[Avodah] Upsherin

[Micha Berger]

In v28n81, Mon 5/24 3:48pm EDT, R Prof Levine asked about my cryptic
reply to an earlier post:
: > > Since Lag BaOmer is almost here, I think that people should be aware of
: > > the article
: > > Cutting A Boy's Hair Without Doing a Chalaka (Upsherin)  Please see
: > > http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/shorshei_hair_cutting.pdf

: >What exactly do you believe is the role of minhag in determining my
: >practice?

: >Does minhag trump my personal reasoning, as you appeared to advocate
: >early today when it comes to the siddur?

: I do not understand what you are referring to.  What did I advocate 
: according to you regarding "when it comes to the siddur"?

On Wed the 18th, the day you sent the original above-quoted (after the
":>>"s) post about upsherin, you also posted "Thinking Of Editing Shmoneh
Esreh? Not So Fast". That post pointed us to <http://tinyurl.com/3wrtegd>,
which (as you quoted) reads (in part, transliterations still mine):
> Recently, it was reported that a Rabbi from Israel, on a visit to
> America, spoke at a (nusach Ashkenaz) Shul and urged the people there to
> add the word [le'artzeinu] at the end of the [berakhah] of [Teqa beShofar]
> in the [Shemoneh Esrei]. This Rabbi is a lover of [Eretz Yisrael] and
> presumably he wanted to strengthen the audience's connection to our holy
> land in some way with such a gesture.

>   ... And where does it end? ...

So, on the Upsherin thread you ask some East Europeans who have the
minhag of upsherin to reject it on the grounds of an argument that it's
not a valid minhag. Sevara trumping minhag.

But WRT adding "le'artzeinu", which is an ancient nusach for the berakhah
albeit not Ashkenazic, you argue that this rav was wrong to tell people
to change from their minhag because of a sevara.

The sevaros have many points around which one can contrast them. I'm sure
the minhagim do too. So, I have no doubt you can make a chiluq between those
two cases. I asked where exactly you personally place that chiluq. You
are of East European ancestry, and yet so support minhag Ashkenaz that you
advocate here repeatedly for various Yekkish practices. (I think you
forwarded all 6 of the last 6 posts on the "Treasures of Ashkenaz" blog.)
Given how much time you spend discussing minhag with us, I fished for
more detail on your position.

: Almost all of what I post on Avodah is from sources and is not my 
: own.  I feel that it is important for people to realize that a lot of 
: what is done today has either no basis or the basis is shaky at 
: best.  For example, Upsherin has become the "in thing,"  even amongst 
: Ashkenazim....

Upsherin is a generations-old minhag for many Ashkenazim. Albeit not
Litvaks or Yekkes, but still, you can't say there is no basis. Similarly,
if you feel free, as a "BT" to pick your minhagim, why can't others pick
their minhagim as well? What makes it "wrong" that you need to comment
on what they do?

-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 35th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        5 weeks in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Malchus sheb'Hod: What is soul-like about
Fax: (270) 514-1507                  submission, and how is it glorious?