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48-548: There is a short format of Tachanun and there is a long format. The long format is reserved for Monday and Thursday mornings, days when the Torah is read in the synagogue. The short format, recited on other weekdays mornings and on weekday afternoons, consists of three (in some communities two) short paragraphs. According to the Nusach Sefard and most Sephardic rites, Tachanun begins with vidduy (confessional prayer) and

96-532: A Torah scroll. Otherwise, it is proper to sit with the head up. One source says that where the ark, containing a valid (non-Pasul) Sefer Torah can be seen from where one is sitting, then head down, if not, not. The same source reports a custom of in-the-next-room, and notes that it is not universally accepted. The article also has three other head-down situations: (a) some, in Jerusalem; (b) Sefer Torah without an ark; (c) at home, if one "knows at exactly what time

144-568: A child, and that you must call him Yitzchak. He shall begin to deliver the believers from the qlippoth . Through him, numerous souls will receive their tikkun . He is also destined to reveal many hidden mysteries in the Torah and to expound on the Zohar . His fame will spread throughout the world. Take care therefore that you not circumcise him before I come to be the Sandak [who holds the child during

192-611: A few exceptions, including kabbalistic poems in rabbinical Aramaic for the Shabbat table). The foremost advocate of his kabbalistic system was Vital, who collected all the disciples' lecture notes. Numerous works were produced from these notes, the most important of which was the Etz Chaim , "Tree of Life", in eight volumes (see below). Originally, it circulated only in manuscript copies. Each of Luria's disciples had to pledge—under pain of excommunication—not to allow any copy be made for

240-491: A mourner's house is a house of judgment, and a house of judgment is not a suitable place for requesting mercy; see bereavement in Judaism ), nor is it said in the presence of a groom in the sheva yemei hamishte (the seven celebratory days subsequent to his marriage; see marriage in Judaism ). Additionally, Tachanun is omitted in a synagogue when a circumcision is taking place in the synagogue at that time, and when either

288-587: A short confession that we have sinned and God should answer our prayers, followed by Psalm 6 :2-11, which King David composed - according to traditional sources - while sick and in pain. In most Nusach Sefard communities, they also recite these verses, although only after reciting Vidui and the Thirteen Attributes. In the Sephardic rite, Italian rite and Romaniote - adopted also in some Nusach Sefard communities, including Chabad - Psalm 25

336-433: A time of Divine goodwill, on which a supplication is more likely to be received. On Monday and Thursday mornings, therefore, a longer prayer is recited. The order differs by custom: In Nusach Ashkenaz , a long prayer beginning "ve-hu rachum" is recited before niflat apayim. After Psalm 6, a few stanza with a refrain "Hashem elokey Yisra'el" is added. The service then continues with Shomer Yisra'el (in some communities this

384-455: Is a list of all the other days, "minor holidays", when tachanun is excluded from the prayers, and Psalm 126 is recited during Birkat HaMazon . It is typically also omitted from the Mincha prayers the preceding afternoon, unless otherwise noted: It is also not recited in the house of a mourner (reasons vary: either so as not to add to the mourner's grief by highlighting God's judgment, or because

432-483: Is bound to observe the mitzvot (commandments of Judaism) by following the customs appropriate to hir family of origin. For this reason, a number of rabbis disapprove of the adoption of Nusach Sefard by Ashkenazi Jews. However, it was a common kabbalistic belief that the Sephardic rite, especially in the form used by Isaac Luria, had more spiritual potency than the Ashkenazi. Many Eastern Jewish communities, such as

480-561: Is concluded as on other days. Most Sephardic communities today have adopted a different order, based on the Kabbalah of the Ari . This order includes vidui, "ma nomar", Thirteen Attributes, nefilat apayim, which is concluded as every day. After this, another Thirteen Attributes, "Anshei Amanah Avadu", another Thirteen Attributes, "Tamanu me-ra'ot", another Thirteen Attributes, "al ta'as imanu kalah", and Tachnun concludes with "ve-hu rachum". In

