[Avodah] Practical Psak: Washing before/after Kiddush

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Danny Schoemann wrote:
> Reading the Tur is eye-opening and somewhat disconcerting.
> He states that his father (the Rosh) washed before Kiddush
> and then goes on about how wrong that is and makes it
> clear that he doesn't follow his father's Minhag!
> ...
> How could the Tur reject his father's way of doing things?

Please note these two phrases: "his father's Minhag" as opposed to "his father's way of doing things".

I have long wondered about the difference between these two very different ideas.

In my understanding, a "father's minhag" refers to something subject to the halacha of "Shema Beni Musar Avicha v'Al Titosh Toras Imecha." In contrast, a "father's way of doing things" is simply that and no more.

I daresay that *none* of us do *everything* in the *exact* same manner as our parents. Some things are mere personal preference. I'd love to give examples, but that would sidetrack the conversation.

The point I'm trying to make is that perhaps - PERHAPS! - in the Rosh's time, there was not yet any real halacha or minhag about whether to wash before kiddush or afterward. People - including both the Rosh and the Tur - simply did what they felt best.

(If anyone would like to attempt defining the line between a "minhag" and a "way of doing things", please start a new thread for it.)

Akiva Miller

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