2. Selihot and Prayers | Rabbi Eliezer Melamed | Beit Midrash

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Peninei Halakha

קטגוריה משנית

Shabbat and Holidays
The High Holidays

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1. Elul and Shofar Blowing
The month of Elul and the Ten Days of Repentance are particularly auspicious times to repent, as it is during this period that God agreed to forgive the Jewish people for the sin of the golden calf. Forty days after the Torah was given, when Moshe’s descent from Mount Sinai was delayed, a group of sinners convinced the nation to make a golden calf as a replacement for divine guidance. At that moment, tremendous anger was awakened against the Jews. It was serious enough that God said to Moshe, "Now, let Me be, that My anger may blaze forth against them and that I may destroy them, and make of you a great nation" (Shemot 32:10). Moshe prayed fervently and reminded God of the merits of the patriarchs and matriarchs, thus succeeding in delaying the punishment. Then he descended the mountain, broke the tablets, and, together with the tribe of Levi, executed the sinners. He melted down the calf, ground up the remnants into ash, mixed the ash with water, and made the Jews drink it. The water served as a litmus test: those who had worshiped the calf died after drinking it. Nevertheless, the threat of destruction still hovered over the Jews. Moshe stood before God and showed tremendous self-sacrifice in declaring, "Now, if You will forgive their sin [well and good]; but if not, erase me from the record which You have written" (ibid, v. 32). Following this declaration, the decree was lifted. However, the Jews were still in disgrace and distant from God. It was as if they were no longer His children, His servants, or His special nation. Additionally, the first tablets given to Moshe lay in pieces.
On Rosh Ĥodesh Elul, Moshe once again ascended Mount Sinai to pray as the Jews’ emissary, asking God to have mercy upon them and forgive them. On Yom Kippur, their repentance was fully accepted. Moshe descended to give the Jews the second tablets and to inform them that they were forgiven. As an indication of their renewed closeness and specialness, God commanded the Jews to erect a Mishkan (Tabernacle), through which the Shekhina would be revealed to them. The timing of important events is not by chance; thus, we see that the forty days which begin with Rosh Ĥodesh Elul and end with Yom Kippur are a particularly auspicious time for repentance.
This accords with the following midrash: "On Rosh Ĥodesh Elul, God said to Moshe, ‘Come up to Me on the mountain’ (Shemot 24:12). The shofar was then blown in the camp, to let it be known that Moshe was ascending the mountain again and that the Jews must not repeat their mistake. God ascended on that day through those same shofar blasts, as we read, ‘God ascends with a blast (terua); the Lord, with the sound of a shofar’ (Tehillim 47:6). Therefore, the Sages ordained that the shofar be blown each year on Rosh Ĥodesh Elul" (Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer 46). They chose to have the shofar serve as a wakeup call for the people, because it has the power to discourage people from sinning and to awaken the masses to repent (Tur and Beit Yosef, OĤ 581:1).
Accordingly, Jewish communities customarily blow the shofar during the month of Elul. Ashkenazic custom is to blow each day at the end of Shaĥarit. Sephardim, who recite Seliĥot all month, blow the shofar when they recite the concluding Kaddish of Seliĥot. Many Sephardim also blow the shofar when reciting the thirteen attributes of mercy. Blowing the shofar in Elul is not obligatory, but it is proper for communities to try to do so. Nevertheless, an individual who did not hear the shofar blown does not need to search for someone to blow the shofar for him.
2. The Custom of Reciting Seliĥot
Many Jews have a custom, extending back to geonic times, to wake up early during the Ten Days of Repentance to recite Seliĥot. This is done primarily to inspire people to repent, ask God for forgiveness and atonement, and beg Him to be merciful to His exiled and suffering people. We ask that He not look at our sins and transgressions, but rather that He remember His covenant with our ancestors and with us. We ask Him to remember the sacrifice of Isaac and all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives to sanctify His name. We also pray for the ingathering of the exiles, the rebuilding of the Land of Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple, and the return of the Shekhina to Zion. It is customary to recite Seliĥot specifically during the Ten Days of Repentance, because prayer is more readily accepted then, and it is a time of judgment. It is proper for every individual to participate with the community, praying fervently for the Jewish people, for the Shekhina to dwell among us, and for God’s name to be sanctified in the world. Participation with the community will lead to personal prayers being accepted as well.
