Table of Laws and Customs for Jewish Communities

ד»סב

«וֹתבַׁשַׁבְ תבָשַׁידֵּמִו ,וֹשׁדְחָבְ שׁדֹחֶ ידֵּמִ הָיהָוְ»

תסנכה יתב לש ימלועה ןוגראה תויסקודותרואה תוליהקהו

World Organization of Orthodox

Synagogues and Communities

And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another

)גכ קוספ וס קרפ והיעשי(

Table of Laws and Customs for Jewish Communities

לארשיב תסנכה יתב דוחיא

Union of Synagogues in Israel

lwww.unisyn.org.il

August 5, 2016 – September 2, 2016

The New Moon: Wednesday (4.8.16) at 1:12 p.m. and 2 Chalakim

Kiddush Levana (Sanctification of the Moon):

from Saturday night, the eve of 3 Av (6.8.16) to the eve of 14 Av (17.8.16)

(It is customary to recite this on Motza’ei Tish’a B’Av)

Kiddush Levana (according to Oriental communities): from Wednesday night, 7 Av (10.8.16)

Friday, 1 Av (5.8.16) –Rosh Chodesh Av: Rosh Chodesh prayer service.

From the onset of Av we refrain from excess rejoicing and business transactions, from building and planting. It is forbidden to bathe one’s entire body for purposes of pleasure, such as swimming in a pool or in the sea, but it is permitted to wash oneself in cool water for purposes of cleanliness. Until after Tish’a b’Av it is forbidden to launder clothing or to wear laundered or ironed clothing not previously worn. Shabbat clothing can be worn on Shabbat, according to the custom of the Vilna Gaon. Meat and wine are permitted only on Shabbat or at a se’udat mitzva. Some refrain from reciting Kiddush Levana until the 10^th of Av. The Sephardim observe all of this only in the week in which Tish’a b’Av actually falls.

Shabbat Parashot Masei, 2 Menachem Av (6.8.16) [abroad: Parashat Matot-Masei]

Chazak. The Haftara is read from Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 2:4: Shim’u devar HaShem to (verse 28) hayu e-lokecha yehuda and we add 3:4, from halo me’atta to alluf ne’urai atta.

Mincha: we read from Parashat Dvarim and three men are called up for this reading. Avot, chapter 2.

On Motza’ei Shabbat we recite havdala. If a child is present, he drinks the wine; if not, the person who recited the havdala drinks it. Friday, 8 Menachem Av (12.8.16) – Erev Shabbat Chazon: We wash and get ready for Shabbat like on any other Friday.

Shabbat Parashat Dvarim. «Shabbat Chazon», 9 Menachm Av (31.8.16)

The verse Eicha essa levaddi is read with the melody used for Megillat Eicha. For the portion of a Levi, we begin with the previous verse, Yosef… For the Haftara we read in the first chapter of Isaiah, from Chazon Yeshayau to verse 27 “…veshaveha bitsdaka”, again using the melody of Eicha – except for the verses of consolation. We recite av harahamim.

Mincha: we read from Parashat Va’etchanan and three men are called up for this Torah reading. Pirkei Avot and Tzid’katcha Tzedek is not recited. It is permitted to eat meat and drink wine even for the third meal (Seuda Shlishit) of Shabbat, but we finish eating and drinking while it is still day.

Tish’a B’Av, (postponed) Sunday, 10 Av (14.8.16) – “the fast of the fifth month”

The fast begins on Motza’ei Shabbat from sunset (7:29 p,m. in Jerusalem). Changing shoes is done 25 minutes after sunset and the chazzan takes off his shoes before Barchu and the public after Barchu. Ata chonantanu is recided. Five afflictions as on Yom Kippur. Before the arvit service, the parochet (the curtain covering the Holy Ark) is removed, and we recite Shemoneh ‘Esreh in a low tone, followed by Kaddish Titkabbal. Candles are lit only insofar as necessary for reading. We sit on the ground and read Eicha (Lamentations) in a low voice and a sad tune, as is customary (according to the Vilna Gaon, if it is read from a kosher scroll, we recite the blessing

‘al mikra megilla). Kinot, v’ata kadosh. Kaddish shalem without titkabbal, ‘Aleinu. Mourners’ kaddish. Then we go home without greeting anyone.

