Minhag (Hebrew:מנהג "custom",classical pl. מנהגות, modern pl. מנהגים,minhagim) is an accepted tradition or group of traditions inJudaism. A related concept,Nusach (נוסח), refers to the traditional order and form of theprayers.
Thetriliteraln-h-g (Hebrew:נ־ה־ג) means primarily "to drive" or, by extension, "to conduct (oneself)".
The actual wordminhag appears twice in theHebrew Bible, both times in the same verse and translated as "driving":
And the lookout reported, "The messenger has reached them, but has not turned back. And it looks like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi, who drives wildly."[1]
Homiletically, one could argue that the use of the word minhag in Jewish law reflects itsBiblical Hebrew origins as "the (manner of) driving (a chariot)". Whereashalakha "law", from the word for "walking path," means the path or road set for the journey, minhag "custom", from the word for driving, means the manner people have developed themselves to travel down that path more quickly.
The present use of minhag for "custom" may have been influenced by theArabicminhaj; in current Islamic usage, this term is used for the intellectual methodology of a scholar or school of thought (cf. Hebrew:דֶּרֶךְ,romanized: dereḵ) rather than for the customs of a local or ethnic community.
In addition to the613 commandments, Jews have traditionally considered Halacha (Jewish law as derived from theTalmud,responsa literature,Torah, and later codes) binding upon all Jews. In addition to these, there have always been customs and traditions not in the law itself. Some customs were at some points universally adopted (e.g.,head-covering among men) or almost universally (e.g.,monogamy). Others were or are observed by major segments of Jewry but not by others (e.g., not eatingkitniyot onPassover). Other customs are bound to certain localities or groups that originated in certain localities. Theseminhagim exist in various forms:
Various sources inrabbinic literature stress the importance of a long-held tradition, culminating in the statement "theminhag of our fathers is [equivalent to] Torah".[2] Custom can thus determine Halachic practice in cases of disagreement among rabbinic authorities. In numerous instances,RabbiMoses Isserles warns that one should not abolish long-held customs. (Isserles'gloss on theShulchan Aruch was, in fact, written so as to delineateAshkenaziminhagim alongsideSephardi practices in the samecode of law.)
Despite the above, aminhag does not override clear biblical or Talmudic enactments, and one may not transgress the latter for the sake of the former. In fact, anyminhag that intrinsically involves an element ofHalacha violation is considered null and void.[3]
The Talmud rules that a validminhag accepted by previous generations of a family or community is binding upon all later generations.[4] TheRosh states that the Talmud's ruling fundamentally applies to practices undertaken by learned individuals; innovations by the unlearned need only be followed publicly.[5] OtherHalachic authorities hold that the Talmud's ruling applies to all valid practices initiated by either learned or unlearned individuals.[6]
In most cases, personal acceptance of a newminhag is tantamount tovowing performance of thatminhag. Consequently, abandonment of such aminhag typically requireshatarat nedarim orsh'eilat chakham:Halachic procedures for absolving oneself from oaths. This was often necessary when, for example, an Ashkenazi Jew moved to theOttoman Empire and wished to join the local Sephardi community.
Jewish law provides for a number of mechanisms to change or remove a custom when it is held to be mistaken or illogical.[7]Orthodox rabbi and historian of Jewish lawMenachem Elon writes:
The acute displacement brought about byWorld War II andthe Holocaust, and the large-scaleimmigration to theUnited States, variousEuropean countries, and especially the State of Israel, have led to a mixing of variousminhagim and arguably the gradual disuse of certain customs. In addition, thebaal teshuva movement has created a large group who have no clear tradition from their parents. In response to these phenomena, certainscholars have focused on theminhagim, and attempts have been made to reviveminhagim that have fallen into disuse.
Nusach (properlynósach) primarily means "text" or "version"; the correct wording of a religious text. Thus, thenusach tefillah is the text of theprayers generally or as used by a particular community. In common use,nusach has come to signify the entire liturgical tradition of the community, including the musical rendition. It is narrower thanminhag, which can refer to custom in any field and not necessarily that of communal prayer.
Bothnusach andminhag can thus be used forliturgic rite orliturgic tradition; sometimes, anusach appears to be a subdivision of aminhag or vice versa; seedifferent Jewish rites andpopular siddurim underSiddur. In general, one must pray according to one's "nusach of origin" unless one has formally joined a different community and accepted itsminhag. (Perisha rules that if one abandons anusach that has been accepted universally by the wider Jewish community, his prayer is disqualified and must be repeated using the acceptednusach:Arba'ah Turim,Orach Chayim, 120 ad loc).
The main segments of traditional Judaism, as differentiated bynusach (broadly and narrowly), are these:
| History | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Population |
| ||
| Languages (Diasporic) |
| ||
| Philosophy | |||
| Branches | |||
| Literature | |||
| Culture | |||
| Studies |
| ||
Italics indicateextinct languages | |||
Jewish life | ||
|---|---|---|
| Birth and infancy |   | |
| Coming of age | ||
| Daily life | ||
| Marriage | ||
| Religious practice | ||
| Religious items | ||
| Death | ||