Indeed, we find that the prophets encouraged the Jews to gather together in times of trouble to fast, pray, and beg God to have mercy on His nation and His land. Thus, we read:
Blow a shofar in Zion; solemnize a fast; proclaim an assembly! Gather the people; bid the congregation purify themselves. Bring together the old, gather the babes and the sucklings at the breast. Let the bridegroom come out of his chamber, the bride from her canopied couch. Between the portico and the altar, let the priests, the Lord’s ministers, weep and say: "Oh, spare Your people, Lord! Let not Your possession become a mockery, to be taunted by nations! Let not the peoples say, ‘Where is their god?’" Then the Lord will be roused on behalf of His land and have compassion upon His people (Yoel 2:15-18).
Together with reciting Seliĥot and prayers, we must repent and improve our behavior. Thus, during this time period, it is customary to recite Seliĥot, to study ethical works, and to attend inspirational lectures. Before the recitation of Seliĥot in some synagogues, speakers exhort the congregation to repent.
3. Seliĥot Nowadays
Today, there is more reason than ever to recite Seliĥot. Now that God has had mercy on us and has begun to redeem us by gathering in the exiles and allowing us to settle the Land, we should be more inspired to repent. We must beg God to continue to have mercy upon us, to gather in the exiles, and settle them in the Land which He allotted to our ancestors and to us; to facilitate our repentance, which will draw us nearer to Him; to help us become greater Torah scholars and sanctify ourselves through mitzva observance; and to allow us to rebuild the Temple, illuminating the entire world with the light of His faith and His Torah.
When the Jews returned from Babylonia with Ezra, they had serious spiritual problems, similar to those we are experiencing today. Through repentance, though, they had the privilege of building the Second Temple. The Book of Ezra makes this clear. Ezra left Babylonia for Israel only to discover that many Jewish men in Israel, including officials and dignitaries, had married non-Jewish women. In Ezra’s own words:
When I heard this, I rent my garment and robe, I tore hair out of my head and beard, and I sat desolate. Around me gathered all who were concerned over the words of the God of Israel because of the returning exiles’ trespass, while I sat desolate until the evening offering. At the time of the evening offering, I ended my self-affliction; still in my torn garment and robe, I got down on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, and said, "O my God, I am too ashamed and mortified to lift my face to You, O my God, for our iniquities are overwhelming and our guilt has grown high as heaven. From the time of our fathers to this very day, we have been deep in guilt. Because of our iniquities, we, our kings, and our priests have been handed over to foreign kings, to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to humiliation, as is now the case. But now, for a short while, there has been a reprieve from the Lord our God, who has granted us a surviving remnant and given us a stake in His holy place; our God has restored the luster to our eyes and furnished us with a little sustenance in our bondage. For bondsmen we are, though even in our bondage God has not forsaken us, but has disposed the king of Persia favorably toward us, to furnish us with sustenance and to raise again the House of our God, repairing its ruins and giving us a hold in Judah and Jerusalem. Now, what can we say in the face of this, O our God, for we have forsaken Your commandments. . . . After all that has happened to us because of our evil deeds and our deep guilt – though You, our God, have been forbearing, [punishing us] less than our iniquity [deserves] in that You have granted us such a remnant as this – shall we once again violate Your commandments by intermarrying with these people who follow such abhorrent practices? Will you not rage against us till we are destroyed without remnant or survivor? O Lord, God of Israel, You are benevolent, for we have survived as a remnant, as is now the case. We stand before You in all our guilt, for we cannot face You on this account" (Ezra 9:3-15).
