By
Rabbi Yochanan Eskenazi
The
minhag
of
B'nei sefard
recite
slichos
the entire month of
Elul
(Shulchan Aruch 581:1).
B'nei ashkenaz
begin the Sunday before
Rosh Hashanah
. However, in years that
Rosh Hashanah
falls out on either a Monday or Tuesday, they begin reciting the
slichos
two Sundays before
Rosh Hashanah
(Rama 581:1), in order that there should be at least 4 days of reciting
slichos
preceding
Rosh Hashanah.
One reason is, we are compared to a
korbon
(sacrifice) which requires four days of checking for blemishes before being offered. Another reason is, there is a custom to fast every day of the
Aseres Yemei Teshuva
(Ten Days of Repentance). On four of these ten days it is prohibited to fast [two days
Rosh Hashanah
,
Shabbos Shuva
and
Erev Yom Kippur
]. Therefore we have at least 4 days of
slichos
to compensate for those days. We always start on Sunday, in order there is a "set" day to start (Mishneh Berurah 581:6).
One may not recite
slichos
at night before
chatzos
halaiylah
(midnight) [except for on
Yom Kippur
] (Mishneh Berurah 565:12). The Shulchan Aruch [581:1] writes that the ideal time to recite
slichos
is during the last three [
halachic
] hours of the night, since then it is an
eis ratzon
(auspicious time) (Mishneh Berurah 581: introduction). Any time after
chatzos
is considered a preferable time (Igros Moshe OC 2:105). The custom of many congregations, is to recite
slichos
after it is already day (Aruch Hashulchan 581:4). It is important to note, it is preferable to
daven slichos
in the morning together with a
minyan
than at night without a
minyan
(Koveitz Halachos 2:3).
The common custom is that women do not recite
slichos
(Koveitz Halachos 2:23), however, many do go to
slichos
on the first night [
Motzai Shabbos
] (Koveitz Halachos pg. 28). It is proper to educate
katanim
(minors) to recite
slichos,
though one is not required to wake them up in the middle of the night to recite them (Koveitz Halachos 2:22). An
avel
(mourner) [who is sitting
shivah
] may not go to
shul
to recite
slichos
, except on
Erev Rosh Hashanah
(Rama 581:1). In a
beis avel
, it is permitted to recite
slichos
with
viduy
and
tachanun
(Koveitz Halachos 2:25).
If one is
davening
without a
minyan
he may recite
slichos
, however he must skip the
Yud Gimmel middos
(13 Attributes of Mercy) and the parts that are Aramaic (Mishneh Berurah 581:14). Furthermore, an individual does not need to recite
Ashrei
before
slichos
(Koveitz Halachos 1:17).
The
sha'laich tzibbur
should don a
tallis
while reciting
slichos
(Mishneh Berurah 581:6). If there is no
tallis
available, he may lead
slichos
without a
tallis
(Mateh Ephraim 581:15, Koveitz Halachos 2:12). If one is
davening
slichos
before
alos
hashachar
(dawn), it is questionable whether one may recite a
brachah
on the
tallis
that early. Therefore, one should use someone else's
tallis
, in order that he does not require reciting a
brachah
. If that is not an option, one should use his own
tallis
without reciting a
brachah
, and after
alos hashachar
he should move it around and recite a
brachah
(Shaar Hatziyon 581:5).
One must recite
birchas hatorah
before reciting
slichos
(Mishneh Berurah 46:27). Even if one arrived late, and if by saying
birchas hatorah
he will inevitably missing even more of
slichos,
he must recite
birchas hatorah
first
(Koveitz Halachos 2:7).
As a general rule, it is preferable to say a little with
kavanah
(concentration) than to say a lot without
kavanah
(Shulchan Aruch 1:4). Therefore, someone who finds it difficult to keep up with the pace of the congregation may say less
slichos
"properly" and skip other parts (Koveitz Halachos 2:8). In this circumstance, it is preferable to recite a whole
slicha
than to recite parts of multiple
slichos
(Koveitz Halachos 2:fn. 8). Even if one is skipping some of the
slichos
, one must recite the
Yud Gimmel middos
together with the congregation (Koveitz Halachos 2:8). If one is in the middle of reciting a
slicha
when the congregation reaches the
Yud Gimmel middos,
he should skip to the
Yud Gimmel middos
and say it together with the congregation (Koveitz Halachos 2:20). If one is reciting
slichos
and the congregation is reciting
tachanun
, he should skip to
tachanun
and does not have to make up what he skipped (Koveitz Halachos 2:34). If one who arrived late to
shul
, it is preferable to begin
slichos
at the
slicha
that the congregation is in the middle of reciting (Koveitz Halachos 2:9 & fn. 10). If he prefers to start at the beginning, he may (Koveitz Halachos 2:fn. 10).
|