Nusach Ashkenaz may be subdivided into the German or Western branch - Minhag Ashkenaz - used in Western and Central Europe, and the Polish/Lithuanian or Eastern branch - Minhag Polin - used in Eastern Europe, the United States and by some Israeli Ashkenazim, particularly those who identify as Litvaks ("Lithuanian").[2]
In strictness, the term Minhag Ashkenaz (the Western Ashkenazic rite) applied only to the usages of southern German Jews (in recent centuries defined very roughly as those south and west of the Elbe), most notably the community of Frankfurt am Main.[3] North-Eastern German communities such as Hamburg and Berlin followed Minhag Polin,[3] although their musical tradition and pronunciation of Hebrew, and some of the traditions about the prayers included, were more reminiscent of the western communities than of Poland proper or even Austria-Hungary.
There are a number of minor differences between the Israeli and American Ashkenazi practice in that the Israel follows some practices of the Vilna Gaon (see Perushim § Influence) as well as some Sephardic practices. For example, the practice of most Ashkenazic communities in Israel to recite Ein Keloheinu during the week, as is the Sephardic practice.[4]
Leopold Zunz claimed that the Ashkenazi rite is descended from the ancient Eretz Israel minhag, while the Sephardi rite is descended from Babylonia.[6]HakhamMoses Gaster, in his introduction to the prayer book of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews,[7] made exactly the opposite claim. To put the matter into perspective it must be emphasized that all Jewish liturgies in use in the world today are in substance Babylonian, with a small number of usages from the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael) surviving the process of standardization: in a list of differences preserved from the time of the Geonim, most of the usages recorded as from Eretz Yisrael are now obsolete.[8]
Medieval Ashkenazi scholars stated that the Ashkenazi rite is largely derived from the Siddur Rab Amram and minorTalmudic tractate Massechet Soferim. This may be true, but in itself this does not support a claim of Babylonian origin as argued by Gaster: as pointed out by Louis Ginzberg[9] the Siddur Rab Amram had itself been heavily edited to reflect the Old Spanish rite. The Ashkenazi rite also contains a quantity of early liturgical poetry from Eretz Yisrael that has been eliminated from other rites, and this fact was the main support for Zunz's theory.
The earliest recorded form of the Ashkenazi rite, in the broadest sense, may be found in an early medieval prayer book called Machzor Vitry. This however, like the Siddur Rashi of a century later, records the Old French rite rather than the Ashkenazi (German) rite proper, though the differences are small. The Old French rite mostly died out after the expulsion of Jews from France in 1394, but certain usages survived on the High holidays only in the Appam community of Northwest Italy until shortly after WWII, and has since become extinct.[10] Both the Old French and the Ashkenazi rites have a loose family resemblance to other ancient European rites such as the Italian, Romaniote and Provençal rites, and to a lesser extent to the Catalan and Old Spanish rites: the current Sephardic rite has since been standardized to conform with the rulings of the Geonim, thereby showing some degree of convergence with the Babylonian and North African rites.[citation needed]
The liturgical writings of the Byzantine Jewish, especially the piyyutim (hymns), found their way through Italy to Ashkenaz and are preserved to this day in most Ashkenazi mahzorim.[11]
Tefillin are worn on Chol HaMoed (except on Shabbat). The original custom was to wear tefillin for the entire Shacharis and Musaf services, for weekday New Moon and Chol HaMoed prayers; however, for the last several hundred years, almost all communities take off tefillin immediately after the Amidah of Shacharit on Chol Hamoed (some keep them until after Torah reading on the day of Passover that "Shor or Kesev" is read, since this reading contains the commandment to wear Tefillin) and immediately prior to Musaf on Rosh Chodesh. Many today, particularly in Israel, do not wear tefillin on Chol HaMoed at all.
Separate blessings are said for the arm tefillin and the head tefillin.
Barukh she'amar is recited before Hodu, as opposed to other rites which recite Hodu first.