Ezra’s anguish, fasting, and prayers awakened the nation to repentance, as we read, "While Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself before the House of God, a very great crowd of Israelites gathered about him, men, women, and children; the people were weeping bitterly." They accepted God’s covenant, and the men agreed not to remain with the women and children who were unwilling to convert. "So Ezra at once put the officers of the priests and the Levites and all Israel under oath to act accordingly, and they took the oath" (ibid. 10:1-5). Nevertheless, since many Jews did not repent, and many did not come to Israel but remained in Babylon, the presence of the Shekhina was not as strong in the Second Temple as in the First, and ultimately the Second Temple too was destroyed on account of our sins.
Certain formulations in Seliĥot reflect an exilic reality. This makes it difficult for some people to identify with their content. Some are even worried that reciting such Seliĥot includes an element of falsehood. However, if we see the Jewish people as a nation which transcends history, with each and every one of us linked to all Jews in all times and all places, we can recite even these exilic selections and identify deeply with them. For we identify with our ancestors who lived in exile and suffered such horrible tribulations and degradations that they almost lost hope. We identify with the Jews who experienced anti-religious persecution by Muslims and Christians, and who were tortured and martyred during the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Khmelnytsky Massacres. Most recently and most devastating of all – we identify with the victims of the terrible Holocaust which took place less than 80 years ago. How can we be so complacent as to say that the supplications of the Seliĥot are no longer appropriate, when there are still survivors among us who went through the ghettos and the concentration camps, and the world is still filled with monsters who openly proclaim that they hope to continue the work of the Nazis? In light of all this, we can still recite the Seliĥot and identify deeply with them.
4. The Arrangement of Seliĥot
Because the Sages did not explicitly ordain the recitation of Seliĥot, there isn’t a standard order in which to say them. Each community has added its own supplications and piyutim (liturgical poems). Nevertheless, there is a basic arrangement that all communities follow and that appears in Seder R. Amram Gaon, as follows. We begin with the recitation of Ashrei, as every prayer service begins by praising God. Afterwards we recite the half Kaddish, followed by "Lekha Hashem ha-tzedaka ve-lanu boshet ha-panim," followed by "Shome’a tefila adekha kol basar yavo’u" and additional verses and supplications. Then we recite the thirteen attributes of mercy, vidui, and "Ashamnu mi-kol am." Towards the end, we recite "Aneinu" and "Asei le-ma’an shemekha." This is followed by Taĥanun. The service concludes with the full Kaddish.
R. Amram Gaon writes that if people want to add additional verses, piyutim, and supplications beyond the basics, they may do so. In fact, Jewish communities have added many piyutim to Seliĥot, with the thirteen attributes of mercy repeated in between them. There are differences between the Ashkenazic and Sephardic formulations of these additional piyutim. Also, while Sephardim recite the same Seliĥot each day, Ashkenazim have different piyutim for each day.
When time is short, it is permissible to skip the additional piyutim, and recite just the basics, as elucidated above by R. Amram Gaon. If a congregation is selecting which piyutim to say, they should opt for the more inspirational ones.
5. The Days on Which Seliĥot Are Recited
In geonic times, the custom in both of the prominent yeshivot in Babylonia was to recite Seliĥot during the Ten Days of Repentance. In a few places, Seliĥot were recited during the entire month of Elul. For the last several hundred years, this has been the practice in Sephardic communities (SA 581:1). On Rosh Ĥodesh Elul itself, though, Seliĥot are not recited (Responsa Rama Mi-Fano §79; Kaf Ha-ĥayim 581:1). As Rosh Ha-shana draws near, more and more people make sure to come to Seliĥot, especially during the Ten Days of Repentance.
