AhvasChinom

Kashrus is very organized. People actually agree on one hashgacha (We could learn something from that). Many products are supervised, and unlike some countries, they print the hechsher on the labels, so it is not difficult to find food, even outside major cities, and you don’t have to carry a list. The chief rabbi has achieved much in kiruv.

R Schachter, Shlita, said the bracha, but he did not seem to specifically announce that others should. It is possible that one of the reasons he made it, was because he was davka videoed taking the vaccine, so that others should take it and be helped.

Mincha minyan running into Isr tour group, top of table mountain, Cape Town.

There is no gabbai to make a hachraza, but by saying Morid haTal for Musaf even for those in Chutz laAretz who daven Nusach Ashkenaz and generally do not say it during the summer, you avoid the safek of having to go back, since we generally hold that if you mazkir Tal at any time, you do not have to repeat. – To GRATEFULBLAC If you are saying Morid haTal and IF you do want to say the main part of Tefilas Tal, from “ Tal tein,” la-aniyas da-ati, it would seem to make sense to say it k’minhag haGaon, i.e., after Ashrei, before Musaf, but speak with your rav beforehand.

I will refrain from a major comment, but I am amazed that, in over 40 entries after the initial post asking about issues, no one (did I miss it?) even mentioned a microphone, which is probably used in virtually every Conservative congregation (not that it is necessarily as much of an issue as some believe it to be, without going into detail, and it might well have been less of an issue, had there not been a Conservative movement. Much of the discussion years ago, of course, was before fluidics and Tzomet. There was at least one case where a rav was able to put in a mechitza, and instead of having to persuade the people to not have a microphone, they raised money for the Tzomet system). On another note, there was an effort years ago to get Orthodox rabbanim into Conservative shuls for kiruv purposes. Heteirim were given on a very individual basis. There was one well-known case where R Soloveichik was matir under the conditions that the rav not take a salary or move into the neighborhood until a mechitza was put in, and it had to be clear that he was not davening there, only leading the services. After several months, a mechitza was put in, and that institution became a major source of Torah and kiruv, responsible for hundreds and hundreds of baalei teshuva.

Perhaps more important than over-stressing vocalization of the na, is understanding that a na begins a syllable, whereas a nach ends one. There should be some vocalization in any case, as in distinguishing between, e.g., Vayyir-u (“They saw”) and Vayyee-r’u (“They feared”). Keep in mind that some cases of sh’va are subject to machlokes. Much of dikduk taught in America is by the German community (who fortunately do place some emphasis on dikduk in chinukh, realizing its importance), many of whom pronounce as na` a sh’va m’rachef (e.g., בגדל זרועך ) – and this also includes a m’lap[f]um ganuv (a sh’va after a shuruk which some might say could have once been pronounced by some as a vocalized semivowel) – and other sh’va-im (e.g., ועבדתם, ואבדתם ) – sometimes for tiferes hak’ria purposes. I’m not faulting those who hold this way, however we must realize that this is certainly not always l’khol hadai-os, even though at times when taught or presented, it can give that impression. Many grammarians (and I don’t limit this to ‘maskilim’ or ‘modern’ grammarians – it could easily include those such as the Gaon [G’ra] and the Rada”k in many cases) would often hold otherwise.

Technically Taliyyos and Talisos are both considered acceptable and even correct. Taleisim is not, though you could argue that it is Yiddish. What bothers me more, is hearing talmidei chakhamim say, v’aHAVta or v’dibBARta in K’rias Sh’ma, considering I assume they would want to be yotzei l’khatt’chila, or saying, v’aKHALta in K’rias Sh’ma or bentching, both of which are d’Oraisa. BTW, it’s Divrei Sorah, Shom’rei Sorah, Machazikei Sorah and the like, after eheve”i — rafa, except if it were the first of a repeated letter, or occasionally two letters from the same motza, especially s’fasios, i.e., buma”f. In mikra, it works only after a m’shares, not a mafsik. You find it a little more often in Sifrei Eme”s, which allow two consecutive m’shar’sim in situations where Sifrei Khaf-Alef do not. That said, in transliteration, it is acceptable to leave the dagesh kal.

There is also an inyan that if the baal tefilla is wearing them on chol hamoed PESACH only, he waits until after hallel to remove them. It’s likely because of tircha d’tzibbura, which would not be as pressing on chol haMoed Sukkos, when there is already a break before hallel, to permit people to bentsch esrog.