528-440: Is concluded as on other days. The Yemenite rite did not originally include any additions for Monday and Thursday. However, due to influence of other communities, they have adopted the following order: nefilat apayim, Thirteen Attributes, "al ta'as imanu kalah", Vidui, "ma nomar", another Thirteen Attributes, "ve-hu rachum", "Hashem ayeh chasadech ha-rishonim" (on Monday) or "Hashem she'arit peletat Ariel" (on Thursay), and Tachnun

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576-598: Is concluded as on other days. The source of the supplicatory prayer ( Taḥanun ) "is in Daniel (9:3) and I Kings (8:54), where the verses indicate that prayer should always be followed by supplication. Based on this, Talmudic sages developed the habit of adding a personal appeal to God following the set prayers (some examples are listed in the Babylonian Talmud , Berachot 16b). In the fourteenth century, these spontaneous supplications were standardized and turned into

624-662: Is customary to omit Tachanun on holidays established by the State of Israel: Yom Ha'atzmaut (Independence Day), 5 Iyar (most years, date changes depending on day of week); and Yom Yerushalayim (the anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967), 28 Iyar. Some communities in the Diaspora will also omit Tachanun on civil holidays in their own country (such as Thanksgiving in the United States ). Nusach Sefard Nusach Sefard , Nusach Sepharad , or Nusach Sfard

672-413: Is omitted from the prayers on Shabbat (beginning from Friday afternoon), all the major holidays and festivals (including Chol HaMoed , the intermediate days of Pesach and Sukkot), Rosh Chodesh (new moon) starting on the afternoon of the day before, Hanukkah and Purim , as these days are of a festive nature and reciting Tachanun, which is mildly mournful, would not be appropriate. The following

720-559: Is recited as Tachanun. In the Baladi rite , a prayer not taken from scriptural verses is recited. In the presence of a Torah scroll , this paragraph is recited with the head leaning on the back of the left hand or sleeve (in most Ashkenazic communities, one leans on the right hand when wearing tefillin on the left). The next paragraph, " שומר ישראל ‎" ("Guardian of Israel") is recited seated, but erect (some communities recite it only on fast days ). After this point, and following

768-517: Is recited only on Fast Days) and Tachanun is concluded as normal. In some Nusach Ashkenaz communities, especially in Israel, they have adopted the Sephardic custom to recite Vidui and Thirteen Attributes at the beginning of long Tachanun; in some of these places, this is omitted during the Selichot season during which Vidui and Thirteen Attributes were recited right before the service, so they revert to

816-772: Is taken from the Sephardic kaddish. Nusach Maharitz, referring to and originating with Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky , is the nusach used by most Dushinsky Hasidim. The nusach is a mixture of Nusach Ashkenaz and Nusach Sefard, differing from Nusach Ashkenaz only when it can be proven from the writings of the students of the Ari that he did otherwise, yielding a blend of elements from both rites almost equally. Isaac Luria Isaac ben Solomon Luria Ashkenazi ( Hebrew : יִצְחָק בן שלמה לוּרְיָא אשכנזי ; c.  1534  – July 25, 1572 ), commonly known in Jewish religious circles as Ha'ari , Ha'ari Hakadosh or Arizal ,

864-489: Is the name for various forms of the Jewish siddurim , designed to reconcile Ashkenazi customs with the kabbalistic customs of Isaac Luria . To this end it has incorporated the wording of Nusach Edot haMizrach , the prayer book of Sephardi Jews , into certain prayers. Nusach Sefard is used nearly universally by Hasidim , as well as by some other Ashkenazi Jews , but has not gained significant acceptance by Sephardi Jews. Some Hasidic dynasties use their own version of

912-625: The Jerusalem Sanjak , and after a short sojourn there, where his new kabbalistic system seemed to have met with little success, he settled in the Safed Sanjak . Safed in the Galilee had become a center for kabbalistic studies over the previous decades, led by Moses ben Jacob Cordovero . There is evidence that Luria also regarded Cordovero as his teacher. Joseph Sambari (1640–1703), an Egyptian chronicler, testified that Cordovero