The Ashkenazic custom is to begin reciting Seliĥot on the Saturday night before Rosh Ha-shana, as long as there will be at least four days of Seliĥot prior to the holiday. This means that if Rosh Ha-shana starts on Thursday or Shabbat, Seliĥot begin the Saturday night before the holiday. However, if Rosh Ha-shana starts on Monday or Tuesday, Seliĥot begin the previous Saturday night.
While the Sages did not make reciting Seliĥot mandatory, the widespread practice is to recite them. Nevertheless, one who finds it difficult to wake up for Seliĥot does not have to do so during Elul. During the Ten Days of Repentance, though, he should make serious efforts to recite Seliĥot, as these days are auspicious for repentance and forgiveness. (See RH 18a; MT, Laws of Repentance 2:6.)
If someone is unable to go to sleep early, and waking up for Seliĥot would result in his being too exhausted to fulfill his work obligations, then he should not wake up early even during the Ten Days of Repentance. Rather, he should try to recite chapters of Tehillim. Additionally, in the course of the day he has the option of saying those sections of the Seliĥot which an individual may recite alone. (See section 7 below.)
The accepted ruling is that even very diligent Torah scholars should recite Seliĥot (Birkei Yosef and Sha’arei Teshuva 581:1). Indeed, this is the custom in all yeshivot, even though reciting Seliĥot takes time away from Torah study. However, if someone finds that waking up early makes him lose even more time than just that of the recitation of Seliĥot because he cannot concentrate on his studies later on, it is better for him not to wake up early.
6. The Timing of Seliĥot
The best time to recite Seliĥot is ashmoret ha-boker, meaning the end of the night. Dawn is an auspicious time, a time of mercy, a time when we await the arrival of light and the revelation of God’s word in the world. At this time, everyone is asleep; the world is pure and unsullied by evil thoughts and deeds. Prayer bursts forth from the depths of the heart, breaks through all barriers, and is accepted on high. Any time after midnight is also appropriate for reciting Seliĥot, as that is when people begin to look forward to dawn, and it is also a time of mercy and compassion.
Nowadays, people generally go to sleep relatively late, and wake up between six and seven in the morning. This is about two hours after dawn. Were they to get up at dawn, they would be tired all day and their work or studies would likely suffer. Therefore, many people wake up a half hour or an hour earlier than their usual time and recite Seliĥot before Shaĥarit. Even though it is past dawn, Seliĥot may still be recited then. Nevertheless, it is better to recite Seliĥot after midnight when possible. In any case, a person should make sure that the recitation of Seliĥot does not leave him so exhausted that he cannot meet all his work or study obligations.
There are those who say that a community that cannot get a minyan for Seliĥot in the morning may recite them at 10 pm, although this may be done on a temporary basis only. (See Igrot Moshe OĤ 2:105.) Despite this opinion, it is better to say Seliĥot on one’s own at the proper time, since the kabbalists and many poskim say that it is not appropriate to recite Seliĥot before midnight. During the late evening the attribute of justice is dominant, and the world is full of worries and sullied by all sorts of evil thoughts and deeds (Birkei Yosef 581:1-2; Sha’arei Teshuva ad loc. 1; MB 565:12).
There are Seliĥot that refer to waking up at dawn. Some maintain that one who is reciting Seliĥot at a different time must skip these piyutim (AHS 581:4). However, the custom is not to worry about it. Since this is the text that everybody says, and since some Jews do wake up at dawn every day, everyone is entitled to recite, "We woke up at dawn."
7. Selected Laws of Seliĥot
Seliĥot must be recited with a minyan, because they include the thirteen attributes of mercy (SA 565:5). Of course, a minyan is also required for the recitation of the half Kaddish at the beginning of Seliĥot and the full Kaddish at the end. If the time to recite Seliĥot arrives and there is no minyan yet, the congregation should recite Ashrei, the supplications, and the piyutim while skipping the thirteen attributes and the paragraph that introduces them. When the tenth man arrives, the congregation should first recite three verses, follow them with the half Kaddish, and then say the thirteen attributes from there on in (MB 581:4).
