[Avodah] Consumer Alert: Minhog Scams On The Rise! Mislabeled, Cheap Middle Eastern Imports flooding In, Threatening To Overwhelm Natives!

[Danny Schoemann]

>> The site also gives the misleading impression that the whole of 'Ashkenaz'
>> practised the same minhogim.
>
> Not even the whole of Germany practiced the same minhagim.

No kidding. The Rodelheim Siddur is full of "in Metz they [don't]
say", or Frankfurt or other places.

I recall when somebody brought us - in the Adas Yeshurun in Jo'burg -
a copy of Breuer's Chazzan Siddur. It was impossible to use; they have
a lot of Nussach changes.

I suspect that each community had it's own [slowly evolving] Minhogim
and Nussach, meant to keep the entire community together and avoid "Lo
Thisgodedu". If you moved to a new city you adapted; when in Rome...

It's somewhat amusing - and rather tragic - that this "unifying force"
has become the cornerstone of most of the visible divisions in Klal
Yisroel.

It's also disconcerting to see people wage war over a deviation in
Minhag, whereas flagrant violations of Halocho are ignored. (Not to
mention that these arguments themselves are a Torah prohibition of
"Machlokes; being like Korach").

- Danny