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<DIV>In a message dated 9/5/2008, dov_kay@hotmail.co.uk writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><FONT face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>>>....<FONT face=Verdana>the source for reciting L'Dovid in
Elul/Tishrei is the book Chemdat Yamim. R. Yaakov Emdem attributed this
work to Nathan of Gaza, who is a Sabbatean ideologue....</FONT>Second, most of
the poskim I have access to, for all their brilliance, are not bibliographers
or historians, and therefore lack the background knowledge to make a judgement
as to the origins of this custom. <FONT face=Verdana>They are more likely to
adopt a dismissive attitude to scholarly research than I do, and I cannot in
good faith accept their attitude in this regard.
</FONT><<</FONT></SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV>>>>><BR>This is exactly the kind of situation where da'as Torah
comes into play. Obviously the historical researches of professors are of
no concern to most of the poskim today, and there is nothing about L'Dovid
Hashem Ori that offends their sense of what is right and proper in Torah.
If you feel that it makes davening rushed and crowded, then you personally
should leave it out. But you should not say you're leaving it out because
you have a better understanding and knowledge of what is right and proper than
all the other poskim. I know you don't mean it that way but it sounds
arrogant.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>You do not know that Rav Emden was right about the authorship of <FONT
face=Verdana>Chemdat Yamim, and in addition, </FONT><FONT face=Arial>Nathan of
Gaza, though a Sabbatean (in fact, he was "the" original Sabbatean -- the "navi"
who persuaded Shabtai Zvi that he was Moshiach), nevertheless was by all
accounts a genuine scholar, and IF he wrote that sefer he may well have based it
on earlier sources which were perfectly acceptable. Certainly today
when hundreds of thousands of Jews have been saying L'Dovid Hashem Ori in Elul
all over the world for centuries, there is no Sabbatean taint, no fear that it
will somehow influence their neshamos adversely. How could it?
It's Tehillim! Personally I love that particular kapitel (if you can have
favorites among different perakim of Tehillim) and certainly will not stop
saying it. You can stop but don't set yourself up as a greater authority
than all the poskim based on what you believe is your superior
understanding. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Although you wrote that you are <FONT face=Verdana>"following one set of
poskim against others" the only posek you actually named was Rav Emden, who
fought a fierce pitched battle against Sabbateanism and sometimes suspected
certain individuals who in fact were innocent. Kol hakovod to him for his
fight for kovod Shamayim but that battle is over, that war is won. We do
not need to worry about Sabbateanism anymore. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana>Other than Rav Emden you cited no contemporary or past
poskim, but only unnamed "modern scholars [who] have generally confirmed
this attribution." </FONT><FONT face=Arial>I would not follow modern
academic scholars in preference to da'as Torah, especially since one may well
have reason to suspect that most such academics NEVER say L'Dovid Hashem Ori
or any other perek of Tehillim. Their devotion to pure halacha may
well be doubted.<BR></DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><STRONG></STRONG><BR><B>--Toby
Katz<BR>=============<BR><BR></B><BR></FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">It's only a deal if it's where <I>you</I> want to go. Find your travel deal <A title="http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047" href="http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047" target="_blank"><B>here</B></A>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>