Someone who is in a place without a minyan for Seliĥot may recite them on his own. However, he must either skip the thirteen attributes or read them with the cantillations as if he were reading from the Torah. Some say he should also skip the Aramaic prayers (SA 565:5; MB 581:4), while others disagree (Kaf Ha-ĥayim 581:26; see Harĥavot).
Even though there is no mitzva to wear a talit at night, following Ashkenazic custom the ĥazan for Seliĥot wears a talit to honor the prayers and the congregation (MA 18:2; SHT 581:3). Yemenite custom is for all male participants to wear a talit.
According to Sephardic practice, the ĥazan for Seliĥot does not wear a talit. After all, he does not wear it for Minĥa, and certainly not for Ma’ariv and Seliĥot which are recited at night. However, if the ĥazan is not dressed respectably, for example if he is not wearing a suit, it is proper for him to put on a talit (R. Eliyahu, cited in Mikra’ei Kodesh: Rosh Ha-shana, p. 72, n. 35).
If the service is at night, the ĥazan does not recite a berakha when putting on the talit, as it is a case of doubt. According to Rosh, one recites a berakha when putting on a talit at night, while according to Rambam one does not. When we have a doubt about whether to recite a berakha or not, we do not recite it (Levush 581:1; see MB ad loc. 6). Some ĥazanim make a point of borrowing a friend’s talit (having in mind not to acquire it). Since a borrowed talit does not require tzitzit, everyone agrees that a berakha is not recited over it (Taz 581:2).
Normally, in the presence of a newlywed or someone about to make a brit, vidui, and Taĥanun are omitted from the prayer service. However, during Seliĥot they are recited anyway. Some disagree with this; nevertheless, it is the common practice. Since reciting Seliĥot is not absolutely obligatory, it is preferable for a newlywed or someone making a brit not to attend. This way the congregation does not face a dilemma.
Sephardim say some of the Seliĥot sitting and others standing. Yemenites recite most of them while sitting, while Ashkenazim stand for all of them. Those who find it difficult to stand may sit. They should try to stand when vidui and the thirteen attributes are recited, as well as when the ark is open. The elderly, the weak, and the sick, who find even that too difficult, may sit for the entire service. (See section 12 below.)
8. The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy
The pinnacle of the Seliĥot service is the recitation of the thirteen attributes of mercy, the exalted attributes with which God relates to the Jews. He revealed them to Moshe Rabbeinu after forgiving the Jews for the sin of the golden calf. At that point, Moshe requested, "Oh, let me behold Your presence" (Shemot 33:18). God replied, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim before you the name Lord" (ibid. v. 19). In other words, I will reveal to you the attributes with which I relate to the Jews. "The Lord came down in a cloud; He stood with him there and proclaimed the name Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed: ‘The Lord! The Lord! A God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and absolving them’" (ibid. 34:5).
Rabbi Yoĥanan said, "Had the verse not written this, we would not have been able to say it. God wrapped Himself in a talit like a ĥazan and showed Moshe how to pray. God said to him: ‘Any time the Jews sin, they should recite these words, and I will forgive them’" (RH 17b).
Following the terrible sin of the golden calf, it became clear that the connection between God and the Jews is eternal and cannot be negated even by a plethora of sins. Even though sinning leads to punishment and terrible suffering, on a deeper level the connection between God and the Jews remains. Therefore, it is always possible to repent. By reciting the thirteen attributes we deepen our faith, connecting with God in such a profound way that it becomes clear that our sins are peripheral and external to us, and thus we can easily repent for them. Because the thirteen attributes reveal the exalted status of the Jewish people, it is permitted to recite them only with a minyan (SA 565:5; see section 7 above for the laws pertaining to an individual praying alone).
9. Fasting
In the past, many people were accustomed to fast on Erev Rosh Ha-shana. They undertook this deprivation to atone for their sins and to avoid the serious punishments due them. Obligatory fasts serve the same purposes on the communal level.
