14
votes
Accepted
What does it mean for one's soul to "be like dust to everyone"?
Most undertand this to be a prayer for the trait of humility; specifically as expressed by ignoring the abuse of others.
This is implied by the Chovos Halevavos (Shaar Hac'nia ch. 10):
והששי כי ...
- 34.9k
13
votes
Accepted
What to do if you say the wrong version of the last bracha in Shmoneh Esrei?
Rema ( OC 127:2):
The Rema says that the custom is to say Sim Shalom during Shacharis and any other Tefillah that is fitting to have a Birkas Cohanim i.e. Mussaf (of Shabbos Rosh Codesh or Chag), and ...
- 3,767
13
votes
Accepted
Getting "used to" making a change in davening
In Shulchan Aruch Harav siman 582 sief 3 the Baal HaTanya writes that even if you went home and said 90 times hamelech hakadosh and then were uncertain if you did it right in davening, you still have ...
- 446
11
votes
Accepted
What should you be doing during the repetition of the Amidah?
Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 20:1 (yonanewman.org)
When the chazan steps (back) after (completing) the quiet (individual) prayers, he should stand still for the amount of time (it takes one) to walk four ...
- 126
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 ...
- 15.1k
10
votes
Accepted
Are you yotzei yedei chovah if you forgot to bow during shemoneh esrei?
Even if you purposefully didn't bow, you still fulfilled your obligation (Rambam Tefillah 5:1).
- 95.6k
10
votes
Accepted
If I daven amida very slowly what do I do when the shatz reaches Kedusha?
Orach Chaim 104:7 & Aruch Hahulchan 104:13 say that one who is in middle of Shemona Esrei when the Chazan reaches Kedusha should remain quiet and listen to the Chazan recite the Kedusha and it is ...
- 137k
9
votes
Accepted
Why no Chazaras HaShatz at Maariv
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 ...
- 95.6k
9
votes
What does it mean for one's soul to "be like dust to everyone"?
One interpretation is that given by Tosafos (B'rachos 17a, s.v. ונפשי כעפר):
ונפשי כעפר לכל תהיה. מה עפר אינו מקבל כליה לעולם כן יהי רצון שזרעי לא יכלה לעולם כמו שהוא אומר והיה זרעך כעפר הארץ
...
- 16.3k
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 ...
- 42.1k
9
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 ...
- 95.6k
9
votes
Accepted
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 ...
- 48k
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 ...
- 20.8k
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 ...
- 43.7k
8
votes
Accepted
Why do we say כן יהי רצון in response to each blessing of Birkat Kohanim?
The כף החיים explains this as follows:
Birkat Kohanim when recited by the priests is a blessing of the priests to the the congregation; thus, the appropriate response, as it is with all blessings, is ...
- 380
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-...
- 3,784
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 ...
- 95.6k
8
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 ...
- 38.5k
8
votes
Accepted
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 -...
- 1,244
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 ...
- 48k
7
votes
Accepted
Why do we say עושה השלום during yamim nora'im?
See here:
Siddur Admur [omitted in Shulchan Aruch]; Shaar Hakavanos 190; Peri
Eitz Chaim Shaar R”H 7; Kaf Hachaim 582/15; M”E 582/1 and 22
The reason: The Gematria of Hashalom is the same as ...
- 69k
7
votes
Accepted
Hamelech Hakadosh on Motzei Yom Kippur
The Kaf Hachaim siman 117 siff 3 quotes a slew of achronim (yes, Ashkenazi ones like Elya Rabba) who say not to repeat shmoneh esrei. He brings a minority opinion that one may say Shmoneh esrei again ...
- 32.3k
7
votes
Accepted
Where did the Rambam get his Biblical structure of prayer?
The first two are explicitly in the Talmud (Brachos 32a at the bottom), as pointed out by many commentaries on the Rambam. However, the third is often questioned, either left without a source (the ...
- 31.4k
7
votes
Accepted
Feet together for Amidah?
Berachos 10b
א״ר יוסי בר׳ חנינא משום ראב״י המתפלל צריך שיכוין את רגליו שנאמר ורגליהם רגל ישרה
This is brought in the Rambam Tefila 5:4 (part of תיקון הגוף for תפילה along with how to hold ones ...
- 531
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 ...
- 4,263
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 ...
- 3,809
7
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
...
- 43.7k
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 ...
- 43.7k
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 ...
- 57.5k
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 ...
- 6,028
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible