[Avodah] Selichos - Especially before Midnight

[Arie Folger]

RDRiceman wrote:
> When I was young and innocent I was taught that saying selichos in the
> evening was a "yekkishe minhag", but not "our" (eastern European
> Bostonian) minhag.  I wonder whether all of these poskim are complaining
> about someone from elsewhere changing his custom, rather than flat out
> prohibiting the custom of an ancient and honorable Jewish community.  
> Notably none of the poskim you cite are German.

Repeat after me: saying selichos in the evening is not a Jeckishe minhog. We 
say selichos [at 6:15] in the morning even on the first day, despite it being 
Sunday.

AFAIK, we have been doing this for over 200 years in our kehilloh, and that 
must have been taken over from even older Ashkenaz communities.

Whoever invented this novel idea of saying selichos right after the TV show, 
before the late night show, wasn't trying to observe minhog Ashkenaz, AFAIK.

While I do not swallow minhog Ashkenaz hook, sink and barrel, preferring 
instead to analyze it. It is much of the time rooted in most ancient pisqei 
halakhah - "from before the standardization *on* the Bavli," as RRW is wont 
to say. For some reason not connected to minhog Ashkenaz, but very much 
connected to the religious disconnectedness of a large number of our brethren 
since the 19th century, Jeckes are blamed for anything not halakhically 
acceptable. This is unjustified. Blame Reform, blame the various kofrim 
veapiqorsim, messissim umedi'him our people has unfortunately endured in the 
last 200 years, but do not blame the Jeckes.

Chassieme tauwoh,
-- 
(Rabbi) Arie Folger, Israelitische Gemeinde Basel
happily embracing the old, well worn tradition of our kehilloh,
happily learning minhog Ashkenaz, 
who-is-nonetheless-half-Galicianer-half-Moroccan
http://www.ariefolger.googlepages.com