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Woman Counting Sefira
According to the Ramban, women are required to count sefira. However, many other Rishonim consider sefira a mitzvas aseh shehazman grama, a category of mitzvah from which women are exempt. This is the general consensus of the Poskim. The Magen Avrohom writes that even though women are exempt, they have accepted this mitzvah upon themselves. The Mishnah Berurah, though, cites the lenient opinion and writes that it is not the custom of women in Eastern Europe to count. He adds that even if women do count, they should do so without a beracha since it is likely that they will miscount one night and thereby not fulfill the mitzvah completely. Rav Elayshiv allows a meticulous woman to count with a beracha.
(ס"ק ג; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 6 ו-9)
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Hilchos Tefilla 128 (page 5)
מסעיף ה עד אמצע סעיף ו והלוי
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Without Shoes
Washing Hands Before the Beracha
Passing in Front of Someone Davening in Order to Wash Hands
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Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai instituted that
kohanim may not recite the
birkas kohanim while wearing shoes. He was concerned that a lace could rip, causing the
kohein to attempt to repair it instead of reciting the
beracha. People seeing that he did not participate might then cast aspersions on his lineage. All forms of shoes, even shoes without laces, are included in the ban. Soiled shoes cannot be worn for the additional reason that it is disrespectful to the congregation. According to some, tall clean boots or cloth footwear can be worn during the
beracha, but the universal
minhag is to remove all footgear.
(
סעיף ה וס"ק טו-יח (והפרי חדש המוזכר שם); ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 23)
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Washing hands before the beracha
Kohanim serving in the Beis Hamikdash were required to wash their hands [and feet] from the
kior before beginning their service. Chazal mandated that the
kohanim must likewise wash their hands prior to the
beracha. According to some
poskim, the rules of this washing parallel the rules of washing from the
kior -- i.e. washing must be done with a
reviis of water that is acceptable for washing for bread and poured by a person from a
keli. The
poskim discuss whether
chatzitzos (interferences) must be removed. It seems that the Mishna Berura does not require the removal of
chatzitzos, and this is the opinion of some contemporary
poskim.
(
סעיף ו וס"ק יט ו־כא; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 29)
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Passing in front of someone davening in order to wash hands
The
kohanim should wash their hands during
chazaras hashatz close to the
beracha of
Retzei, so that the washing can be done just before the
beracha or as close to it as possible. According to some
poskim, a
kohein may pass near -- but not directly in front of -- someone
davening Shemoneh Esrei on his way to go to wash. Passing near people
davening is permitted when necessary, and the need to fulfill this
mitzva is sufficient reason to permit it. According to a second opinion, the need to wash overrides the prohibition of passing in front of those
davening. The same
machlokes applies to a
kohein passing in front of someone
davening in order to recite the
beracha. According to the first opinion, he may only pass near the person
davening; according to the second opinion, he may even pass in front.
(
ביה"ל ד"ה חוזרים; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 26)
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- A kohein may perform the mitzva multiple times in one day. If he does so, he should recite the preceding birchas hamitzva each time, just as someone who dons tefillin multiple times recites a beracha each time. However, the kohein is not obligated to perform the beracha more than once a day.
- A kohein is obligated to recite birkas kohanim if he is instructed to do so by the congregation or if he is present when the chazan announces "kohanim." If he fails to recite the blessing, he violates a severe issur which is derived from the three expressions of 'command' that the Torah uses regarding this mitzva.
- A kohein who is weak and unable to recite the blessing is exempt, but he should leave the shul before the chazan reaches Retzei.
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- The levi washes the kohein's hands
- A beracha on this washing and the question of whether the levi should wash his own hands first
- Stepping forward during Retzei
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PLEASE NOTE: The information in this email is for learning purposes only. Please review the Mishna Berura and Biurim U'Musafim before making a halachic decision. Hebrew words are occasionally transliterated to enable a smoother reading of the text. Common Ashkenazi pronunciation is generally used in these cases.
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