[Avodah] Upsherin

[Prof. Levine]

At 05:53 PM 5/25/2011, R. Micha wrote:

>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.

I did not write this!  It is from someone else.


>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.

I did not write this!  It is from someone else.


>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.

What is your basis for this assertion?

>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

I guess you do not realize that just because I post something does 
not mean that I agree with it.  Much of what I post is for 
informational purposes and to generate discussion and get people thinking.

Just because I comment does not mean that I expect anyone to follow 
me.  However, I do feel that many do not know the basis for some of 
what they do and my posts are to, again, get people thinking.

YL

Yitzchok Levine 
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