960-665: The Persian Jews and the Shami Yemenites , accordingly adopted the Sephardic rite with Lurianic additions in preference to their previous traditional rites. In the same way, in the 17th and 18th centuries, many Kabbalistic groups in Europe adopted the Lurianic-Sephardic rite in preference to the Ashkenazi. This was, however, the custom of very restricted circles, and did not come into widespread public use until

1008-525: The brit milah ceremony]." While still a child, Luria lost his father and was raised by his rich maternal uncle Mordechai Frances, a mültazim (tax farmer) from Cairo in Ottoman Egypt . His uncle placed him under the best Jewish teachers, including the leading rabbinic scholar David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra . Luria showed himself a diligent student of rabbinical literature and under the guidance of another uncle, Bezalel Ashkenazi , best known as

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1056-517: The destruction of the Jewish community in the Holy Land by the Romans . While on a ship on the way to Europe, they were caught in a storm, and all three recited a personal prayer, after which the storm subsided. These sages went on to establish communities in Europe. David Abudirham states that the words " rachum ve-chanun " ("merciful and gracious") mark the beginning of the next segment. Tachanun

1104-511: The Italian rite, several verses from Daniel are recited - these verses are included in "ve-hu rachum" recited in other rites, but the prayer in Italian rite is much shorter. This is followed by Thirteen Attributes, Vidui, "ma nomar", nefilat apayim, Psalm 130, a collection of verses from Jeremiah and Micah, a piyyut beginning "Zechor berit Avraham" (this is different from the famous selicha of Zechor Berit known in other rites), Psalm 20, and Tachanun

1152-480: The Nusach Sefard siddur , sometimes with notable divergence between different versions. Some versions are nearly identical to Nusach Ashkenaz , while others come far closer to Nusach Edot Mizrach : most versions fall somewhere in between. All versions attempt to incorporate the customs of Isaac Luria, with greater or lesser success. There are many differences between the [various] prayer books, between

1200-527: The Sefardi rite, the Catalonian rite, the Ashkenazi rite, and the like. Concerning this matter, my master [the Ari ] of blessed memory told me that there are twelve windows in heaven corresponding to the twelve tribes, and that the prayer of each tribe ascends through its own special gate. This is the secret of the twelve gates mentioned at the end of [the book of] Yechezkel . There is no question that were

1248-729: The Thirteen Attributes; in Spanish and Portuguese and some Moroccan communities, these are recited only in long Tachanun. In this prayer several sins are mentioned and the heart is symbolically struck with the right fist during mention of each sin. This is followed by the mention of God 's thirteen attributes of mercy. By and large, Sephardim do not rest their head on their hand for Kabbalistic reasons, but Spanish and Portuguese Jews and some Moroccans, who never accepted many Kabbalistic customs, do rest their head on their hand. In most Nusach Ashkenaz communities, Tachanun begins with introductory verses from II Samuel (24:14), and then continues with

1296-534: The acceptance of his authority. The works of his disciples compiled his oral teachings into writing. Every custom of Luria was scrutinized, and many were accepted, even against previous practice. Luria died at Safed on July 25, 1572, and is buried at the Old Jewish Cemetery, Safed . The Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue , also located in Safed, was built in memory of Luria during the late 16th century. Luria

1344-589: The anniversary of the death of various Rebbes (except Lubavitch makes a point of saying), since that is considered a day for religious renewal and celebration. There is a Hasidic custom of omitting Tachanun the entire week of Purim (11-17 Adar) and the entire week of Lag BaOmer (14-20 Iyar). Some Chasidic communities omit Tachanun on 7 Adar because it is the anniversary of the death of Moses. Additionally some Hasidic congregations omit Tachanun on Friday mornings (getting ready for Shabbat), and some even on Sunday mornings (revival from Shabbat). In many congregations, it