Shacharit: Hands are washed up until the knuckles (similarly after attending to calls of nature), and after drying hands and only a little moisture is left on them, one wipes one’s eyes (if this is insufficient to clean them, one is allowed to rinse them). Many refrain from reciting the she’asa li kol tsorki benediction (according to the Vilna Gaon, one recites this beracha after the fast and after putting on one’s shoes). We do not put on tallit or tefillin, and we put on a tallit katan without saying the beracha, but according to the Vilna Gaon one should recite the beracha (the solution is to sleep in one’s tallit katan, thus obviating the necessity of reciting a beracha over it). We do not recite pittum haketoret or the korbanot, but we do recite mizmor letoda. We do not recite nachem in shacharit; the sheliach tsibbur recites ‘aneinu between go’el yisrael and refa’einu. Kohanim do not duchan, nor do we recite barecheinu, avinu malkeinu or tachanun. After the repetition of the shemoneh ‘esreh by the sheliah tsibbur – chatzi kaddish, and we read from the Torah, from Parashat Va’et-chanan: ki tolid banim and three men are called up to this reading. The third is the maftir, chatzi kaddish, and we read the haftara in the melody of Eicha: asof asifeim (Jeremiah 8:13) to ne’um Hashem (9:23). We end the birchot hahaftara with magen David. This is followed by yehallelu; the Sefer Torah is returned to the aron ha-kodesh, and kinot are recited. It is proper to add kinot relating to the Holocaust. After kinot – ashrei, uva letzion go’el. Lamenatzeach is not recited. We omit the verse va’ani zot beriti. Kaddish shalem without titkabbal, ‘aleinu, kaddish yatom. The psalm of the day (Yom Shelishi) is not recited. It is customary to read Eicha once again, this time without any beracha.

Mincha: We put on tallit and tefillin and say the relevant berachot. We read the four Torah sections, the psalm of the day and the other sections omitted in shacharit (according to the Mishna Berura, we should not read the four sections, for this is like reading from the Torah and Torah study is prohibited the entire day). Ashrei, chatzi kaddish. We then take out a Sefer Torah and call up three men for the reading of Vayechal; the haftara is dirshu Hashem, as on any other public fast. Chatzi kaddish before Shemoneh ‘esreh. We add nachem in boneh yerushalayim, and end the beracha with the words menachem tzion uvoneh yerushalayim. We also add ‘aneinu in shomea’ tefilla. The sheliach tsibbur recites ‘aneinu between birkat go’el and refa’einu as a separate beracha, and nachem in boneh yerushalayim. If he forgets to add nachem in its proper place, he adds it in shomea’ tefilla without its usual ending after ‘aneinu or before ve-techezena, ve’al kullam or elokai netzor, and if he completes the tefilla without having recited nachem, he does not repeat the shemoneh ‘esreh. This is followed by birkat kohanim (when mincha is davened after plag hamincha). We do not recite avinu malkeinu. After midday it is permitted to sit on chairs.

Arvit: Havdalah is recited on a cup of wine. Some recite kiddush levana. We eat 27 minutes after sunset (at 7:56 p.m. in Israel). In the evening it is still forbidden to eat meat, to drink wine or to do laundry, because of the mourning effect of the day. Some refrain from doing these things until midday of the following day, and some allow these things since the fast is postponed.

Friday, 15 Menachem-Av (19.8.16) – Chamisha ‘Asar (Tu) b’Av

We do not recite tachanun. We do recite lamenatzeach. We act somewhat joyfully, as Chazal say at the end of Massekhet Ta’anit: lo hayu yamim tovim le-Yisrael ka-chamisha ‘asar b’Av. During the Second Temple Period, Tu b’Av was a festive day: benot Yisrael yotze’ot lachul bakeramim v’omerot: bachur, sa ‘einecha… (Ta’anit 26b).

Shabbat Parashat Va’etchanan, 16 Av (20.8.16)

We read the ‘aseret ha-dibberot in the ta’am tachton; the haftara is from Isaiah 40: nachamu nachamu ami – to verse 26: lo ne’edar. Mincha: We read from Parashat Ekev, and three men are called up to this reading. Avot chapter 3.

Shabbat Parashat Ekev, 23 Av (27.8.16) – Shabbat Mevarchim

The haftara is read from Isaiah (Yesha’yahu) 49:14: vatomer tzion to 51:3: toda v’kol zimra. We bless the upcoming month of Elul which comes out on Shabbat and Sunday (September 2-3). We do not recite Av Harachamim.

The New Moon: Thursday night (31.8.16) at 1:56 a.m. and 3 Chalakim

Mincha: we read from Parashat Re’e, and three men are called up to this Torah reading. Avot, Chapter 4.

Thursday, 28 Av (31.8.16): Yom Kippur Kattan prayers (early). We recite Tachanun.