15
The relevant word is דכא which in some scrolls is written דכה. See Deuteronomy 23:2.
While the portion of Aleppo Codex containing that word is currently lost, we do have the Aleppo Codex to Tehillim 90:3 where the same word appears spelled with an Alef. The Mesorah there notes that this spelling is used in three places and lists them: Deuteronomy 23:2, ...
13
Rav Yosef Messas a"h (he served as Rav in Tilimsan Algeria, Meknes Morocco, and as Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Haifa) held that wearing costumes/disguises on Purim is absolutely forbidden as hukas hagoyim and that its origins stem from an imitation of the pre-Lent festivity of Carnavale which itself has origins in the orgiastic paganism of Bacchanalia. He ...
13
Rabbi Berel Wein has suggested that long ago, there were a certain amount of anti-Sephardic animosity related to the fact that when during the Crusades, the Ashkenazic Jews forced to choose between the cross and the sword went to their deaths; whereas during the Spanish Inquisition, many Spanish (i.e. Sephardic) Jews chose to stay alive and outwardly profess ...
13
147zcbm made what even 147zcbm thought was a wild inference from how things are ordered in the Aruch Hashulchan. You'll never believe what happened next.
The Aruch Hashulchan was written by R' Yechiel Michel Halevi Epstein. His son, R' Baruch Halevi Epstein, author of the Torah Temima, also wrote an autobiographical work called Mekor Baruch. His research, ...
13
According to Wikipedia "Baruch Tehiye" is an acceptable response, but "Chazak Ve'Ematz" is the common one. Among Morrocans it would be "Kulchem Beruchim".
11
Covering One’s Eyes During the Recitation of Shema cites the following explanation as give by Rabbi Eli J Mansour
According to Kabbalistic teaching, one should cover his eyes during
Shema while positioning his fingers in the shape of the letters
“Shin,” “Dalet” and “Yod,” which spell the Divine Name of “Sha-dai.”
This is done by bringing the three ...
10
This did not start with the post Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel. Nor did it start with Ovadia Yosef. Rabbis throughout the orient wore this type of garb regularly, as their dress reflected the culture they were in. So for example, you have Rabbi Aharon Ben Simeon, former Chief Rabbi of Egypt (until 1921 i believe)
The mantle of the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of ...
9
The Beit Yosef there quotes many Rishonim who have a version of the story (Yevamot 62b) that Rabbi Akiva's students died until פרוס העצרת a half [month] before Shavuot. So 49-15=34 and on the last day we say that a partial day counts as the whole day so on the 34th in the morning, the mourning ends.
9
Qitzur Shulhhan Arukh - Yalqut Yosef, Siman 56:11 writes (my translation):
מנהג האשכנזים כדעת הרמ''א, לעמוד בשעה שעונים קדיש וברכו, וספרדי שמתפלל עם אשכנזים, נכון שיעמוד גם הוא עמהם בעת אמירת קדיש וברכו, כדי שלא יהיה בכלל יושב בין העומדים.
The Ashkenazi custom, per the ReM"A, is to stand when responding to Qaddish and Barekhu. And, as for a Sepharadi ...
9
Indeed, the Beit Yosef (OC 36) cites the Gemara you reference and claims that the ש should have a pointed base. The Peri Megadim (EA end of 32) is unsure if this is a necessary component of the letter. The Keset HaSofer (5:2:ש) implies it would be Kosher Bedieved, but one should be very careful to avoid a flat base. The Mishna Berura (Mishnat Sofrim ש) is ...
8
Your second answer seems to be closest... As far as we can tell, scrolls in the ancient world were kept wrapped in cloth and stored in wooden cases or boxes. The Gemara attests both to mitpahot [cloth wrappers] (Megillah 26a) and a tik [wooden case] (Megillah 26b) used to store sifrei Torah.
Bracha Yaniv's article on Torah scroll accessories in the Balkans ...
8
According to this website, the custom in the Jewish Tunisian community is to recite the "Eishet Chayil", after the reading of "Shir Hashirim" (Song of Songs) and in the Djerba community to recite it during the weeks of Sefirat HaOmer.
[In many Sefardic communities, "Shir Hashirim" is recited weekly, after "Kabbalat Shabbat", before "Arvit". Some of the ...
7
Hazon Ovadia Purim pg. 199
מה שנוהגים להתחפש וללבוש מסיכות בפורים, אין כל איסור בדבר.
It is Mutar to dress up Purim.
What is Asur on Purim?
Cross dressing
Inviting magicians
Making fun of the Rabbis on Purim
(All from Yalkut Yosef 695)
7
According to this article, we do :-)
THE LAWS OF PESACH by Rav David Brofsky Shiur #2: The Laws of Pesach Defining Chametz (1)
R. Yosef Karo (Shulchan Arukh 462:1-4) rules in accordance with the view of Rabbeinu Tam and the Rambam, who permit matzot made with fruit juice. The Rema, however, concludes that Ashkenazim should refrain from eating matza ashira, ...
7
שו"ת יחווה דעת, חלק ב סימן עא discusses this and concludes that since it is commonly done there is no reason to suspend the Minhag.
