[Avodah] oseh hashalom

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Wed, Sep 20, 2017 at 12:30:27AM -0400, Zev Sero via Avodah wrote:
: On 19/09/17 16:33, Sholom Simon via Avodah wrote:
: >I find it a bit odd to change the nusach of something so important
: >as kaddish because of gematria.  Do we see that elsewhere?  (Or,
: >are their other reasons I am missing?)

: Nusach Hatefilah, especially Nusach Ashkenaz, was designed in the
: first place largely on the basis of gematrias and word and letter
: counts.

At least both the Chassidei Ashkenaz and the Tur held it was.

There is no evidence of this line of thought any closer to the actual
start of Nusach Ashkenaz. And a number of the Tur's word counts
are dependent on flavor of Nusach Ashkenaz. Could well be that the
significance is itself part of a bigger machloqes. They could also be
taken as post-facto kavvanos, a way keep in mind a pasuq that colors
what we mean by the baqashah, rather than causitive.

It is interesting to me that the violation of word count gematrios in
Nusach Ashkenaz is largely among Chassidim, who we culturally associate
as the community most likely to deal in such remez. Except perhaps for
Chida and Ben Ish Hai influenced Sepharadim, but they didn't have a
nusach that made such claims to ask why they would choose to leave it.

GCT!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             You will never "find" time for anything.
micha at aishdas.org        If you want time, you must make it.
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