1392-591: The author of the Gathered Method ( Hebrew : שיטה מקובצת ), he became proficient in that branch of Jewish learning. At the age of fifteen he married a cousin, the daughter of Mordechai Frances, and being amply provided for financially he was able to continue his studies. Around the age of twenty-two he became engrossed in the study of the Zohar , a major work of the Kabbalah that had recently been printed for

1440-477: The claim emerged that, while in general one should keep to one's minhag of origin, the Nusach Sefard reached a believed "thirteenth gate" ( Shaar ha-Kollel ) in Heaven for those who do not know their own tribe. Nusach Sefard, with its variant Nusach Ari , became almost universal among Hasidim , as well as some other Ashkenazi Jews, but has not gained significant acceptance by Sephardi Jews. One consequence thereof

1488-500: The congregation recites Tachanun in the synagogue. In a different article, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein is cited as saying that "because Jerusalem is such a holy city" it is as if we're in the presence of a Sefer Torah. It also makes a case for "in the same room" and advises, "If not, then you say it sitting without putting your head down." The longer version recited on Mondays and Thursdays is traced by classical sources (see e.g. , S. Baer, Siddur Avodath Yisrael ) to three sages who had escaped

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1536-404: The customary liturgical rite of his forefathers. For you do not know who is from this tribe and who from that tribe. And since his forefathers practiced a certain custom, perhaps he is from that tribe for whom this custom is appropriate, and if he comes now and changes it, his prayer may not ascend [to heaven], when it is not offered in accordance with that rite. It is generally held that every Jew

1584-424: The father of the baby, the sandek (the one who holds the baby during the circumcision), or the mohel (the one who performs the circumcision) is present. Some Nusach Sefard communities omit Tachanun during mincha, primarily because it was common for Hasidic congregations to pray mincha after sunset, in which case some hold that Tachanun needs be omitted. Additionally, many Hasidic communities omit Tachanun on

1632-552: The first time, and adopted the life of a recluse. Retreating to the banks of the Nile for seven years, he secluded himself in an isolated cottage, giving himself up entirely to meditation. He visited his family only on Shabbat . But even at home, he would not utter a word, even to his wife. When it was necessary for him to say something, he would say it in the fewest words possible, and then, only in Hebrew . In 1569, Luria moved back to

1680-509: The immigration of many Ashkenazi Jews from America, the millennia-old Ashkenazi rite has regained a strong following. Today many of the various sects and dynasties of Hasidism each use their own version of Nusach Sfard . Many Hasidic groups have slightly varying versions. A significant difference compared to Nusach Ashkenaz resides in the text of kaddish . For example, Nusach Sfard adds the words " ויצמח פורקניה ויקרב משיחיה ‎" (may His redemption sprout and His Messiah approach), which

1728-457: The mid- to late 18th century Hasidism . Luria taught that twelve gates of prayer exists, corresponding to the twelve tribes of ancient Israel (and to the twelve Jewish communities that existed in Safed in his lifetime ), and that twelve nusachs for Jewish prayer [ nasachot ha-tefillah ] emanated accordingly. In alteration of this Lurianic concept, especially in 18th/19th-century Hasidism,

1776-752: The older custom of not reciting it. In Nusach Sefard , the order is Vidui, Thirteen Attributes, nefilat apayim, "ve-hu rachum", "Hashem elokey Yisra'el", Shomer Yisra'el, and Tachanun is concluded as normal. In the Sephardic rite , there are two variations: The older custom (maintained by Spanish and Portuguese and some Moroccan Jews) is to recite the Thirteen Attributes, "Anshei Amanah Avadu" (on Monday) or "Tamanu me-ra'ot" (on Thursday), another Thirteen Attributes, "al ta'as imanu kalah", Vidui, "ma nomar", another Thirteen Attributes, "ve-hu rachum", nefilat apayim, "Hashem ayeh chasadech ha-rishonim" (on Monday) or "Hashem she'arit peletat Ariel" (on Thursday), and Tachnun