The Sages offer a parable:
To what can this be compared? To a city that owed a large amount of tax to the king. The king sent agents to collect it, but they were unsuccessful. The city could not pay because the debt was so large. What did the king do? He told his servants and soldiers, "Let’s go there!" By the time the king and his entourage had traveled ten parasangs, the residents heard of his journey, and were frightened. What did they do? Their leaders went out to greet the king. He asked them, "Who are you?" They replied, "We are residents of such and such a city, the one to which you sent tax collectors." He asked them, "What do you want?" They replied, "Please do us a kindness, as we have nothing to give." He said to them, "For you, I will reduce the amount by a third." When the king got closer to the city, ordinary residents went to greet him. He asked, "Who are you?" They responded, "We are people from such and such a city, to which you sent tax collectors, but we cannot pay. We ask that you take pity on us." The king reduced the payment by another third. He got even closer, and all the residents came out to greet him, young and old. He asked them, "What do you want?" They responded, "Our master and king, we are not able to pay what we owe." He forgave the final third.
The king in this parable refers to the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. The people of the city are the Jews, who accumulate sins all year long. What does God do? He tells them, "Repent, starting on Rosh Ha-shana." What do they do? On Erev Rosh Ha-shana the leaders of the generation fast, and God forgives a third of the sins. From Rosh Ha-shana until Yom Kippur, individuals fast, and God forgives another third of the sins. On Yom Kippur, all Jews fast and beg for mercy – men, women, and children – and God forgives them everything. Thus we read (Vayikra 16:30), "For on this day atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you of all your sins; you shall be clean before the Lord" (Tanĥuma Emor §22).
Because this midrash indicates that fasting before Rosh Ha-shana is very effective, most Jews in the times of the Rishonim chose to fast. (See the next section.) This accords with the statement of Shulĥan Arukh, "It is the custom to fast on Erev Rosh Ha-shana" (581:2). Since the fast is not mandatory (as are the fasts which commemorate the destruction of the Temple), many fasted only half the day or until pelag ha-Minĥa (approximately 40 minutes before sheki’a). They did not fast the whole day, so as to avoid starting the holiday in a state of deprivation (Rema ad loc; MB 562:10).
Some people fasted for ten days. This accords with the statement of Rema (ad loc.), "Those who are meticulous are accustomed to fast for ten days, and it is proper to do so." In order to do this, they would fast for six of the Ten Days of Repentance (as it is forbidden to fast on the two days of Rosh Ha-shana, Shabbat, and Erev Yom Kippur), as well as four days prior to Rosh Ha-shana.
In modern times, far fewer people follow customs that involve fasting; even on Erev Rosh Ha-shana, most do not fast. Some suggest that people are weaker and softer than they used to be, so it is not fair to demand that they deprive themselves as an expression of piety (Ĥayei Adam 138:1). According to the greats of the Ĥasidic movement, the primary mode of worship needs to be joy, so customs which detract from joy should be avoided. If someone would like to maintain the custom of fasting on Erev Rosh Ha-shana, but he finds it difficult, he should give charity instead. The amount should be either what he would be willing to pay to avoid needing to fast, or minimally what he would spend for food on an ordinary day.
10. Erev Rosh Hashana
As we said, at the time of the Rishonim most Jews fasted on Erev Rosh Ha-shana (SA 581:2; MB ad loc.16), while today most do not. A few meticulous people still fast half the day or until pelag ha-Minĥa. Others donate to charity in place of fasting.
Ashkenazim customarily recite many more Seliĥot on Erev Rosh Ha-shana than on other days. If Seliĥot begin before dawn, Taĥanun is recited at the end of the Seliĥot service. Even then, Taĥanun is not said following Shaĥarit, as Taĥanun is normally not recited on Erev Yom Tov. If Seliĥot begin after dawn, Taĥanun is not recited at the end of Seliĥot either (MB 581:23).
