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

[Kenneth Miller]

Prof. Levine wrote:

> 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 don't see how this conversation can be productive unless the word "authentic" is clarified and defined. Selichos did not appear suddenly at a specific point in time "hundreds of years ago in the past." The custom has been developing for over a thousand years, and will undoubtedly continue to develop for the forseeable future.

I don't know why the version of Rav Hamburger should be considered more or less authentic than that of Rav Henkin. For that matter, why either of those would be more or less authentic than that of R' Elazar HaKalir. Or that of Moshe Rabenu. But if we define what we mean by "authentic", then we'll have a yardstick with which to answer those questions.

Akiva Miller
____________________________________________________________
One Weird Trick
Could add $1,000s to Your Social Security Checks! See if you Qualify&#8230
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3131/5226a97ecfe7297d1d75st01vuc