11 votes

Saying Yaale v'Yavo out loud to remind others during Amida

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach is quoted in Halichos Shlomo (page 98 note 20) saying that the minhag for the mispallelim to raise ones voice when saying "V'sein Tal Umatar Lebracha" and other similar ...
Shoel U'Meishiv's user avatar
10 votes
Accepted

How does the 19th brocho of the shmona esrai open?

I obviously can't comment about what is "original" or not, because we don't know what the "original" wording was, if there ever was such a thing. Chazal left us nothing of the sort. What we do know ...
Double AA's user avatar
  • 97.3k
10 votes
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Why is Hashkiveinu not considered a hefsek between Ga'al Yisra'el and the Amidah (Chabad)?

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 ...
Alex's user avatar
  • 49.1k
10 votes
Accepted

Rain: Geshem or Matar?

Rabbeinu Bahya Devarim 11:17: לפעמים המטר יורד מן השמים כלומר ממים העליונים, ולפעמים ממי אוקיאנוס שהן מים תחתונים, ואותו שהוא ממי אוקיאנוס אינו נקרא מטר אלא גשם, מלשון גשמות ודבר גופני, ואותו שהוא ...
Joel K's user avatar
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9 votes
Accepted

Facing the wrong direction during Amidah

Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim סימן צד - צריך לכון נגד ארץ ישראל, ודין הרוכב או יושב בספינה If you're facing the wrong way, then turn your head towards the correct direction. ב אִם מִתְפַּלֵּל לְרוּחַ ...
Danny Schoemann's user avatar
9 votes

What is the source of this text?

In their essay in Hebrew "The Section "Malkeinu Elokeinu" at the End of the Prayer of Shemoneh Esreh and Birkat Hamazon: Its Origin, Form and Status", Uri Ehrlich and Avi Schmidman ...
Harel13's user avatar
  • 24.8k
8 votes
Accepted

Changing location mid-way during Shemoneh Esrei?

The Mishna Brura 104:10 rules that a "hefsek tfila" (a pause in prayer) is only speaking and not walking. So in case of need (he speaks of danger), it is permitted to move and pick up prayer from the ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.9k
8 votes

"Chaparat Pesha" just through Adar II

There are three different minhagim (according to Kaf HaChayim) for the timing of this addition: only during Adar 2, all year long (Cheshvan to Elul), and from Cheshvan to Adar 2. Rabbi Shelomo Min-...
Cauthon's user avatar
  • 3,835
8 votes
Accepted

What is the proper procedure for answering parts of Kedusha?

The original method (dating back to the Tosefta Berakhot 1:11) which was uniformly practiced in all locations (Ashkenaz, Poland, Spain, North Africa, Yemen, Italy, etc.) is simply the leader recites ...
Double AA's user avatar
  • 97.3k
8 votes

Amida together with the chazzan

R Eli Mansour brings the Shulchan Aruch (OC 109:2) that if a person comes late to the synagogue and misses the congregation's silent Amidah, he can still earn the merit of praying with the ...
mbloch's user avatar
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8 votes
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Why isn't המלך המשפט a grammatical mistake?

This question is in fact dealt with by Rashi on the spot, who says that the first ה is redundant, and this has the same meaning as מלך המשפט, citing scriptural precedents for this phrasing. Basically -...
Josh Friedlander's user avatar
7 votes

Must one pray with a minyan?

Indeed there are sources that praying with a minyan is not strictly obligatory. Perhaps the most explicit is R. Aryeh Pomeranchik in Emek Beracha, Birchot Keriat Shema: אמנם אשר נ"ל בזה דבאמת תפלה ...
Alex's user avatar
  • 49.1k
7 votes
Accepted

Tu b'Shvat Prayers by R' Yehuda Halevi (Gaon)

I may have found them myself! To clarify, this is not the Yehuda HaLevi of the Kuzari; it is the other Yehuda HaLevi, a student of Eliezer HaKalir. They are brought in Sefer Tehilla L'David, a ...
Chaim's user avatar
  • 4,313
7 votes

Do you say "aneinu" if you don't eat anything all day but drink lots of water?

In an article about fast days, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed writes the following: One who ate or drank during the fast: if it was less than "Kezayit" (an olive’s bulk) of food, or "Kimlo Logmav" (a ...
aBochur's user avatar
  • 3,849
7 votes
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Where does the Amidah "officially" start?

