Question
Shalom Aleichem, I just want to thank you in advance for taking the time to read my question. So a little more than a year ago I decided to change my nusach based on the fact that I plan on being a chassid/being part of the community. Baruch h’ it hasn’t changed but I realized I’m not quite their yet because I’m still too young to live on my own. And to add to it I don’t daven at a sfard shul emoter during the week or shabbos. Should I switch back to Ashkenaz until I’m on my own, or now that I switched should I just stay, but is their anything special I need to do if I switch? I.e hataras nedraim. The above should also have in min that I am very used to davening sfard at this point.
Thank you so much!!
Kol tuv
Answer
A person should not feel his Tefilla is incomplete when davening in one Nusach and not another. The Ari z"l said that in the heaven there are 12 windows (or gates) corresponding to each tribe and the Tefilla for each tribe is attuned to the Neshama of each tribe. (See Mishna b'rura 68:4)
One should not feel that the Tefilla of one nusach outdoes another, (Shut Chatam sofer Orach Chaim 15-16) but should feel comfortable with what he is davening.
Furthermore, the general rule is that a person must follow the custom of his parents. The Pasuk says "Do not abandon the 'torah' of your mother" (Mishle 1:8) which the Talmud explains that one should not change the nusach of his ancestors. (Yerushalmi Eruvin chapter 3)
This means that to begin with you should not have changed your nusach, however there are those who say that one may change to nusach of the Ari z"l form Ashkenaz. (See Divrei Chaim 2:8 Maharam Shik, Orach Chaim 23 and Choshen mishpat 24).
From the practical point of view, since you are now used to Tefilla in nusach sfard, exchanging from one nusach to another is not a good idea and it can cause confusion, so it seems best to continue with nusach sfard.
Chag Same'ach
