No Golden Shtenders were given out over Yom Kippur.
The older gentlemen leading Kol Nidrei wasn't my cup of tea, Baal Shacharit had a nice voice but poor nusach and melody selection, Baal Musaf was alright until he used Fiddler on the roof for וכל מאמינים (GONG!). Baal mincha used this kaddish to start and then again as his victory kaddish. Enough said.
....and then the older gentlemen who had led kol nidrei led Neilah using the geshem nusach. Gong. and then he sang more or less everything to this melody. Double Gong. All in all it was an easy fast but the davening left us feeling a bit wanting.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Gmar Chatima Tovah
....and a Golden Shtender has been awarded to Dr. D, physician for an outstanding Musaf second day of R"h. Dr. D nailed Unetaneh Tokef using this nusach and then led a flawless Modzitz Ein Kitzvah earning him his 2nd Golden Shtender (his first was awarded two years ago for an excellent Y"k musaf at a vatikin minyan).
The NF led Shacharit first day R"h rather uneventfully.
my only new "chiddush" was switching to אנא ה' by Carlebach in the middle of לאל אורך דין....At the last second, I also decided to shake things up a bit and rather than using the traditional "victory" kaddish, I used the Modzitz Kaddish instead. Correct move. Mrs. NF tells me the entire davening was well recieved.
The guy whol led musaf first day was rather creative, using Leanord Cohen's Who by Fire for מי באש in Unetaneh Tokef and again Leanord Cohen's Hallelujah for הללוליה. Being that our minyan consists of people who enjoy singing/ harmonzing, it came out very nicely. Very gutsy.
So now we are in the 10 days of Awe and the NF has been getting the occasional email/phone call about moichelling. "Will you Moichel me?", I am asked.
Two reactions:
1. Maybe the NF has a sick mind (not just maybe- he does), but Moicheling really sounds like something very dirty that happens in the men's mikveh or in the back of the beis medrish between very "special" chavrusas or alternativly out in the pasture between a man and his sheep. Not that it makes them bad people or anything. (We don't judge here at Nusach Freak). But I'm not into that sort of thing so no, I will not moichel you.
2. You want me to forgive you? Tell me exactly for what you would like to be forgiven. You are not getting away with a blanket, "will you moichel me". I want to hear everything you said about me or did to me in the last 12 months. Then I can decide if I will forgive you.
Any way, the NF wishes everyone an easy fast and an enjoyable moichelling if you are into that sort of thing.
--- the NF
The NF led Shacharit first day R"h rather uneventfully.
my only new "chiddush" was switching to אנא ה' by Carlebach in the middle of לאל אורך דין....At the last second, I also decided to shake things up a bit and rather than using the traditional "victory" kaddish, I used the Modzitz Kaddish instead. Correct move. Mrs. NF tells me the entire davening was well recieved.
The guy whol led musaf first day was rather creative, using Leanord Cohen's Who by Fire for מי באש in Unetaneh Tokef and again Leanord Cohen's Hallelujah for הללוליה. Being that our minyan consists of people who enjoy singing/ harmonzing, it came out very nicely. Very gutsy.
So now we are in the 10 days of Awe and the NF has been getting the occasional email/phone call about moichelling. "Will you Moichel me?", I am asked.
Two reactions:
1. Maybe the NF has a sick mind (not just maybe- he does), but Moicheling really sounds like something very dirty that happens in the men's mikveh or in the back of the beis medrish between very "special" chavrusas or alternativly out in the pasture between a man and his sheep. Not that it makes them bad people or anything. (We don't judge here at Nusach Freak). But I'm not into that sort of thing so no, I will not moichel you.
2. You want me to forgive you? Tell me exactly for what you would like to be forgiven. You are not getting away with a blanket, "will you moichel me". I want to hear everything you said about me or did to me in the last 12 months. Then I can decide if I will forgive you.
Any way, the NF wishes everyone an easy fast and an enjoyable moichelling if you are into that sort of thing.
--- the NF
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Shana Tova
Shana Tova to the greater gonging community.
the NF apologises for not having written more in the last few weeks--- between work, helping Mrs NF get the 4 little NFs settled in their new respective schools and the sefer torah (now 82%+ finished - we ordered the עצי חיים a few weeks ago and sat with a designer this morning on the מעיל), I've had little time to breathe.
The NF has a relativly light schedule for the yamim noraim --- I'm only davening schacharit on the first day of Rosh Hashana at a small private minyan here in Jerusalem ....and I'm really thrilled not to be organising or gabbaing this year.
