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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 ...
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The Rambam (Tefilah 9:9) and Rashba (Responsum 1:183) write that Maariv's status as reshut is the reason there is no enactment for the leader to repeat the Amida aloud for those who don't know how to pray.
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There is no Miswa of Sisit at night (see Rabenu Behaye to Numbers 15:38-39).
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Most of the poskim said you can't say slichot before midnight. Harav Moshe Feinstein said that it's possible in she'at hadchak - if it's very very hard to say them after midnight.
You can see more details in Hebrew here.
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The Rambam (Tefilah 9:9) and Rashba (Responsum 1:183) write that Maariv's status as reshut is the reason there is no enactment for the leader to repeat the Amida aloud for those who don't know how to pray.
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Yalkut Yosef (106:1) says that a woman's primary obligation for tefillah is to daven Shacharit. He permits women to daven Mincha or Arvit if they're unable to daven Shacharit. If a woman wants to daven all three tefillot, she is permitted to as well.
He mentions that the reason for permitting this is that davening is asking Hashem for mercy (תפילה בקשת ...
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Because sinners are lashed between minchah and maariv, and they say "Vehu Rachum" during the lashing (as per Makkot 22b), so the chazan also announces "Vehu Rachum" (Sefer HaManhig). Alternatively, because there is no korban tamid which maariv represents, but the tamid is supposed to atone, so we say "Vehu Rachum" instead (Pardes in the name of R' Eliezer ...
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Shulchan Aruch 127:2
The Rema says that we say Sim Shalom any time we have a tefilah that is fitting for the blessing of the Kohanim to be included.
This is based on the end of the discussion of the Shemoneh Esrey in Talmud Megillah 18. The Amidah should end with a longer and more specific blessing of Shalom to end the tefilah.
Mishnah Berurah to 127:2 (...
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The same people that went to shul at night on Shabbos went at night on Yom Tov. There are various reasons why there was no takana to say birchas me'ein sheva on Yom Tov.
According to the Tur/Shulchan Orach in O'Ch 487, we don't say me'ein sheva on Pesach because it is Leil Shimurim, a protected night, so we don't need to worry about the dangers in siman 268....
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תפלת ערבית is mentioned in the Tosefta Berakhot (3:6), and several places in the Talmud, e.g. Berakhot 4b, 6b, 26b, etc. תפלת מעריב does not appear in Hazal (at least none of the works included in the Bar-Ilan database).
However, it is a common term among Ashkenazim, and indeed, the term is found in quite early Ashkenazi works. These include the Mahzor ...
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As I wrote here, the Talmud states that Hashkiveinu is not an interruption between geulah and tefillah because since it was ordained by the Sages as part of the blessings for Keriat Shema it is as if it is an extended geulah.
Berachot 4b
דאי לא תימא הכי שחרית היכי מצי סמיך והא אמר רבי יוחנן בתחלה אומר ה׳
שפתי תפתח ולבסוף הוא אומר יהיו לרצון אמרי פי אלא ...
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See this article (Hebrew pdf) arguing for the "need not wait" position.
The Rishonim and Shulchan Aruch never said to wait; when Shulchan Aruch describes the order of prayers for Shavuos, it doesn't say anything about waiting. The note to wait appeared later (and appears in Be'er Heitev OC 494 as "the Achronim have written"), and was not agreed upon by all. ...
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The Avudraham says that we repeat Vayechulu because we are testifying that G-d created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. The Halacha is that testimony must have two witnesses and be said standing, and therefore Vayechulu is said together while standing.
The Shulchan Aruch Harav, in his Kuntres Acharon to Orach Chaim 268:12, brings the opinion of ...
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That comment of Rash"i is quoting from the G'mara (Sanhedrin 86), which derives that [although the words plainly mean "do not steal"] based on the hermeneutic device called davar halamed me'inyano. The context of capital crimes in which "lo signov" appears implies that it too must be the capital crime of kidnapping. The meaning of the pasuk is therefore ...
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The Talmud asks this question on Brachot 33a and concludes that one still says Attah Chonantanu in Shemone Esrei even if he already recited Havdala on a cup of wine, because the Havdalah in Shemone Esrei was the original and therefore primary form of Havdala enacted. This ruling is brought in the Tur OC 294 and cited in the Mishnah Berurah there :1.
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The same rule applies both nights (ShA OC 422:1).
