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Traditions
Alvin Stern
At TBS we consider our services to be a mixture of Conservative, traditional,
Chassidic and other styles all blended together. We are also fortunate to have
various Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions represented (Russian, Polish, German,
South African, Moroccan, Yemenite, Israeli, Hungarian, etc.) Most of the time
our services are mostly Ashkenazic in flavor. Occasionally, a family of Sephardic
background has a simcha and we adapt our services accordingly.
The Ashkenazic
Torah scroll is mounted on two handles (ETZ CHAYIM) and carried wrapped in
a decorative cover and read horizontally. The Sephardic Torah is contained
in a wooden case, read vertically and carried, opened, around the room both
before and after the reading. Hagbeh -the lifting and tying of an Sephardic
Torah isn't
possible, instead, the Torah is closed and taken off the reading table. In
order for the congregation to see and hear what's going on up on the Bimah,
the reader
and those getting Aliyot face the Ark rather than the congregation. When the
Torah is carried around the room, it is appropriate to "kiss" the
scroll; however, we don't touch the parchrment itself, but rather use a Siddur
or Tallit's
tzitzit as an intermediary.
The trop we normally hear is of European tradition;
there are unique Moroccan, Yemenite and other trop sounds. The Hebrew pronunciation
also varies with different
geographical areas. (My own German background would have "Oseh Shalom" pronounced "Owseh
Shaulom," for instance.)
While the texts of the Torah scrolls of all traditions
are identical, the words in the Siddurim are often different. A Nusach
Sephard Siddur, for example,
has the Borchu at the beginning and at the end of the evening service latecomers
would still be able to participate!
We are lucky at TBS to have people who
bring with them variations on the melodies we hear and the styles we normally
see. It is always a pleasant
experience
to share these traditions.
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