Tefila: Recent Episodes
Rabbi Haim Ovadia
In this session we discuss the special reading in the spoken language of the Torah and scriptures, for women and children following prayers on Shabbat. We also discussed the question of legal age for performing the Mitzvoth, highlighting the development from subjective obligation to a fixed age. An interesting part of the ancient practice was that babies were included in the fasting of the community.
In this session we discuss the order of Torah reading for special events in the past and how it has changed. The institution of Maamad in which Israelite representatives would join the services in the temple. Ancient customs of Tisha b’Av.
Tractate Soferim was composed, like the rest of the minor tractates, in Babylonia, probably around the ninth century. Since the Geonim paved the way for the Sephardic culture this series is filed under “Sephardic luminaries”. In this session we discussed some interesting details of the Torah reading and Kaddish, and the differences between the communities of Israel and Babylonia.
In this session we discuss some of the dates in which we do not seat supplications. We also discuss the concept of a special house for a bride and groom and how it reflects on the practice of celebrating seven days following the wedding and saying seven blessings every night.
A discussion of the meaning and importance of the phrase known as “13 Attributes of Mercy”.
Prostration was considered a sign of submission but later on assumed mythical dimensions. A story of dispute and excommunication leads to untimely death and eventually to the rejection of prostration as part of prayer.
An alternative reading of chapter 4 in berachot suggest five different opinions regarding the obligation of prayer. Two of them seem to reject completely the idea of uniform prayer.
This morning the Rabbi gave a class on yesterday's HaD. This is NOT a transcription of todays email clarification.