On Erev Rosh Ha-shana we do not blow the shofar, in order to separate the customary blowing of the month of Elul from the mandatory blowing of Rosh Ha-shana (SA 581:3; Levush). Some are stringent, and do not even practice blowing the shofar on Erev Rosh Ha-shana. However, the bottom line is that someone who wants to practice may do so in a closed room (MA ad loc. 14; Eliyah Rabba ad loc. 4; MB ad loc. 24).
Since Rosh Ha-shana is referred to as a sacred occasion (mikra kodesh), we honor it as we do Shabbat and holidays. We prepare for it by cleaning the house, doing the laundry, showering, preparing festive meals, and setting the table nicely. If someone needs a haircut or a shave, it is a mitzva for him to take care of it beforehand in order to honor the holiday (SA 581:1, 3:4 below).
As a good omen, in hopes that the upcoming year will be filled with abundance, it is customary to make particularly good and plentiful food for Rosh Ha-shana. To enable this, common practice was to slaughter many animals before Rosh Ha-shana to be used in the festive meals. So many, in fact, that Erev Rosh Ha-shana is listed in the Mishna as one of the four days of the year on which the most animals were slaughtered. Therefore, special care had to be taken to avoid slaughtering an animal and its offspring on the same day, which is forbidden (Ĥullin 83a).
Some have the custom of going to mikveh on Erev Rosh Ha-shana, to purify themselves in anticipation of the Day of Judgment (Rema 581:4). If someone would like to follow this custom but finds it difficult, he may wash with nine kabin (approximately 11 liters) of water instead (MB ad loc. 26). This means he should stand in the shower while nine kabin of water streams down on him uninterruptedly. He should ensure that this water comes into contact with his entire body (Peninei Halakha: Mo’adim 1:16 and n. 8).
It is customary to do hatarat nedarim (nullification of vows) on Erev Rosh Ha-shana. During the recitation, future vows are disclaimed as well (as we will explain below in 5:11-12).
11. The Ĥazan on the High Holy Days
The ĥazan plays a central role during the High Holy Days, since he leads the prayers. Sometimes the whole congregation reads along with him, while he sets the pace. Other times he recites the prayers alone, serving as the representative of the congregation (shli’ah tzibur). The congregation then responds with "Amen" (such as during the repetition of the Amida and the recital of Kaddish).
Thus, it is important to make sure that the ĥazan is worthy of his holy job. He must be upright, meaning he should not be a sinner, and especially not a thief. He should have a good reputation and should not have been known as an intentional sinner even in his youth. He should be humble, and the congregation should be happy with him, as he is their representative. He should be used to reciting the prayers with precision, and he should study Torah and rabbinic texts regularly. He should know the melodies. He should have a pleasant voice, as this allows him to honor His Creator and to engage the congregation, inspiring the people and improving their concentration. If they are unable to find someone who has all these virtues, they should choose the wisest and best person available (Ta’anit 16a; SA 53:4-5).
Someone dedicated to Torah who is young and single should be given preference over a thirty-year-old, married ignoramus. Even if the choice is between an older man who has a good voice and is well-liked but is ignorant, does not understand the prayers, and makes mistakes reciting them, or a youth of thirteen who does not know the melodies but does understand the prayers, the youth is preferable.
It is proper that the ĥazan be married, just as the Kohen Gadol had to be married, and that he be at least thirty, just as the Levites began their service at the age of thirty (Rema 581:1). A long-standing ĥazan should not be replaced even if a better candidate is available, unless there is something specific which now disqualifies him (SA 53:25).
Depending on the circumstances, there may be additional qualities to look for in a ĥazan. For example, if a community is fasting because of a drought, it is proper to look for a ĥazan who is poor, who has young children whom he has difficulty feeding, and who works hard in the field, as the drought causes him great suffering. In general, if the congregation is praying due to some threat, it is good to choose a ĥazan who is personally affected by it, or a leader who truly feels the suffering of the congregation (Ta’anit 16a; MB 581:10).
