Search results for: ""Rosh Chodesh""

Why Matza and Not Bread

Question: Why didn't the Israelites bake bread (the Torah says that they did not have time for the dough to rise)? They knew 14 days ahead of time (on Rosh Chodesh Nisan) that they would be leaving, and they knew it would be middle of night (since God said that is when they would leave).
Answer: The Israelites did not do anything to prepare, except what God told them to do: the Passover offering and putting blood on their doorposts.

Birkat HaMazon Once Shabbat Ends: Migdol or Magdil
When saying birkat ha'mazon after Shabbat until halachic midnight (chatzot), say migdol, not magdil.
Note This also applies to birkat ha'mazon after Jewish festivals or Rosh Chodesh--all days when we say musaf.
Nine Days: Restrictions
Restrictions during the Nine Days before Tish'a b'Av are the same as for Three Weeks, plus:
  • You may not eat meat or drink wine.
    Exceptions
    1. You may drink wine on Shabbat (but not on Rosh Chodesh Av or erev Shabbat.)
    2. You may drink wine for havdala (but ideally give the wine or grape juice to a child between ages 6 and 10).  
    3. You may eat meat or drink wine at a brit, siyum, or pidyon ha'ben.
  • You may not wear freshly laundered clothes, or wear or buy new clothes.
  NOTE You may wear clean socks and underwear. Ideally, throw them on the floor
  first but, b'di'avad, it is OK to wear them even if you did not.
  • You may not wash yourself for pleasure.
    Note Showering or bathing to clean one's soiled body is permitted (except on Tish'a b'Av).  So you may bathe or shower during the Nine Days if you are dirty, sweaty, or smelly.
  • You may not do any activities that involve luxury.
  • You may not say she'hecheyanu except on Shabbat.
    Note Therefore you should not buy new fruits or new items that you will enjoy during the Nine Days.  But if you DO eat a new fruit or buy something new, you must say she'hecheyanu anyway.
Announcing the New Month
Each month (except before Rosh Hashana), we say the blessing over the new month (birkat ha'chodesh). On Shabbat morning preceding the new moon, at the end of Torah reading, we announce the coming of the new month (Rosh Chodesh), including:
  • The name of the month.
  • The day and time the new moon will appear in Jerusalem.
  • The day of the week that begins the new month (and sometimes the last day of the previous month).
We say some prayers that ask for good health, prosperity, and other good things.  
Introduction: Amida: Errors: Amida Additions
If you forgot to say, or incorrectly said, a phrase in the amida, you must correct your errors in:
  • Mashiv ha'ruach
  • Ha'el ha'kadosh
  • Tein bracha/Tein tal u'matar l'vracha
  • Ya'ale v'yavo (except Rosh Chodesh night).
Do not correct errors in other additions/changes if you have already said the blessing for that paragraph, such as:
  • Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Ten Days of Repentance changes (except ha'melech ha'kadosh)
  • Al ha'nisim
  • Aneinu
  • Ya'ale v'yavo (if Rosh Chodesh night).
Note You may correct any prayer error within 2.5 seconds of making it.
Note If you omitted part of the amida that would normally require you to repeat the amida, you do not need to repeat the amida if you intend (have kavana/concentrate from the beginning of the reader's repetition until the end of the repetition) to have your amida covered by the reader's repetition.
Methods of Counting the Omer Period
The mourning period during the counting of the omer (sefirat ha'omer) lasts for 33 days, but there are three ways to count them:
  1. Second night of Passover until Lag ba'Omer (33rd day of counting the omer).
  2. Rosh Chodesh Iyar until the third day before Shavuot (excludes Lag ba'Omer).
  3. Second day of Iyar until Shavuot.
You may change your observance from year to year, if necessary.
Prayer Leader of 10 Men Should Wait
A prayer service leader for a group of only 10 men including himself should (but is not required to) wait until all 10 men have finished the private amida before he begins the reader's repetition.
  • Shabbat
  • Jewish Festivals
  • Rosh Chodesh musaf.
Reason To have nine men replying amen to each blessing.
Note A minimum of six men must be finished before the reader begins the repetition. If delaying the repetition at mincha will cause the repetition to be finished after sunset, consult a rabbi.
Note If all nine other men will not (or may not) say amen, the leader should intend that his public amida be a “free-will offering” (nedava); otherwise, his public amida may be a bracha l'vatala. He may not intend to offer a "free-will offering" on days or services that this sacrifice was not offered in the Temple in Jerusalem:
  • Shabbat
  • Jewish Festivals
  • Rosh Chodesh musaf.
Shacharit: Tachanun: When Not To Say
Tachanun is related to judgment. Tachanun is NOT said at times of din/judgment:
  • At night,
  • On Tish'a B'Av,
  • In a house of mourning, and
  • Yom Kippur.
Tachanun is also NOT said at times of simcha/happiness:
At mincha before (and certainly not on):
  • Shabbat,
  • Jewish festivals,
  • Rosh Hashana, and
  • Rosh Chodesh.
At any prayer service on:
  • Isru chag (the day after each of the Jewish festivals),
  • Entire month of Nisan.
           Reason   Nisan has more than 15 days that we omit tachanun, and once we omit it for most of the month, we don't say it at all.
  • All of Chanuka, Purim, Shushan Purim, Tu B'Shvat, Rosh Chodesh, and from Rosh Chodesh Sivan until the day after Shavuot.
  • Tishrei from shacharit before Yom Kippur until after Simchat Torah (Shmini Atzeret in Eretz Yisrael). Resume saying tachanun:
    • Second day of Cheshvan, or
    • Day after isru chag of Simchat Torah (this is the more prevalent custom among Ashkenazim). Each person should follow his or her family or community custom.
Any time these people are present in your minyan (or in any other minyan in the building) either before a circumcision or while still involved in the brit or meal:
  • Mohel,
  • Sandak, or
  • Father of a boy having his circumcision.
       Note This even applies to mincha if the brit will take place after mincha.
 
