[Avodah] Minhagim of the Ashkenaz Synagogue ("The Luach") (5774)

[Prof. Levine]

At 03:51 PM 9/2/2013, R. Micha wrote:

>On Sun, Sep 01, 2013 at 12:59:47PM -0400, Prof. Levine wrote:
> > If you compare the two,  you will find many differences.  Rabbi
> > Hamburger's Luach is based on the old ("authentic")  minhag Ashkenaz...
>
>Yes, but, who says that today's East European descended Anglo Jew is
>more bound by the "old 'authentic' minhag Ashkenaz" than halakhah as
>decided in America by an East Eurpean like R' Henkin?
>
>And thus, both calendars have their value, and neither approach to
>halakhah more authentic than the other.

While I know that it is in "vogue" in American society to be 
accepting of all sorts of approaches to things,  this does not mean 
that every approach is "authentic."

Let me give an example.  A friend of mine often speaks of what he 
terms the "American" innovation of saying the first selichos at 1 AM 
(in some places it has become 10 pm) after Shabbos.  He maintains 
that this was not done in Europe and that the first selichos as well 
as all of the others were said in the morning.  (My father-in-law who 
is from Ungvar has told me more than once that he never heard of 
saying the first selichos at 1 am until he came to America.)

Shall we say that the saying of the first selichos at 1 am is just as 
authentic as saying them at 6:20 am on  Sunday morning as I did?  I 
personally think not.

I really fail to see how one can maintain that the Ezras Torah 
calender is as "authentic" as the Luach put out by Machon Moreshes 
Ashkenaz.  The Luach of Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz is based on a huge 
amount of research into the way things were hundreds of years ago in the past.

I am not taking anything away from Rav Henkin, who was most certainly 
a great man.  However,  I suspect that if he had seen the Luach of 
the Machon and was made aware of how much research went into its 
creation, then he would have agreed as Rav Schwab did when it came to 
comparing KAJ with R.  Bamburger's shul's minhagim,  namely, Rav 
Schwab commented that compared to R. Bamburger's shul KAJ is like a 
Chassidishe Shteibel.

YL
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