[Mesorah] Davening: Pesach vs. Hag Hammatzos

[R. Rich Wolpoe]

It makes no sense to me to just accept every change based upon authority of an individual nor to reject every change as not having authority.

Let's look at 2 cases of the GRA

1. Boneh y'rushallayim
We can pretty much show that this was the original nusach, EG it's the way the Talmud terms it

We can also show that the b'rachamav is pretty old Minhag Ashkenaz.

So what to do? Throw out minhag avos in favor of restoration? Or not?

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2 Oseh Hashalaom vs. Hamvoreich

GRA rolled backed the siyyum of Oseh Hashalom and reverted to hamvoreich [minhag S'pharad]

Here masechtos Qaktanos [Kallah?] Confirm the nusach of Oseh Hashalom year 'round. The minhag Ashkenaz for 10 days of T'shuvah was probably the older nusach anyway [and possibly rofei cholim instead of rofei cholei..]

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So one change can be shown to be a restoration towards the earliest known version

The other is the other way around

Now GRA can be supported in both cases by Minhag S'pharad

So what about Minhag Ashkenaz or Minhag Avos?

Pick your poison!

Some have defended th GRA as follows:

Once Oseh Hashalom was dropped during the rest of the year so GRA said to drop it on 10 of teshuvah too! [Iow be m'vateil the Minhag]

Well now that's Hanau! Mamash! Once SOME of the nusach is in l'shan Tanach, so make it all conform to ONNE sheetah!  

Now you'll say - who gave HIM the right?

I don't know but it does match the Rambam's concept of standardization. 

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And maybe Nusach Ashk'naz compromised davka to keep both variants "alive" thin sim shalsom and shalom rov. Ahavah rabba and ahavas olam. Also Michael Poppers points on Aleinu.


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Someone once cynically remarked that the GRA was simply altering Minhag Ashkenaz to Minhag S'pharad! And he was taken to task as an unfair remark

I don't think we need to defend the GRA with further unfair remarks towards others.  We can certainly question results, but questioning motives is imho unproductive and tends  to cloud the issue with emotional ad hominems. 

I wil BE"H be posting about the Hofmeister siddur, too.


Shalom and Regards, RRW