Minhag

Minhag(Hebrew:מנהג"custom",classicalpl. מנהגות, modern pl. מנהגים,minhagim) is an accepted tradition or group of traditions inJudaism.A related concept,Nusach(נוסח), refers to the traditional order and form of theprayers.

Etymology

Thetriliteraln-h-g(Hebrew:נ־ה־ג) means primarily "to drive" or, by extension, "to conduct (oneself)".

The actual wordminhagappears twice in theHebrew Bible,both times in the same verse and translated as "driving":

And the lookout reported, “The messenger has reached them, but has not turned back. And it looks like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi, who drives wildly.”

Homiletically, one could argue that the use of the word minhag in Jewish law reflects itsBiblical Hebreworigins as "the (manner of) driving (a chariot)". Whereashalakha"law", from the word for "walking path," means the path or road set for the journey, minhag "custom", from the word for driving, means the manner people have developed themselves to travel down that path more quickly.

The present use of minhag for "custom" may have been influenced by theArabicminhaj;in current Islamic usage, this term is used for the intellectual methodology of a scholar or school of thought (cf. Hebrew:דֶּרֶךְ,romanized:dereḵ) rather than for the customs of a local or ethnic community.

Minhag and Jewish law

In addition to the613 commandments,Jews have traditionally considered Halacha (Jewish law as derived from theTalmud,responsa literature,Torah,and later codes) binding upon all Jews. In addition to these, there have always been customs and traditions not in the law itself. Some customs were at some points universally adopted (e.g.,head-covering among men) or almost universally (e.g.,monogamy). Others were or are observed by major segments of Jewry but not by others (e.g., not eatingkitniyotonPassover). Other customs are bound to certain localities or groups that originated in certain localities. Theseminhagimexist in various forms:

• Ancientminhagimgo back to the time of theTalmudand earlier. Today, they are generally regarded as universally binding. The oldest recorded minhag is that of 'beating theAravot' (willowbranches) onHoshana Rabbahis believed to date back to the era of theHebrew prophets.
• Laterminhagimare followed by specific groups.
  • Jews whose ancestors continued to live in theMiddle EastandAfricauntil the establishment of theState of Israel,regardless of where they live now, tend to follow a variety of customs, such asMizrahi,Sephardi,orTemaniJews. Jews whose ancestors lived inCentral Europein theMiddle Ages(regardless of where they live now) tend to followAshkenaziccustoms, while those whose families originated in theIberian peninsulagenerally followSephardiccustoms. (The Talmud gives detailed rules for people who visit or move to a locale where the custom differs from their own.)Hasidimtend to follow their ownminhagim.
  • Within these broad categories there are also sub-groups by origin (e.g.,Lithuanian,Polish,orGermancustoms), by location (e.g., "minhagYerushalayim") or by denominational affiliation (e.g.,SkverrerHasidimfollow different customs thanChabadHasidim).
  • Families and even individuals may adhere to specificminhagimnot followed by others.

Discussion in rabbinic literature

Various sources inrabbinic literaturestress the importance of a long-held tradition, culminating in the statement "theminhagof our fathers is [equivalent to] Torah ".Custom can thus determine Halachic practice in cases of disagreement among rabbinic authorities. In numerous instances,RabbiMoses Isserleswarns that one should not abolish long-held customs. (Isserles'glosson theShulchan Aruchwas, in fact, written so as to delineateAshkenaziminhagimalongsideSephardipractices in the samecode of law.)

Despite the above, aminhagdoes not override clear biblical or Talmudic enactments, and one may not transgress the latter for the sake of the former. In fact, anyminhagthat intrinsically involves an element ofHalachaviolation is considered null and void.

The Talmud rules that a validminhagaccepted by previous generations of a family or community is binding upon all later generations.TheRoshstates that the Talmud's ruling fundamentally applies to practices undertaken by learned individuals; innovations by the unlearned need only be followed publicly.OtherHalachicauthorities hold that the Talmud's ruling applies to all valid practices initiated by either learned or unlearned individuals.

In most cases, personal acceptance of a newminhagis tantamount tovowingperformance of thatminhag.Consequently, abandonment of such aminhagtypically requireshatarat nedarimorsh'eilat chakham:Halachicprocedures for absolving oneself from oaths. This was often necessary when, for example, an Ashkenazi Jew moved to theOttoman Empireand wished to join the local Sephardi community.

Changing minhagim

Jewish law provides for a number of mechanisms to change or remove a custom when it is held to be mistaken or illogical.Orthodoxrabbi and historian of Jewish lawMenachem Elonwrites:

Custom, because of its spontaneous and undirected nature, sometimes calls for a measure of supervision and control. At times a custom may be founded on error, or develop unreasonably or illogically in a certain direction, or may even be in conflict with substantive and fundamental principles of Jewish law in a manner leaving no room for its integration into the system. From time to time the halakhic scholars exercised such control in order to contain or discredit entirely a particular custom.

Present day

The acute displacement brought about byWorld War IIandthe Holocaust,and the large-scaleimmigrationto theUnited States,variousEuropeancountries, and especially the State of Israel, have led to a mi xing of variousminhagimand arguably the gradual disuse of certain customs. In addition, thebaal teshuvamovement has created a large group who have no clear tradition from their parents. In response to these phenomena, certainscholarshave focused on theminhagim,and attempts have been made to reviveminhagimthat have fallen into disuse.

