only then the egg is ...
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Custom to specifically have whiskey after fish because of danger
The Rema (YD 116:3) says to eat something and drink something between having fish and meat.
Many have the custom to specifically make a lechaim between fish and meat, meaning they have something ...
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Shuls that say Hungarian Selichos?
Are there any shuls (I'm preferably looking for shuls in Yerushalayim) that say the Hungarian(/Bohemian/Moravian/Silesian) selichos for the Yemei HaSelichos?
(This is the selichos that is found in ...
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Can a public fast day be used for a Yahrtzeit fast?
Some people have a minhag to fast on a yahrtzeit (see Shulchan Aruch OC 567,7-9). If the day of the yahrtzeit occurs on a public fast day such as 17 Tamuz, can the fasting done then count for the ...
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English explanation of Sheva Brachot at a Wedding
I was a guest at a wedding recently. During the sheva brachot under the chuppah in addition to calling up someone to recite the bracha a second person was called up to read a relevant English passage ...
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Is there a halachic requirement for a yeshivah to be single gender?
A few years ago, my son came home from his elementary yeshiva highly annoyed that his rebbe referred to another neighborhood yeshiva as "not a real yeshiva" because the other yeshiva has mixed gender ...
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"Circling" a Kos Shel Bracha?
I just saw Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish off-Broadway last night. In the wedding scene, the rabbi holds the Kos Shel Bracha from underneath but then kind of "orbits" the cup -- rotating his hand in ...
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Which part of Tzitzit is important
Tangentially related to this question - Which tzitzit do I kiss? - Which part of the tzitzit is to be seen/kissed? Many have the custom to kiss the tzitzit when reciting the 3rd paragraph of the ...
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Romaniote tune/chant for Torah reading
Would anybody happen to have audio records of the Romaniote (Greek, say from Janina) Torah readings?
How similar is it to nearby traditions? Say Italian, or Turkish?
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Livorno siddurim
Since my old siddur is on the process of dying, I am in the market for a new siddur. I understand that some of the reprints of the Livorno siddurim in print today have incorporated some changes to the ...
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What is the stance of Sephardi Poskim on electric shavers?
In this pdf compilation provided by Koshershaver, it makes the claim that Sephardim cannot shave because
1) Rav Ovadia in Yabia Omer said that a razor that removes more than a stubble is like a ...
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Should the Torah be covered or uncovered during the Aliyah blessings?
Some feel that if the Torah is not being read, then it should be covered, while some feel that since the blessing is on this Torah, it should be uncovered during the blessings (but not for the call to ...
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Shuls that say selichos for Kaf Sivan
Does anyone know of shuls that say selichos for Kaf Sivan (20th Sivan) (see here for more information)?
Looking preferably for shuls in Yerushalayim.
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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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Minhag 3 times, source?
In machzorim there is a nusach for hatarat nedarim, to annulate even "a good minhag that I did 3 times ..."
But what is source for this counting like a neder (or other type of engagement)?
Shulchan ...
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Where is the source for waiting an hour after eating dairy?
There are those (eg. Chabad) who have a custom to wait an hour after eating dairy before eating meat.
I was told that the source is in the Zohar.
Can anyone point to the exact origin of this custom?...
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Chofetz Chaim Tefillin Minhag
Do we know the Chofetz Chaim's minhag with respect to Tefillin (i.e., how did he wrap the Tefillin around his arm and hand)? Or if there was a minhag generally in the Radun Yeshiva?
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What is the source for some Ashkenazim not reciting Lamnatzeiach on Isru Chag?
Mishnah Berurah 131:35 lists the following days on which Ashkenazim do not recite Lamnatzeiach (Tehillim 20) during weekday Shacharit between Ashrei and Uva LeTzion:
Rosh Chodesh
Chanukah
Purim
Erev ...
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Why don’t we say “vetein tal lev’racha”?
According to those who say “morid hatal” in the second b’racha of Shemoneh Esrei between Pesach and Sukkos, why don’t they also say vetein tal lev’racha in the ninth b’racha (instead of vetein b’racha)...
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Why do we specifically recall the greenery of Har Sinai on Shavuos?
While there are several reasons why there is a custom to spread greenery in shul, one which is brought by the Mishnah Berurah (494:10) is that Har Sinai was covered with greenery.
Why is it ...
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Burning the alcohol after havdallah
When I was a child, my grandfather, a"h, would specifically use whiskey (usually Slivovitz) for Havdallah. Then he would spill some of it onto a plate and douse the candle into the whiskey and watch ...
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Customs for Yom Tov Sheini in Israel [duplicate]
My question concerns the observance of yom tov sheini for a person who is visiting Israel during a chag.
If the person is not observing yom tov sheini, are there any different customs they need to ...
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Is a shul allowed to refuse an aliyah to an "improperly dressed" Cohen or Levi?
Some shuls have a "dress code" requirement in order to receive an aliya. For example, I know of a shul that requires wearing both a button-down (dress) shirt and tie to receive an aliyah.
Suppose ...
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Tachanun In Sivan
According to an emailed halacha I received,
Some have the custom to not say Tachnun until the 12th of Sivan, and in the Diaspora until the 13th of Sivan. Shulchan Aruch w/Mishnah Brurah 494:3, ...
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Multiple Leviyim Washing the Kohanim's hands
The minhag I've seen is that a levi washes the hands of the kohen before he recites the birchas kohanim.
I have often seen numerous Levittes teaming up to wash a kohen together - each of them grasps ...
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Why are huge challot displayed on the wedding couple / Bar Mitzvah's table?
I noticed that among Orthodox and, seemingly Hareidi Bar Mitzvah's and weddings, a huge challah is cut by the chattan or Bar Mitzvah.
I assume that there must be some minhag behind this that ...
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Yetziv Pisgam and Chabakuk
One common Ashkenazi minhag on Shavuos is to recite the piyut (poem) of Yetziv Pisgam on the second day of Shavuot after the first Passuk of the Haftorah from Chabakuk. The first letter of each line ...
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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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Do women have to have long hair according to Jewish law?
Does it say anywhere in the Oral Torah that women have to have long hair?
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Are computer-generated vocals permissible during Sefirah and the Three Weeks?
According to those traditions which prohibit music during the Three Weeks and parts of Sefirah, but permit a capella, would listening to computer-generated vocals be permissible during Sefirah? Is the ...
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