1824-610: The post-Talmudic period, is symbolic of the original practice, in which people lay down with their faces touching the ground to show humility and submission to God. The pose was also used by Moses and Joshua , who fell on their faces before God after the sin of the Golden calf . Because Joshua fell on his face before the Ark of the Covenant , Ashkenazi custom is that one puts one's head down only when praying in front of an Ark containing

1872-609: The prayer of Tachanun." The custom of bending over and resting the face on the left hand is suggested by the name of Tachnun used in Halachic literature - nefilat apayim (literally 'falling on the face'). It is also reminiscent of the Daily Sacrifice brought in the Temple , which was laid on its left side to be slaughtered. A person's arm should be covered with a sleeve, tallit , or other covering. This posture, developed in

1920-431: The prayers of all the tribes the same, there would be no need for twelve windows and gates, each gate having a path of its own. Rather, without a doubt it necessarily follows that because their prayers are different, each and every tribe requires its own gate. For in accordance with the source and root of the souls of that tribe, so must be its prayer rite. It is therefore fitting that each and every individual should maintain

1968-436: The repositories of his secret teachings and his formulas of invocation and conjuration . The most renowned of the initiates was Hayyim ben Joseph Vital , who, according to his master, possessed a soul that Adam's sin had not soiled. With him, Luria visited the grave of Shimon bar Yochai and those of other eminent teachers; it is said that these graves were unmarked, but through the mystical guidance given by Elijah, each grave

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2016-620: The time of trial that would precede the appearance of the Messiah in Galilee. Those who moved to Damascus Eyalet in anticipation of this event found a great deal of comfort in Luria's teachings due to his theme of exile . Although he did not write down his teachings, they were published by his followers and by 1650 his ideas were known by Jews throughout Europe. Luria delivered his lectures spontaneously, without ever writing down his ideas (with

2064-457: The words " va'anachnu lo neida ", it is customary in many communities to rise, and the remainder of the final paragraph is recited while standing; others (especially those who don't recite שומר ישראל on a daily basis) remain seated but erect for this passage. Tachanun is invariably followed by "half kaddish " at Shacharit and by "full kaddish " at Mincha and in Selichot . The Talmud ( Bava Kamma ) marks Monday and Thursday as " eth ratzon ",

2112-412: Was "the Ari's teacher for a very short time." Luria probably arrived in early 1570, and Cordovero died on June 27 that year (the 23d day of Tammuz). Bereft of their most prominent authority and teacher, the community looked for new guidance, and Luria helped fill Cordovero's former role. Soon Luria had two classes of disciples: novices, to whom he expounded elementary kabbalah, and initiates, who became

2160-471: Was a leading rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Syria , now Israel. He is considered the father of contemporary Kabbalah , his teachings being referred to as Lurianic Kabbalah . While his direct literary contribution to the Kabbalistic school of Safed was extremely minute (he wrote only a few poems), his spiritual fame led to their veneration and

2208-597: Was born in 1534 in Jerusalem in what is now the Old Yishuv Courtyard to an Ashkenazi father, Solomon, and a Sephardic mother. Sefer HaKavanot U'Ma'aseh Nissim records that one day, Luria's father remained in the synagogue alone, studying, when the prophet Elijah appeared to him and said, "I have been sent to you by the Almighty to bring you tidings that your holy wife shall conceive and bear

2256-524: Was recognized. Luria's kabbalistic circle gradually widened and became a separate congregation in which his mystic doctrines were supreme, influencing all the religious ceremonies. On Shabbat, Luria dressed himself in white and wore a fourfold garment to signify the four letters of the Tetragrammaton . Many Jews who had been exiled from Spain following the Edict of Expulsion believed they were in

2304-466: Was that, before the establishment of the State of Israel and in Israel's early years, it was the predominant rite used by Ashkenazim in the Holy Land, with the exception of certain pockets of traditional Lithuanian Jews . One reason for this was that the Land of Israel was regarded as part of the Sephardic world, so that it was felt that new immigrants should adopt the local rite. In recent decades, following

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