During the time of the Sages, people did not pray with siddurim. This is because at that time the only religious book that was permissible to put into writing was Tanakh. In contrast, it was forbidden to write down any orally transmitted material, including prayers and blessings instituted by the Sages (Temura 14b). Therefore, it was necessary for a ĥazan to recite all the prayers out loud, in order to fulfill the prayer obligation of the people who did not know them by heart. Thus, a community would appoint a ĥazan for the entire year, making sure that he had all the virtues discussed above. According to R. Yehuda HeĤasid, anyone who helps get an unworthy ĥazan appointed deprives the congregation of a worthy advocate and will be called to account for it in the future (Sefer Ĥasidim §758; MB 581:10).
Over the course of time, the Sages permitted writing down oral traditions. With the advent of the printing press, siddurim became widely available. It was no longer necessary to appoint a set ĥazan for all the prayers, because everyone prayed from their own siddur. Therefore, a different ĥazan now leads each service, and we are not as particular about his qualifications.
Nevertheless, on the High Holy Days, when we are begging God to forgive our sins, deliver us from troubles, and hasten the redemption, a community should be careful to select a ĥazan who meets all the criteria mentioned above. This is especially important for the Musaf service, as it is during Musaf of Rosh Ha-shana that we blow the shofar, and it is during Musaf of Yom Kippur that we describe the Kohen Gadol’s Temple service. If someone knows that he is not fit to be a ĥazan, he should turn down the honor if approached, because heaven promptly punishes an unfit ĥazan for his sins (Eliya Rabba; MB 581:10).
Even if an unfit person is chosen, it is not appropriate to start a fight over it. First of all, a fight is a serious sin in its own right. Second, even on the High Holidays, all have maĥzorim and need not rely on the ĥazan to fulfill their obligation (Ĥatam Sofer OĤ 205; MB 581:11).
It is extremely important for a ĥazan to have a pleasant voice and familiarity with the melodies, and to use them to serve the glory of God. He should not engage in vocal gymnastics in order to show off his beautiful voice. A ĥazan who arrogantly extends the prayers is addressed in the verse, "They roar at Me, so I hate them" (Yirmiyahu 12:8). But if he uses his sweet voice and pretty melodies to make the prayers beautiful in order to honor God and help the congregation focus, he will be blessed and his reward will be great (Rashba; SA 53:11).
12. Praying Out Loud and Standing Up
As a rule, the Amida is supposed to be recited quietly (Peninei Halakha: Prayer 17:7). However, on Rosh Ha-shana and Yom Kippur there were those who recited the Amida out loud in order to improve their concentration. Even though it is not permissible during the rest of the year because it may cause other people to lose their places, this is not a concern on Rosh Ha-shana and Yom Kippur because everyone has a maĥzor (SA 582:9). Nevertheless, people should not pray too loudly, both to avoid disturbing other worshipers, and to avoid seeming like the prophets of Ba’al, who screamed at their gods (Rema 101:3; MB ad loc. 12).
Another reason to recite the Amida quietly is its exalted nature, which dictates that it be kept private (MA OĤ 101:4; MB ad loc. 11). On the High Holy Days, it makes sense to be even more careful about this. Where almost everyone prays silently, as is the case in most congregations today, one may not pray out loud.
As maĥzorim note, it is customary to open the ark during the recitation of certain prayers. At those times, it is customary for everyone to stand in order to give honor to the Torah, which is on display. However, according to the letter of the law, the obligation to stand is limited to the time when the Torah scroll is in motion. When it is stationary, whether in the ark or on the podium, one is not required to stand. Therefore, the elderly, the weak, and the sick, who find it difficult to stand up, may sit even while the ark is open. Nevertheless, when the Torah is in motion, they should make extra efforts to stand.

The High Holidays

Peninei Halakha