(Indeed while this seems to be explicit in the Gemara (Brachot 30b), the Beit Yosef (ibid.) notes with amazement that the Orchot Chayim quotes two rabbis who disagreed and required going back on the second night.)
Mishna Berura (ibid. sk 3) explains that each day of Rosh Chodesh doesn't affect the other as ...
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Mishchas Shemen volume 2:123 asks this exact question. He concludes that he has to Daven Maariv again.
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One can pray until dawn (alot hashahar), ideally (lechathila) one should do so before midnight (halachic midnight i.e., hatzot) (Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 70:2).
Chabad.org explains
The time for reciting maariv (the evening prayers) extends throughout
the night. Nevertheless, the sages were concerned that people would
delay the recitation of the ...
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Biur Halacha 113 (hakoreah) says it is based on Divrei haYamim I 29:20:
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד לְכָל-הַקָּהָל, בָּרְכוּ-נָא אֶת-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם; וַיְבָרְכוּ כָל-הַקָּהָל, לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵיהֶם, וַיִּקְּדוּ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַיהוָה, וְלַמֶּלֶךְ.
And David said to all the congregation: 'Now bless the LORD your God.' And all the congregation blessed the ...
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It is not a Nedavah; it is a Reshuth. There is a difference. What that difference is, I actually do not know well enough to articulate it.
I have also heard, in the name of RJB"S, that he felt both men and women ought to (how strong that "ought" is also unclear to me) Daven three times a day.
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Mishnah Berurah (672:1, and in Beur Halachah ibid. ד"ה לא מאחרים) says that it depends:
If you usually daven Maariv before nightfall, then prepare the menorah ahead of time, and light immediately after Maariv (so you don't miss the proper time for lighting).
If you usually daven it after nightfall, then it's better to light first and then daven.
In the ...
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I was advised many years ago by one of my Rabbeim to skip it if, as is usually my situation, I would be unable to finish in time to start Shemoneh 'Esreh with the Tzibbur. I was also advised (when I asked someone else several months later) that it is not possible to make it up afterwards - in case you were wondering. I believe the reason for the latter ...
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Ashkenazim in Eretz Yisroel generally follow the customs of the GR"A. One of his customs was omitting Boruch HaShem Leolam as an unnecessary interruption between the blessings following the Shema and the Shemone Esre.
I would cite Siddur HaGR"A as a source except that I don't have a copy to confirm.
As for why it is said, this related question might ...
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Congregation Etz Chayim in Toledo, Ohio says them.
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Besides what's already been mentioned, there are a few leniencies because of this, though I've never heard of your specific one.
There's a much larger discussion in halakhic literature about how careful (or not) we are about davening maariv at the proper time, and the Rambam (3:7) believes that this is because Maariv is a reshut.
The Beis Yosef (268:13) ...
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If you really need to, you can say Maariv and Havdalah (omitting the blessing on the candle) from Plag HaMincha (1.25 hours before sunset) (ShA OC 293:3) just as much as you can say Maariv and Kiddush after that time on Friday. The blessing on the candle can be recited separately after nightfall. All labor remains forbidden until after nightfall (even after ...
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The idea that according to the technical law it is a reshut but that it has now been accepted as a chovah goes back at least to R. Isaac Alfasi:
Rif Berachot 27b:
והאידנא נהוג עלמא לשוייה חובה
A century later Rambam already says that this was the custom among all Jews everywhere:
Hilchot Tefilah 1:6
ואין תפלת ערבית חובה כתפלת שחרית ומנחה ואף ע"פ כן ...
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Tosfot on Brachot 2a (link) say (quoting Rabbeinu Tam and the Ri) that the essential Kri'at Shma is the one in shul, even though we say Shma while it is still daytime.
Rashi, on the other hand, rules that one must repeat the first section of Shma after dark, and the bedtime Kri'at Shma suffices.
The Raavyah agrees with Rabbeinu Tam (according to the ...
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The Tzlach in Brachos 5 says that Boruch Hashem L'Olam was made for a Yochid also. However the Maaseh Rav 67 says that a Yochid should not say it.
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Tefillah btzibur by maariv takes priority even over semichas geulah ltfillah (saying shema and its brachos before shemoneh esrei), so it obviously takes priority over "baruch Hashem..", which according to many sources should not even be said lchatchilah.
I also don't think you should not start maariv early just so as to say "ברוך השם לעולם ", since then ...
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