[Avodah] Adorning the Shul with Greenery on Shavuos: Minhag Yisrael or Chukos HaGoyim?"

[Prof. L. Levine]

From

https://ohr.edu/this_week/insights_into_halacha/9889


In many shuls around the world, Chag HaShavuos represents ‘going green.’ I am not referring to becoming environmentally friendly, but green in a more literal sense. In honor of Shavuos, many shuls, such as Rav Breuer’s K’hal Adas Yeshurun (KAJ) in Washington Heights, New York, and Shomrei HaChomos in Ramot, Yerushalayim (Rabbi Fuch’s shul), receive entire forest-like makeovers. With branches forming a Chuppah-like canopy over the bimah, trees set up next to the Aron Kodesh, and greenery abounding, many entire shuls are festively festooned for Zman Mattan Torah.

Yet, we find that other shuls do perform some adorning, but in a much more minimalist manner, using only flowers and grasses. And of course, there are shuls where no special Shavuos decorating is done at all. Indeed, there is quite a varied spectrum of minhagim, with each Kehillah and shul following its own traditions.[1]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn1> This article sets out to explore the main prevailing minhagim customary throughout Klal Yisrael in relation to this inyan, as well as their halachic background.


<Snip>

Minhagei Yisrael - Seeing Green?

This is why in practice, this minhag has a wide spectrum of variations in its observance.

Kehillos of Ashekenazic-German origin (Yekkehs),[35]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn35> as well as most Chassidic communities,[36]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn36> including Karlin,[37]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn37> Belz,[38]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn38> Sanz,[39]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn39> Spinka,[40]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn40> Skver,[41]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn41> Chernobyl, Bobov, and Satmar,[42]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn42> follow the minhag of the Magen Avraham and his defenders, especially as an allusion to this custom was found in the Zohar Hakadosh, and not only festoon the shul with greenery as per the Rema, but also place trees.


Many others, in deference to the general understanding of the Vilna Gaon’s position, do not employ trees in their adorning, but will still decorate their shuls utilizing flowers and grass, in essence following the Mishnah Berurah’ s conclusion. This is also the opinion of many contemporary Gedolim including the Chazon Ish, the Steipler Gaon,[43]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn43> Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach,[44]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn44> Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv,[45]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn45> and Rav Yisrael Yaakov Fischer,[46]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn46>zichronam levrachah, contending that the Vilna Gaon only opposed setting up trees, but not grass.[47]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn47>


A third custom, based on the strict interpretation of the Gr”a’s ruling, as understood by the Aruch Hashulchan and several Talmidei HaGr”a, is not to bedeck the shul at all with any greenery – not trees nor grass nor flowers, as they are all viewed as potential violations of Chukos HaGoyim. Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l ruled this way,[48]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn48> and Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l was quoted as maintaining that this is the proper minhag,[49]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn49> and accordingly, there is no Shavuos festooning performed in the famed Lederman shul in Bnei Brak. Some even refer to this custom of non-decoration as ‘Minhagei HaYeshivos.’[50]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn50>

Curiously, there is no mention of any sort of Shavuos greenery adornment in Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin zt”l’s authoritative Ezras Torah Luach, even though he cites the two other main minhagim of Shavuos brought by the Rema, namely staying up all night and eating milchigs. To this author, this strongly implies Rav Henkin’s well-known predilection to following the rulings of the Aruch Hashulchan - one of the Gedolim from whom he received Semichah,[51]<https://ohr.edu/9889#_edn51> and hence lending credence to the notion that his glaring lacuna of this minhag was intentional, intending to show that he meant to follow his Rebbi’s position on this matter.

See the above URL for much more.

YL

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