7
Hacham Ovadia Yosef has a Kelal called "Bimkom Minhag Kadum En Omrim Kibalnu Horaot Maran- in the place where there is a preexisting Minhag we don't follow Maran". In this case there was a preexisting Minhag to do Kaparot therefor we do Kaparot.
The reason Hacham Ovadia holds like this is because Maran writes in the Hakdama to Bet Yosef that he didn't come ...
7
The Aruch Hashulchan was himself Ashkenazi. But he claimed that he descended from a prominent Sephardic Rabbinical family.
The Aruch Hashulchans son Rabbi Baruch Epstein writes in his book Mekor Baruch which details his life and family history, that his family had a tradition that they were originally expelled from Spain along with the majority of Spanish ...
6
Likutei Menashe which is a Likut of Sefardi Minhagim says on page 224 - 18 that the Minhag is to dress up on Purim.
Zecher David which is written by Rabbi David Zechus (a Sephardi) published in Livorno mentions a few reasons why we dress up on Purim, which indicates that he had no problem with this Minhag.
6
The text of the Selihot appears at Da`at (Herzog College) and at Wikitext.
The text is nearly the same every day. There are additions for the 10 days of repentance, and there is a small section which varies based on the day of the week.
There are also sections which are said in some congregations but not in others.
6
There isn't a difference in construction. The difference is that Sepharadim (traditionally) do not accept communal 'Eruvin in large cities/neighborhoods, due to the position of the Mehaber (Shulhan 'Aruch O"H 345:7) that defines* a public domain by size, not by population density. Some Many Sepharadim have accepted the Ashkenazi leniency in following the ...
6
I can't attest to the truth of this, but I once heard R' Orlofsky say that some Ashkenazi Yeshivos do not accept Sefardim (or limit their acceptance) for the sake of the Sefardim - they feel that the Sefardim should respect their own tradition, and should attend Yeshivos that encourage and support that tradition.
6
According to Derech Eress, a book on the customs of Aleppo,the Jews used to celebrate 2 days of Purim out of Safek.
ולכן נהגו לעשות פורים
שני ימים, אלא שקוראים את המגילה בלי ברכה: וכן היה מנהג ארם צובה מימי קדם,
שנהגו כל דיני פורים בשני הימים (וגם קראו בתורה בברכה - ורק על המגילה
(לא בירכו, כאמור). מנהג זה המשיך אצל המוסתערבים (התושבים הוותיקים)
...
6
The Gemara (Yevamot 14a) says (regarding if Beis Shammai followed their own Psak):
ומ"ד עשו קרינן כאן (דברים יד, א) לא תתגודדו לא תעשו אגודות אגודות אמר אביי כי אמרינן לא תתגודדו כגון שתי בתי דינים בעיר אחת הללו מורים כדברי ב"ש והללו מורים כדברי ב"ה אבל שתי בתי דינים בשתי עיירות לית לן בה
And yet the question remains: According to the one who said ...
6
Here's a link to my "Celebrating the Exodus from Egypt in Egypt". (I am adding the text on request in case the link dies. My father was Sephardic and my mother was Mizrahi, so we were in both worlds.)
http://www.hsje.org/mystory/maurice_m_mizrahi/CelebratingExodus2.html
I was born and raised in Egypt during just about the worst period to be a Jew in Egypt....
6
The pamphlet makes a great case but it overstates it a bit. Yabia Omer 9:10 speaks for itself. Initially Rav Ovadia believed it was asur but seeing that the minhag of tremendous segments of klal yisrael including the most religious (see there for examples such as the Or Letzion and students in Radin) he was compelled to write his teshuva. He is adamantly ...
5
Mabrouk is an informal Arabic word and widely used; it means congratulations. The formal word is Mubarak and it means blessed. Judeo-Spanish - which is spoken by Sephardi - contains Arabic words.
5
I bought a "pocket edition" of Sidur Bnei Tzion from a bookstore in Paris in 2006; it is almost identical in order and contents (although more reduced) to a Sidur used by Congregation Beth-El of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Their Sidur, called "Siddur Matzliach Melamed" was compiled by Rabbi Meir Matzliach Melamed for a Portuguese/Hebrew Edition in the 1960's. ...
5
Here's a start. The historian Norman Roth, in his Daily Life of the Jews in the Middle Ages, writes about the role of women in Spain (as well as Ashkenazic lands) at that time. On pg. 54, he writes:
...in all Muslim lands, and in Christian as well as Muslim Spain, women had equality with men in all business transactions. This meant that they could acquire ...
5
When people discuss this, they assume that Sephardic Jews were all wearing robes and turbans while living in Arabic-speaking countries. Then, they came to Israel and started wearing black suits and ties.
In many cases, Jews started wearing Western-style clothing while living in Arabic-speaking countries
Look at this pic of wedding in Aleppo in 1914: http:/...
5
It was HaRav Avraham Yosef. It was initially posted on his website in the Ask the Rav section. It caused quite the stir and wound up being carried by the YNet news organization. From there it spread to other news outlets.
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