Here are links to two new songs worth listening to before the yamim noraim....
The NF
the NF apologises for not having written more in the last few weeks--- between work, helping Mrs NF get the 4 little NFs settled in their new respective schools and the sefer torah (now 82%+ finished - we ordered the עצי חיים a few weeks ago and sat with a designer this morning on the מעיל), I've had little time to breathe.
The NF has a relativly light schedule for the yamim noraim --- I'm only davening schacharit on the first day of Rosh Hashana at a small private minyan here in Jerusalem ....and I'm really thrilled not to be organising or gabbaing this year.
Here are links to two new songs worth listening to before the yamim noraim....
The NF
Thursday, August 2, 2012
New beginnings
For reasons that are well outside the scope of the blog, Mr & Mrs NF along with the 4 little NFs have moved from a small bedroom community half-way between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to the big city. While the NF is sure to stay in touch with "J", "YS", the big Gong, the Gonging gabbai, the LA etc, the move will hopefully afford lots of new cannon fodder for the blog.
So the NF took NF #2 (age 8) to Shteiblach yesterday morning for shacharit. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Shteiblach, it is a Jerusalem institution where one can pretty much catch a minyan at any time of the day. The population in Shteiblach is pretty eclectic - dati leumi, shasnikim, chareidi light, some breslov chasidim....
Two observations:
1. Many if not all charedim insist on wearing a jacket and hat for davening. A hat is worn because you never know when it is going to start raining in the middle of davening (and also Yaakov Avinu wore a hat when he davened right before his chavrusa learning Tosfos with the Eastern Bunny --- and we all want to be like Yaakov Avinu). The jacket is worn because in Europe (before the war) many shuls had a country club attached where mitpallelim could have their juice and toast right after davening before going home to the rebbetzin and 11 children. It goes without saying that entry to the clubhouse dining room required a jacket. As religious life in Europe was perfect before the war, we should all wear jackets when we daven.
Why is it that people who wear hats have to wear a hat that looks like a group of Mexicans have danced on it?
Why is it that people who wear jackets have to mismatch an old dusty suit jacket with any old random trousers? If you really want to look "michubadik" during davening, then dress in a "put together" manner.
2. In the NF's experience when davening in Shteiblach, there is always some very frum dude who will always stand right in front of the aron kodesh for shmoneh esrei. He will then go for the world record in how slowly he can daven. So when the cohanim need to get to the aron for birkat cohanim they are blocked by "really frum dude". "Really frum dude" - if you know that your shmoneh esrei needs a little ex lax to get it moving, why stand in front of the aron?
So the NF took NF #2 (age 8) to Shteiblach yesterday morning for shacharit. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Shteiblach, it is a Jerusalem institution where one can pretty much catch a minyan at any time of the day. The population in Shteiblach is pretty eclectic - dati leumi, shasnikim, chareidi light, some breslov chasidim....
Two observations:
1. Many if not all charedim insist on wearing a jacket and hat for davening. A hat is worn because you never know when it is going to start raining in the middle of davening (and also Yaakov Avinu wore a hat when he davened right before his chavrusa learning Tosfos with the Eastern Bunny --- and we all want to be like Yaakov Avinu). The jacket is worn because in Europe (before the war) many shuls had a country club attached where mitpallelim could have their juice and toast right after davening before going home to the rebbetzin and 11 children. It goes without saying that entry to the clubhouse dining room required a jacket. As religious life in Europe was perfect before the war, we should all wear jackets when we daven.
Why is it that people who wear hats have to wear a hat that looks like a group of Mexicans have danced on it?
Why is it that people who wear jackets have to mismatch an old dusty suit jacket with any old random trousers? If you really want to look "michubadik" during davening, then dress in a "put together" manner.
2. In the NF's experience when davening in Shteiblach, there is always some very frum dude who will always stand right in front of the aron kodesh for shmoneh esrei. He will then go for the world record in how slowly he can daven. So when the cohanim need to get to the aron for birkat cohanim they are blocked by "really frum dude". "Really frum dude" - if you know that your shmoneh esrei needs a little ex lax to get it moving, why stand in front of the aron?
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Shabbat Mincha
So what is the correct nusach for Shabbat mincha. As noted in my last blog post, Cantor Sherwood Forest Goffin maintains that the correct nusach is Shabbat mincha nusach for Ashrei, Uva L'zion etc until chazarat Hashatz. Chazarat Hashatz is said using the weekday melody until the end of kedusha (yimloch) at which point the chazzan switches back to shabbat mincha nusach
The Big Gong approached the chazzan of the shul in which he grew up for his opinion regarding the correct nusach. Said chazzan (who will not be named because he probably does not want to be associated with this blog - who can blame him?) maintains the correct nusach is shabbat mincha nusach all the way from Ashrei until the end.
