Why is it that it seems most posters feel if an outright halacha is “too hard” for the “hamon am” it is suddenly a CHUMRA?
if pple would ask their rabbonim, who heads are in torah all day, they could find out mekoros for what they seem to think are chumros! When the torah says something is assur, then HALACHA = the way we should (lit. walk) live our lives. If you believe in matan torah, believe in halacha, and ask your local Rav for a mekor…clearly the talmidei chachomim are not on this board (tho it seems there are many potential ones if all our time wasn’t wasted on here, myself included – as far as the wasting time, not T”CH as I’m not a male :p)
and to 000646 – ur right, a lot of “extras” today ARE minhag hamakom, and even today, if you went to live in certain parts of Africa you wouldn’t need stockings or sandals, you could walk barefoot like everybody else WHEN THAT IS THE ACCEPTED NORM and even considered dignified in that locale – if this is really a pressing issue for you, whatever floats your boat. Please let me know the moving date :p
But when gedolim do set up takanos, or put gedarim on what minhag hamakom for that place, they have reasons rooted in the torah for that (maybe because of all the pritzus today? kabbala? but I’m sure they have even greater reasons that we can’t understand). and as long as you follow ur local rav, even if it’s not following all the “extras” BECAUSE YOUR RAV TOLD YOU IT’S OKAY, then fine – but don’t blast those who are following THEIR rabbonim.
I happen to live in a community in Israel that has many more takanos of minhag hamakom than most of what you know of or is written here, and like a “baal teshuva” I can’t say I am among the top of those who follow every hiddur…but I am working on it, with a Rav, with taking on a little bit each time of what I can handle…I think whoever is trying to grow, and/or follow their Rav, is doing the right thing.
May we be zocheh to bring mashiach with our growth in tznius…and if we learned anything from a bit over a week ago, maybe we can stop the machlokes back & forth, and have achdus with each of us trying to be the best that we can be!