Tag Archives: Machzor

Censored Kinot

During the week before Tisha B’Av, 5781, I came across the section of Kinot in מחזור מנהג אשכנז המערבי לכל השנה Parma 2885 (14th Century) and was surprised by how many lines within the Kinot were censored. The Kinah with the most lines crossed out was איכה אצת באפך, a sample of which I am attaching. I posted this image in my Nusach Hatefillah Facebook group and one of the members pointed out that the censor did not perform his job well because you can see through the censor’s attempted erasure. What this member failed to recognize is that the page he was looking at was written about seven hundred years ago. The scribe’s writing survived intact while the censor’s mark faded. That is a metaphor for the secret message of Tisha B’Av. Yes, we recall many of the tragedies that have overwhelmed the Jewish People since the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash but like the censor’s mark, those who inflicted those tragedies have faded away but the Jewish People, like the scribe’s print, have survived. The Jewish People will always outlive those who attempt to erase the Jewish People. I look forward to reading the lines of the Kinah that the censor attempted to erase from Jewish memory. You can view all the Kinot in the Machzor here: מחזור מנהג אשכנז המערבי לכל השנה Parma 2885

Some Yemenite Customs for שבועות

Megillat Ruth

Review what I wrote about Tikkun Lail Shavuot that this custom is not found in early Yemenite Siddurim and entered Yemenite practice only in the 1700’s. Concerning Megillat Ruth, in Sephardic Siddurim it is referred to after the Azharot Piyut, between Shavharit and Mussaf. The Maharitz wrote in his Siddur at the end of Tephilat Musaf “and they depart to their homes in peace.” They would read Megillat Ruth on Shavuot “at Mincha before Ashrei.” This means that Megillat Ruth must be read before Tephilat Mincha. In his commentary, he wrote: “and they customarily read Megillat Ruth at Mincha.” The reasons to do as described by the Maharitz mention only that it should be read on Shavuot but he does not provide a time to do so.

Today the regular practice among Yemite Jews who follow the Baladi custom and even among moost Yemenite Jews who follow the Shammi practice is to read Megillat Ruth at home and just before they come to synagogue to recite Tephilat Mincha. It is similar to the practice Rshi described of reciting the upcoming Parsha just before Tephilat Mincha. The Yemenite practice follows a pattern. They also read the Megilot of Shir Ha’Shirim on Peasch and Kohelet on Succot just before Mincha.

Reading The Ketubah Piyut On Shavuot

The recital of a Piyut that described the Ketubah given by G-d to the Jewish People on Shavuot which is read by Sephardim on Shavuot is a custom not found in early Yemenite Machzorim nor in many later Machzorim. Because it was noyt a custom described in early Yemenite Siddurim, the Maharitz does not mention the custom and as a result is currently not found in Machzorim that follow the Baladi custom. It is found in Machzorim that follow the Shammi custom as a result of the influence of Sephardic practice.

Similarly, all the Ashkenazic customs of Shavuot like eating dairy foods, decorating the synagogue with branches, and others were never accepted as part of Yemenite practice. This is because the idea of eating dairy foods on any holiday was not accepted among Yemenite Jews. In addition, eating dairy foods on a holiday seemed to Jews in Yemen a violation of the Mitzvah to eat meat and to drink wine because you do not experience joy on a holiday unless you eat meant and wine. They did have a custom to eat a dough that had been dipped in oil as a symbol of the Torah that is compared to oil as Rabbi Tzibbori wrote.