This is addressed in 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 התם כיון דתקינו רבנן למימר ה׳ שפתי תפתח ...
Alex's user avatar
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7 votes

Shabbat Amidah, which parts

Indeed one prays the amida three times a day (four times on Shabbat and holidays), once in the evening (arvit) since the Jewish day goes from evening to evening, once in the morning (shaharit) and ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.9k
7 votes

Gomel chasadim tovim - are there bad chasadim?

Some thoughts: טוב can be used to mean complete. For example: One of Rashi's explanations of why it says טוב zero times on day 2 of Creation and twice on day 3 is because nothing was completed on ...
Y     e     z's user avatar
7 votes

What happens if an individual accidentally says Aneinu before Re'eh instead of during Shema Koleinu?

The Kaf HaChaim writes here that you fulfilled your obligation if you accidentally says it as a stand-alone Beracha before Re'eh. Therefore: 1 - You do not say it again in Shema Koleinu. 2 - It was ...
פרי זהב's user avatar
7 votes
Accepted

A minor (?) issue with spelling in Nusach Ari

The Israeli Chabad site explains the difference in the following way: בסידור אדמו"ר הזקן מופיע בחול "המרחם" ובשבת "והמרחם". וביאר בס' שער הכולל (סי' ט ס"ק לב), שדקדקו ...
Kazi bácsi's user avatar
  • 7,434
6 votes

Why don't we say "Misod" for Geshem and Tal?

The קרובות for Musaph of Shemini Atzeres is known as a שבעתא and, although many consider the main part to זכור אב (in מנהג פולין) or איום זכור נא (in מנהג אשכנז), the main part was once אף-ברי. This ...
Joshua Pearl's user avatar
  • 3,342
6 votes

When is the latest time you can daven minchah bedieved?

From: http://www.torah.org/advanced/weekly-halacha/5757/chaysara.html One should be extremely careful to finish davening Mincha by Shkiah, sunset, since many early Poskim (12) hold that it is ...
Loewian's user avatar
  • 17.7k
6 votes

Silent Amidah when praying without a minyan

You may encounter opinions that recommend not doing that, based on kabbalistic sources: Pri Etz Hayyim - Sha'ar Ha-Amidah - Chapter 2 אין להתפלל תפלה שבלחש בקול רם, כי בלחש אנו מעמידין יעקב ...
paquda's user avatar
  • 4,881
6 votes

Shmoneh Esrei: Why are there so many brachot for the redemption era?

The Raavan (cited by Avudarham at the end of Shemoneh Esrei) writes that there are two groups of 6 blessings that make up the middle section (with sh'ma koleinu being a general summary not in either ...
Y     e     z's user avatar
6 votes

Why do we say "...resurrects the dead with great mercy..." in the present tense?

Here's one possible explanation. excerpt from Yaarot Devash 1:1 on his explanation of the Amidah Accepting the repentance of a sinner is in the category of 'resurrection of the dead', because 'a ...
ray's user avatar
  • 21.1k
6 votes
Accepted

Why do we start saying "Veten tal umatar" during Ma'ariv?

Actually, the sixtieth day after tekufat tishrei is currently December 5th or 6th - it hasn't been December 4th for about a hundred years. We say it on maariv of the day before, because that's when it ...
Shimon bM's user avatar
  • 18.8k
6 votes
Accepted

Not saying v'sain bracha

As a straight Halakhic argument, it's clear that "ותן ברכה" isn't needed from these two sources: Tur (OC 117) supports the usage of "ותן ברכה" with no reference to dew from the fact that the Bavli ...
Double AA's user avatar
  • 97.3k
6 votes

Why does ולירושלים start with a Vav?

Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro says based on what he heard in the name of Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, based on the Gemara in Megila, that the Vav here shows us that it is in the honor of the righteous people that ...
Gershon Gold's user avatar
6 votes

Please explain Oruch Hashulchan O Ch 102 (9)

Background In general, one may not be seated in the presence of someone who is saying the amidah, as it is considered disrespectful. (Either because he appears unwilling to accept ol malchut shamayim ...
Joel K's user avatar
  • 41.8k
6 votes
Accepted

Does 'atah chonantanu' replace the first line of 'atah chonein,' or is it said in addition?

The "add" option is certainly not immediately intuitive, since there's a clear duplication of the phrase "you have graced אתה חונן". It seems reasonable to expect that אתה חוננתנו was composed as a ...
Double AA's user avatar
  • 97.3k
6 votes

Tenth arrives during or after the silent shemonei esreh - sources

I don't know about responsa, but it's an entire Siman in Shulchan Aruch - and it's called Pores Al Shma - Orach Chaim 69 - דין פורס על שמע. In short: Once the tenth man arrives, one says Kadish, ...
Danny Schoemann's user avatar

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