Kotel is the Place to be Tuesday
Two awesome Rosh Chodesh prayers tomorrow at the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount:
6:45 AM - Nusach Eretz Yisrael minyan with Rabbi Bar Hayim, the man who has revived the original unifying tradition of prayer in Israel.
8:00 AM - Joyous Reb Shlomo/Rebbe Nachman Rosh Chodesh Minyan led by Master of Prayer Rabbi Ezra Amichai (nee Friedland-Wechsler), known for hosting scores of Jews for Shabbat meals and elevating hundreds each time he leads prayers at the Wall.
My hope is that folks turn up for both minyanim - a double-header of holistic indigenous Jewish prayer to ring in Nissan, Redemption Month according to our sages.
As for the Nusach Eretz Yisrael minyan - this is truly a historic event. Though there are weekly Nusach Eretz Yisrael (NEY) prayers in Givat Sha'ul at the Machon Shilo Beit Midrash (and last year, mincha on Purim at Sde Boaz) - this is the first time it is being returned to such close proximity of the Temple Mount.
For Rav Bar Hayim's (the spiritual leader and inspiration of the not-militant-enough Kitniyot Liberation Front)main mission statement in essay form click here. I recommend his essays on Mordechai's reception by the 'gedoilim' of his time, lulav on shabbat, shofar on shabbat and especially his examination of the blue Techeilet as representative of the deep-seated problem that affects many in our people's God-fearing rabbinate.
6:45 AM - Nusach Eretz Yisrael minyan with Rabbi Bar Hayim, the man who has revived the original unifying tradition of prayer in Israel.
8:00 AM - Joyous Reb Shlomo/Rebbe Nachman Rosh Chodesh Minyan led by Master of Prayer Rabbi Ezra Amichai (nee Friedland-Wechsler), known for hosting scores of Jews for Shabbat meals and elevating hundreds each time he leads prayers at the Wall.My hope is that folks turn up for both minyanim - a double-header of holistic indigenous Jewish prayer to ring in Nissan, Redemption Month according to our sages.
As for the Nusach Eretz Yisrael minyan - this is truly a historic event. Though there are weekly Nusach Eretz Yisrael (NEY) prayers in Givat Sha'ul at the Machon Shilo Beit Midrash (and last year, mincha on Purim at Sde Boaz) - this is the first time it is being returned to such close proximity of the Temple Mount.
For Rav Bar Hayim's (the spiritual leader and inspiration of the not-militant-enough Kitniyot Liberation Front)main mission statement in essay form click here. I recommend his essays on Mordechai's reception by the 'gedoilim' of his time, lulav on shabbat, shofar on shabbat and especially his examination of the blue Techeilet as representative of the deep-seated problem that affects many in our people's God-fearing rabbinate.
Labels: Ezra, Jerusalem, Jewish Holidays, Temple Consciousness, Temple Mount, Torah
posted by Pinchas @ 4:48 AM
5 Comments:
At March 19, 2007 at 6:33 AM ,
Pinchas said...
My Nusach was handed down to me from my father and to him from his father and so forth. It's a tradition that should not be taken lightly nor discarded easily. Minor variations were introduced all along the way to adapt to the current needs of each generation. I don't know that 1000 year old nusach is better suited for today's generation than the common ones used today. A unifying Nusach is a nice thought but it should be one that incorporates all Torah following traditions and is developed by recognized leaders of those respective traditions. It should not be formed unilaterally by one individual especially when it essentially discards thousands of years of traditions and changes that were adapted for a reason.
At March 19, 2007 at 6:50 AM ,
Ezra said...
I don't believe adopting Nusach Eretz Yisrael is a rejection of one's own nusach. It is a work in progress and I certainly retain individual customs and prayers of my fathers and of others' fathers that I say and sing.
But the issue is coming back together as a people after Exile. Are we going to have six different minyans at the Beit Hamikdash? Are we going to have kitniyot and non-kitniyot altars for the sacrifices of the different groups?
We picked up a lot of baggage along the way and this is a move to return to the Jewish Project that were were enagaged in before we were suddenly violently scattered across the globe by those who wished to interrupt it.
Another thing - the open-source siddur currently being used at these minyanim is a work-in-progress. The reason it may seem unilateral right now is because most of the rabbis of our generation are quite happy in their own court and their own batei midrash. They see no need to come together and are not alarmed by not being able to accept an invitation to their Moroccan neighbors' home during Pesach.
I'd be interested in a response to the Techeilet essay. I think it really captures the crux of the issue.
At March 19, 2007 at 11:00 AM ,
Pinchas said...
Ezra - that still doesn't answer the question as why 1000 year old nusach is well suited for our generation. And if you really want to go back in time each Jewish tribe actually had thier very own nusach - which is how I imagine it will be in Temple number three.
At March 21, 2007 at 2:25 AM ,
louis3105 said...
The Rambam and Mishnah specifically command against making multiple kehilot. This is cited in the actual psak on the Machon Shilo website (it's only in Hebrew). Of course we'll never have a mizbeach or sacrifices if everyone is opposed to any change. That's the essence of what Rav Bar-Hayim called "The Roadmap from Kitniyot to Korban Pesah." If people are making such a big deal about a saffek of saffek and adding chumrot, how will they every be able to leave their incorrect practice of not bringing a Korban Pesah or other korbanot???
It's easy to say that something is assor, but it takes a real talmid chacham to say it's mootar.
At March 21, 2007 at 2:21 PM ,
Pinchas said...
Louis,
Answer me this simple question. Why did the Rama write his commentary on the Shulchan Aruch? Didn't he realize he was violating the Rambam and the Mishnah which specifically commanded against making multiple kehilot? Torah Jews do NOT oppose change. We embrace it. Indeed Halacha itself is an ongoing evolutionary process and each generation adapts to its needs. In our own day consider how many things we do differently today than were done 100 years ago because of the likes of Torah giants like the Chazon Ish, ZT"L, Rav Moshe ZT"L, or Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ZT"L. What Torah Jews oppose is radical change that discards hundreds of years of Torah Greats' teachings and of our father’s customs. A fundamental torah concept is Aelu V'Aelu Divrah Elohkim Chaim - these and these are the words of the living G-d! Both the Ashkanazi customs and the Sephardi customs are correct. And if one accepts they are both words of the living G-d we can live in harmony and still maintain our holy customs. An Ashkanazi can easily invite his Moroccan neighbor over for a pesach meal and the neighbor can return the favor on Sukkot. Or even better! Imagine if your friend was a vegetarian. Wouldn’t you prepare food he could eat? The same could be done today with kitniyot. Your Moroccan neighbor can prepare a meal you can eat.
You write "it's easy to say that something is assor, but it takes a real talmid chacham to say it's mootar." But also remember that just by saying something is muter (or asser) itself does not make you a talmid chachum. And someone can indeed say something is assur and still be a talmid chachum. The two are mutually exclusive.
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