The second blessing before the Shema begins "Ahavah Rabbah" in the morning service and "Ahavas `Olam" in the evening.
In the summer months the second blessing of the Amidah contains no reference to dew or rain (Sephardim insert the words morid ha-tal, "who makes the dew fall").
The kedushah of shacharit begins "neqaddesh es shimcha", and the kedushah of mussaf (of shabbat and Yom Tov) begins "na'aritz'cha ve-naqdish'cha".[12]
There is one standard wording for the "Birkas Ha-Shanim", with only small variations between summer and winter.
According to the original custom, the Priestly Blessing is recited only on Festivals. In the Eastern Asheknazic rite, it is generally recited only in Musaf of Festivals, whereas in the Western Ashkenazic rite it is recited in Shacharit and Musaf of Festivals as well as Ne'eilah of Yom Kippur. However, in most Ashkenazic communities in Israel, the Priestly Blessing is recited daily.
Barechenu (the substitute for the Priestly Blessing) is recited daily at Shacharit, whenever Musaf is recited, as well as at minchah of Yom Kippur and fast days.
The last blessing of the Amidah is "Sim Shalom" in the morning service and "Shalom Rav" in the afternoon and evening services. (Congregations which follow German or Israeli Ashkenaz customs recite Sim Shalom at Shabbat Mincha as well, because of the afternoon Torah reading.)
The Torah scroll is lifted and displayed to the congregation after the Torah reading rather than before.
It is customary for the entire congregation to stand for Kaddish.
En Kelohenu concludes with a stanza about the making of incense. It is recited only on Shabbat and Holidays. (Most communities in Israel recite it every day.)
The morning service on Shabbos and Yom Tov contains Anim Zemirot - most communities recite it after Musaf, although some communities recite it after shacharis, right before taking out the Torah.
It is a binding custom to avoid Kitniyos on Passover.
Blessings are said over all four cups of wine at the Passover Seder.
Selichos do not begin until the Shabbos immediately before Rosh Hashanah if Rosh Hashanah falls on Thursday or Shabbos, or a week-and-a-half before if Rosh Hashanah falls on Monday or Tuesday.
One set of Hanukkah lights is lit by each member of a household.
The shammash is used to light the other Hanukkah lights.
^See Jonah and Avraham Fraenkel, Tefilah u-piyut be-mahzor Nuremburg for a detailed discussion of the differences between the Eastern and Western Ashkenazic rites.
^ abDaniel Goldschimdt, Rosh Hashanah Machzor, page 14 of introduction. In the Middle Ages, the border seems to have been further east.
^Bowman, S. "Jews of Byzantium", p. 153 Cf. Hebrew Studies by Yonah David, Shirei Zebadiah (Jerusalem 1972), Shirei Amitai (Jerusalem, 1975) and Shirei Elya bar Schemaya (New York and Jerusalem 1977); and the material in the Chronicle of Ahima'az.
^Keduashah of Musaf of weekday Chol HaMoed and New Moon begins "neqaddesh es shimcha", like every other kedushah during the week. On Hoshanah Rabba, the Eastern Ashkenazic rite recites the Festival version, whereas the Western Ashkenazic rite recites the weekday version.
Goldschmidt, Meḥqare Tefillah u-Fiyyut (On Jewish Liturgy): Jerusalem 1978
Kalib, Sholom, The Musical Tradition of the Eastern European Synagogue (2 vols out of projected 5): Syracuse University Press 2001 (vol 1) and 2004 (vol 2)
Wieder, Naphtali, The Formation of Jewish Liturgy: In the East and the West
Zimmels, Hirsch Jakob, Ashkenazim and Sephardim: their Relations, Differences, and Problems As Reflected in the Rabbinical Responsa: London 1958 (since reprinted). ISBN0-88125-491-6
External links
Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz Site devoted to the Western Ashkenazi (and specifically German) tradition
