[Avodah] An-im Zemiros

[Zev Sero]

Micha Berger wrote:
> On Thu, October 25, 2007 6:09 pm, Zev Sero wrote:
> : Yet another example of similarities between L and B....
> 
> In my recent post, I placed chassidus and Brisk near different corners
> of a triangle: Brisk places textual process and halachic mechanics
> ahead of maximizing aggadic, tafqid haadam, concerns, whereas
> chassidus quite famously does the opposite. (The third corner being
> minhag avos / mimeticism.)

> Do you disagree with this characterization WRT L?

Yes, L are chassidish Litvaks, or maybe Litvishe chassidim, but still
Litvaks.

My Litvishe uncle, who has had to contend with assorted L relatives,
says: These Lubavitchers are crazy.  On Pesach, when I'm enjoying my
kneidlach and I offer them some, they say "oh no, we can't eat that,
we're Chassidim".  But on Shmini Atzeres, when I'm freezing in my
sukkah, and my Chassidishe neighbours are sitting nice and warm in
their homes, here come the Lubavitchers to join me.  "Today we're
Litvaks", they say.  Smart people would choose to be Litvaks on Pesach
and Chassidim on SA.


> If so, how do you account for typical L minyan times?

Proper L wake up early and start preparing for davening, but L teaching
is that it's unthinkable to daven without proper hachonos, which should
take at least an hour or two, and on Shabbos when there's more time the
hachonos should take longer.  The result is that the chossid who started
preparing at 7 or 7:30 isn't up to Hodu until 9:30 or 10 (L minyanim
start from the end of R Yishmael Omer, not from brochos).   And proper
L chassidim do follow this policy, and can be seen at shul quite early.

The reality nowadays is somewhat different, because in practise there
are many L-lite who roll out of bed at 9 and are up to Hodu by 10,
and could be finished by 10:30 if the minyan didn't slow them down,
so instead they talk until the chazan is up to borchu and then catch up.
In mixed neighbourhoods there are also many non-L who take advantage
of L minyanim to daven late.  But if we're talking about an abstract
definition of what L is, rather than the practise on the ground, then
this is the explanation.

PS: The above should not be taken as a claim that I am any better than
the people I describe.  I'm merely answering the question.


-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas