[Avodah] zecher lechurban

[Jonathan Dickson]

On Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 02:50:32PM +0300, Eli Turkel wrote:
: BTW over my front door I have a wonderful large scale photograph of the kotel
: taken by my brother-in-law on hoshana raba night as dawn breaks and the
: kotel area is fully filled. (I have an electronic copy for anyone interested)

I once heard Rabbi A Kimche (of London) point out that the shulchan aruch (OC 560:1-2) brings a series of things we're supposed to do nowadays to remind us of the destruction of Yerushalayim - (1) leaving an area of the home unpainted, (2) making a point of not putting out all one's fine vessels on the table at once, (3) women not wearing all their jewellery at once [as in actively omitting to put an item on] and (4) a chatan placing ash on his forehead. (He continues with others in simanim 3-5).

The Rema then adds that in some places, they have the minhag to break a glass under the chupa.

The only one of these that appears to be consistently practiced (or even widely known about) is the glass under the chuppa - and what do we do the instant the glass is smashed, symbolising the churban? We shout "mazel tov"!

kol tuv

Jonny Dickson

Save paper ..... think before you print.

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