Any time a groom is present during the first week after marriage.
Wasting People's Time (Tircha d'tzibura)
You may not waste people's time or upset them (tircha d'tzibura).
Example A prayer leader should not:
  • Roll a Torah scroll during the minyan in order to get to the correct place for reading (it should have been done previously) unless necessary;  
  • Roll up his tefilin after taking them off for musaf on Rosh Chodesh, before hallel on chol ha'moed of Sukkot, or after hallel on chol ha'moed Passover. (Instead, he should take them off and leave them on the bima until the prayer service is finished, or roll them up during Torah reading).
Seventeenth of Tamuz to Tish'a B'Av: Three Stages of Mourning
Before Tish'a b'Av we are in a type of mourning so the laws are similar to mourning for a parent. There are three stages:
The “Three Weeks”: The least severe stage starts three weeks preceding the Ninth of Av
The “Nine Days”:  The next-most severe stage begins on Rosh Chodesh Av.
“Week” of Tish'a b'Av:  The most severe mourning is during the “week” of Tish'a b'Av (beginning after Shabbat preceding Tish'a b'Av).
Birkat HaMazon: When To Repeat If Forgot Additions
When saying birkat ha'mazon, you must repeat birkat ha'mazon if you forgot:
  • Retzei on the first two meals of Shabbat.
  • Ya'aleh v'yavo on the first two meals of any Jewish festival day (women only repeat if they forgot it at the Passover seder).
Never repeat birkat ha'mazon if you forgot additions for:
  • Rosh Hashana (during the daytime) or
  • Rosh Chodesh.
Mourners Leading a Minyan

The dead person benefits if his/her son or sons lead public prayer services, whether during shloshim or the entire year (11 or 12 months). However, if the mourner is uncomfortable leading the minyan or is not a good reader or will be embarrassed, he should not feel obligated to do so.

 

A mourner does not lead a minyan on:

  • Shabbat;

  • Jewish Festivals (including chol ha'moed);

  • Purim;

  • Rosh Chodesh.

Opinions differ concerning Chanuka, so follow your local custom.

When Haircuts and Shaving Are Forbidden
Here are the times when men and women are forbidden to get haircuts and men are forbidden to shave, including their necks (from most severe restrictions to least):
Most Severe Restrictions
  • Mourner for parents (no shaving for the first 30 days and no haircut until three months after his or her previous haircut).
    Note If mourning for other relatives, you may get a haircut after 30 days.
  • From Saturday night before Tish'a B'Av until the evening after Tish'a B'Av.
  • Chol ha'moed.
Next Most-Severe Restrictions
Shiv'asar B'Tamuz (17th of Tamuz) until the evening after the Shabbat preceding Tish'a B'Av.

Least-Severe Restrictions
During 33 of the 49 days of counting the omer (sefirat ha'omer); that is, either from the second day of Passover until Lag Ba'Omer (33rd day of the omer) OR from Rosh Chodesh Iyar until the day before Shavuot, according to your custom.
Note Conditions that may allow leniency are if you might lose your job or otherwise lose a large sum of money.
Amida Errors: Chonein HaDaat/Yismach Moshe/Tikanta Shabbat/Ata Echad/Rashei Chodashim/Ata Vichartanu
What: Chonein HaDaat/Yismach Moshe/Tikanta Shabbat/Ata Echad/Rashei Chodashim/Ata Vichartanu
Where: Amida 4th paragraph
Error #1: You Said the Wrong Paragraph on Shabbat or Jewish Festival
Examples
  • You said the weekday version on Shabbat or Jewish festival--or the reverse.
  • You began to say the version for a different Shabbat service (say, it is Shabbat mincha and you said the version for Shabbat shacharit).
WHAT TO DO
1) If you erroneously began the fourth paragraph for weekday on Shabbat or Jewish festival ma'ariv, shacharit, or mincha:
Finish the erroneous blessing and then begin the correct version. 
2) If you erroneously began the fourth paragraph for weekday at musaf:
Stop wherever you are and say correct fourth paragraph.  
3) If you began to say the fourth paragraph from the wrong Shabbat service:
It is OK, b'di'avad.
 
Error #2  You Said the Wrong Paragraph on a Weekday or at any Musaf:
 
Example
You said the weekday fourth paragraph at musaf for Rosh Chodesh.
WHAT TO DO
Stop wherever you are and say correct fourth paragraph.