Nusach

Nusach(properlynósach) primarily means "text" or "version"; the correct wording of a religious text. Thus, thenusach tefillahis the text of theprayersgenerally or as used by a particular community. In common use,nusachhas come to signify the entire liturgical tradition of the community, including the musical rendition. It is narrower thanminhag,which can refer to custom in any field and not necessarily that of communal prayer.

Bothnusachandminhagcan thus be used forliturgic riteorliturgic tradition;sometimes, anusachappears to be a subdivision of aminhagor vice versa; seedifferent Jewish ritesandpopular siddurimunderSiddur.In general, one must pray according to one's "nusachof origin "unless one has formally joined a different community and accepted itsminhag.(Perisharules that if one abandons anusachthat has been accepted universally by the wider Jewish community, his prayer is disqualified and must be repeated using the acceptednusach:Arba'ah Turim,Orach Chayim,120 ad loc).

The main segments of traditional Judaism, as differentiated bynusach(broadly and narrowly), are these:

• Nusach Ashkenaz:the generalAshkenazirite of non-Chasidimcan be subdivided into:
  • Minhag Ashkenaz(German rite)
  • Minhag Polin/Lita(Polish/Lithuanian/Prague rite)
• Nusach SefardorNusach Ari(AshkenaziChasidicrite, heavily influenced by the teachings of SephardiKabbalists)
• Minhag Sefaradi:in general refers to the variousSephardiliturgies, but also to obligation/permissibility ofKabbalisticelements within the rite. Versions of this are:
  • TheSpanish and Portuguese JewishRite
  • Nusach Morocco(Moroccan rite: there are differences between the Spanish-Moroccan and the Arab-Moroccan customs)
  • Nusach HaChida(TheChida's rite, named after RabbiChaim Joseph David Azulai:often used by North African Jews)
  • Nusach Livorno(Sephardic rite from nineteenth-century editions printed in Italy and often used by North African Jews)
• MinhagEdot HaMizrach:often used to mean the Baghdadi rite, is more or less influenced by theSephardiminhag
• NosachTeiman,can be subdivided into:
  • NosachBaladi,closely resembling the original Yemenite rite, but with later additions
    • The form used byDor Daim,who attempt to safeguard the oldest Baladi tradition of Yemenite Jewish observance, is the version originally used by all Yemenite Jews near the time of Maimonides.
  • NosachShami,adopted from Sephardic siddurim. Rabbi Shalom ben Aharon HaKohen Iraqi would go to a different synagogue each Shabbath with printed Sephardic siddurim, requesting that they pray in theSephardic riteand forcing it upon them if necessary
• Nusach Eretz Yisrael;has not survived in any community, though an attempt to revive it has been made by RabbiDavid Bar-HayimofMachon Shilo;however it is thought to have had some influence on:
  • Nusach Ashkenaz
  • Minhag ItalianiandMinhag Benè Romì,seeItalian Jews
  • Minhag Romania,the rite of theRomaniotes,that is, the original Greek Jewish community as distinct from the Sephardim

See also

• Metuentes

External links and resources

References

• Custom,jewishencyclopedia
• A Historical Map of Jewish Liturgical Influence and Variation
• The Rules of Halacha,RabbiAryeh Kaplan
• Customs (Minhagim),nishmat.net

Resources

• Rabbinic literature
  • Sages of Ashkenaz Database- Online collection of minhag seforim
  • Minhagei Maharil,RabbiYaakov ben Moshe Levi Moelin(Maharil), 1556.
  • "Sefer HaMinhagim"(HebrewFulltext,PDF) RabbiIsaac Tyrnau,1566.
  • "Ta'amei HaMinhagim",Rabbi A. I. Sperling, 1896; translation:" Reasons for Jewish customs and traditions ". Bloch Pub. Co 1968.ISBN0-8197-0184-X
  • "Likutei Maharich". Rabbi Yisroel Chaim Freedman of Rachov.
  • "Sefer HaMinhagim",Rabbis M. Greenglass and Y. Groner, 1966; translation: “The Book of Chabad-Lubavitch Customs”. Sichos In English Pub. 1998.ISBN0-8266-0555-9[1]
  • "Otzar Ta'amei ha-Minhagim",Rabbi Shmuel Gelbard, 1995; translation:" Rite and Reason "Feldheim Pub. 1997ISBN0-87306-889-0
• General
  • "The Biblical and Historical Background of Jewish Customs and Ceremonies", Rabbi Abraham Bloch. Ktav 1980.ISBN0-87068-658-5
  • "The Minhagim: The Customs and Ceremonies of Judaism, Their Origins and Rationale", Rabbi Abraham Chill. Sepher Hermon 1978.ISBN0-87203-077-6
  • "To Be a Jew: A Guide to Jewish Observance in Contemporary Life", Rabbi Hayim Donin. Basic Books 1991.ISBN0-465-08632-2
  • "Jewish Book of Why", RabbiAlfred J. Kolatch.Jonathan David 1995.ISBN0-8246-0314-1
  • "Minhagei Yisrael: Origins and History", RabbiDaniel Sperber.Mossad Harav Kook, 1998.
  • "The Complete Book of Jewish Observance", RabbiLeo Trepp.Behrman House Publishing 1980.ISBN0-671-41797-5
  • "Jewish Spiritual Practices",Yitzhak Buxbaum.Jason Aronson Inc. 1994.ISBN0-87668-832-6(hardcover)ISBN1-56821-206-2(paperback)