[Avodah] customs that no longer make sense

[Zev Sero via Avodah]

On 20/03/17 09:07, Eli Turkel via Avodah wrote:
> This past shabbat I was in a Yemenite (Baladi) shul for a Bar Miztvah
> (triplet boys)
> Besides trying to understand the accent and an hour and 40 minute
> laining after every
> pasuk the targum of onkeles was said.
>
> While this once had some purpose today the targum is a translation from a
> language that the congregants understand to one they don't understand. Is
> there any purpose in a custom which does the exact opposite of its original
> intent?

You're lucky they no longer do the tarjum into Arabic as well!   Back in 
Yemen they used to do two tarjumim, Aramaic because it's takonath Hazal, 
and Arabic because that was the only language most people understood.

And yes, the leining is long, not just because of the tarjum and the 
heisofoth, but also because the te'amim are long.  I usually stand for 
leining, but I make an exception at Temani shuls.


-- 
Zev Sero                May 2017, with its *nine* days of Chanukah,
zev at sero.name           be a brilliant year for us all