So who is correct? I turn to you, the greater gonging community for your feedback. Please fill in the poll below
Shabbat Shalom ---
The NF
The Big Gong approached the chazzan of the shul in which he grew up for his opinion regarding the correct nusach. Said chazzan (who will not be named because he probably does not want to be associated with this blog - who can blame him?) maintains the correct nusach is shabbat mincha nusach all the way from Ashrei until the end.
So who is correct? I turn to you, the greater gonging community for your feedback. Please fill in the poll below
Shabbat Shalom ---
The NF
Monday, July 2, 2012
It happens to all chazanim at some point or another
As Shabbat starts late and the NF has 4 little NFs, the NF has been attending KY/S&M on Friday afternoons as it is the only shul in the area with an early Shabbat minyan. Let's just say that one does not come out of that shul very inspired....in fact this past friday night, with Kabbalat Shabbat being led by an older gentleman whose death-warmed-over singing style made me think that we needed to call the chevra kadisha in for a little tahara action, was the least inspiring Friday night davening I had attended since the previous week at KY/S&M.
Observation #1: When a little kid gets up to lead yigdal at the end of davening and he's wearing shorts and then wraps a long talit around himself so that only a bit of calf is showing, it really looks like a flasher in a trench coat.
Observation #2: For those living in Israel or for those who have visited Israel over the last few years, you will know that the OU Israel Center publishes a weekly rag known as TorahTidbits (or in the NF's circles as TorahNitWits). This publication is everything that is wrong with American Orthodoxy, contains idiotic articles, ads for superficial sounding shiurim (in English of course), little mazal tov and condolonce announcements and ads which are completly inapproriate for shul. This week's edition did not dissapoint. As found on page 28:
Yes, as Death Warmed Over warbled through Lecha Dodi, I got to think about the 50+ year old members of the anglo community here in Israel taking a natural, herbal supplement for their ED. Gross. And remember folks, it's powerful!!!!
Observation #1: When a little kid gets up to lead yigdal at the end of davening and he's wearing shorts and then wraps a long talit around himself so that only a bit of calf is showing, it really looks like a flasher in a trench coat.
Observation #2: For those living in Israel or for those who have visited Israel over the last few years, you will know that the OU Israel Center publishes a weekly rag known as TorahTidbits (or in the NF's circles as TorahNitWits). This publication is everything that is wrong with American Orthodoxy, contains idiotic articles, ads for superficial sounding shiurim (in English of course), little mazal tov and condolonce announcements and ads which are completly inapproriate for shul. This week's edition did not dissapoint. As found on page 28:
Yes, as Death Warmed Over warbled through Lecha Dodi, I got to think about the 50+ year old members of the anglo community here in Israel taking a natural, herbal supplement for their ED. Gross. And remember folks, it's powerful!!!!
So Shabbat day passed uneverntfully until I got to arvit. YS comes over to me and tells me that "J" was the chazzan for mincha at the neighborhood 1:30 mincha minyan and had a bit of an dysfunctional episode. You see, he started chazarat Hashat"z in the weekday melody (correct nusach --see Cantor Sherwood Goffin's notes on Mincha nusach here) but at yimloch, he failed to switch over and repeated all of mincha in the shalosh regalim melody. "J" is usually a top notch baal tefilla that doesn't get gonged but these things happen to all chazanim at some point or another. Maybe it's stress from work, a need to exercise more or poor diet that is causing the problems. Of course, J did just celebrate a significant birthday. J - For older men solutions are available: They are natural, herbal and powerful!!!!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
2 days in a row
the NF hopes you all enjoyed the post on Hitler Youth and his confused havara.
Being that the NF is avoiding writing a rather important email on interest rate mismatch and the lack of a clear government bond baseline for floating rate, CPI-linked notes in the Israeli market, here is a great link to mickopedia on the piyyut יגדל
http://mickopedia.org/mickify.py?topic=Yigdal
brilliant!
Being that the NF is avoiding writing a rather important email on interest rate mismatch and the lack of a clear government bond baseline for floating rate, CPI-linked notes in the Israeli market, here is a great link to mickopedia on the piyyut יגדל
http://mickopedia.org/mickify.py?topic=Yigdal
brilliant!
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