FW: The Sephardic Custom to Gesture With One's Hands Before the Amida
David Kunkel
Sfard/Ashkenaz minyanim, this is not our minhag; presented for education
only.)
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From: Daily Halacha [mailto:ret...@dailyhalacha.com]
Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 2:02 AM
To: David Kunkel
Subject: The Sephardic Custom to Gesture With One's Hands Before the
Amida
The Rabbi Jacob S. Kassin Memorial Halacha Series
Authored by Rabbi Eli J. Mansour (6/28/2009)
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Description: The Sephardic Custom to Gesture With One's Hands Before the
Amida
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There is a prevalent custom among the Sepharadim to gesture with one's
hands to the right and to the left before beginning the Amida prayer.
The custom is to gesture three times to the individual standing to one's
right, and then three times to the person to the left. The Ben Ish Hai
(Rabbi Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) records this custom in Parashat
Beshalah and writes that this is done for reasons based on Kabbalistic
teachings.
Additionally, however, the Ben Ish Hai provides a reason on the level of
"Peshat" (the simple, straightforward understanding). We describe in
the prayer service the procedure by which the angels in heaven praise
God, and how the angels would receive permission from one another before
beginning the praise, so that the praise would be recited in unison
("Ve'notenim Reshut Ze La'ze"). As we begin our prayer service, we seek
to resemble the heavenly angels, and we therefore turn to those standing
next to us as though asking permission to begin our prayer, just as the
angels do before beginning their praise of God.
Rav Haim Palachi (Turkey, 1788-1869), in his Kaf Ha'haim, suggests a
slightly different explanation. Just before the Amida service in
Shaharit and Arbit, we recall the miracle of the splitting of the sea,
and the song of praise sung by Beneh Yisrael after the miracle. We
emphasize the fact that the entire nation sang this song of praise in
unison ("Yahad Kulam Hodu Ve'himlichu."). At Minha, too, we recite just
before the Amida the verse, "Vi'barech Kol Basar Shem Kodsho" ("All
flesh shall bless His holy Name" - Tehilim 145:21), emphasizing the fact
that all people join together in praising God. We therefore turn to
each other before beginning the Amida as an expression of this theme of
joint, collective praise for the Almighty.
It should be noted that during Minha and Arbit, these gestures should be
made not immediately before the Amida, but rather during the Kaddish, as
one answers "Yeheh Shemeh Rabba Mebarach." This is as opposed to
Shaharit, when one should make the gestures just before he begins the
Amida prayer. Hacham Ovadia Yosef, in his Halichot Olam, writes that
when gesturing during "Yeheh Shemeh Rabba" one must ensure not to become
so preoccupied with gesturing that he does not properly concentrate on
what he says. Even while gesturing, one should make a point to
concentrate on the words of "Yeheh Shemeh Rabba."
Summary: The Sephardic custom is to gesture with one's hands three times
to the right and then three times to the left before beginning the
Amida. At Shaharit, this is done just before one begins the Amida, and
during Minha and Arbit one gestures while reciting "Yeheh Shemeh Rabba"
during the Kaddish before the Amida.
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