[Avodah] changing tune in lecha dodi

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 10:00:27PM +0200, Ben Waxman wrote:
> I also don't understand this point. Why must EVERYTHING get regulated? ...

That's my problem. When is something just "what everyone does" (e.g.
wearing a button-down shirt Shabbos morning, to the extent that "everyone
does") and when is something minhag Yisrael? And how much of a rov does
a minhag take to be called minhag Yisrael?

For that matter, how universal must a /halakhah/ be to be nispasheit
bekhol Yisrael, or nispasheit to a community? Rov? Some kind of
supermajority?

>                                                                     By
> this way of thinking, the Shlomo tunes should have been assur, since
> "back then" Kabbalot Shabbat was much simpler....

Well, that is shitas haMaharil. And R' Cantor Sherwood Goffin (wearing
his YU's Belz School of Jewish Music and President Emeritus of Cantorial
Countil of America hats) has guidelines for when such tunes may be used,
and when not. I think
http://www.yutorah.org/togo/roshhashana/articles/Rosh_Hashanah_To-Go_-_5770_Cantor_Goffin.pdf
(or <http://bit.ly/fsVoeb>) is informative, even though it centers
on Yamim Noraim, not Qabbalas Shabbos.

When we started a singing minyan (which is its own beryah, a variant
on the Carlebach Minyan theme, email me for details if you're curious)
I spoke to RCSG about it. (We're mishpachah.) LAD, I think his argument
has merit in general, but not for Qabbalas Shabbos. After all, by
the Maharil's rules, saying QS altogether (it was invented a couple of
centuries after his petirah) is a far bigger problem than which tune
one uses.

What you suggest as taking it to absurdity actually is halachically
problematic.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "Fortunate indeed, is the man who takes
micha at aishdas.org        exactly the right measure of himself,  and
http://www.aishdas.org   holds a just balance between what he can
Fax: (270) 514-1507      acquire and what he can use." - Peter Latham