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May 31, 2022

Interesting Psak: Birkat Kohanim in Tiberias

We all know that in Israel the Birkat Kohanim is recited daily and not just during the holidays as is done abroad (in Ashkenazic communities).

What is less known is that in northern Israel the standard is not to recite Birkat Kohanim at all morning services, but only at Mussaf - meaning in most ashkenazic shuls, the weekday prayers usually wont have birkat kohanim, but only Shabbos Mussaf and Rosh Chodesh will.

Hamechadesh is reporting that the Admor of Tzanz went to Tiberias to inaugurate a new community building for the growing Tzanz community in Tiberias. At the time, the Rebbe met with the community rav (his son) and the community dayan to discuss this matter. The decision they came to, and the psak they issued, was that the Tzanz community in Tiberias will change from the current custom and start saying Birkat Kohanim during all morning services instead of just Mussaf services. 

The change was set to take place this past Shabbos.

No explanation was given but I am curious to hear why they decided to change their custom and especially in light of that being the prevailing custom for the entire area.





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4 comments:

  1. Isn't there an opposite minhag in Tzfat? I am a Levi. Many years ago when my father and I were visiting Tzfat on Shabbat we got up and washed the Kohanim's hands during Chazarat Hashatz at Shacharit. At musaf we got up again but there were no kohanim. We were told that they don't duchan again at Musaf

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    Replies
    1. interesting. I dont know if they have a unique custom or not. I was recently in Tzfat for a Shabbos but dont remember noticing anything unusual. I actually think they duchaned at both services but not sure. It was a chassidishe place so they also might have done their own thing and not adhered to whatever the local custom is

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  2. Tzfas goes according to the Beis Yosef, who holds that you don't duchen by Shacharis. Even though the minhag of Bnei Ashkenaz is to Duchen by shacharis as well, since the Beis Yosef lived in Tzfas the chassidshe Minhag is to go according to the Beis Yosef on this one -the Sefardi Minhag, since it is Asre D'mar. The same applies to not making a bracha on half Halel. Since Tverya is next to Tzfas, they also accepted on themselvs the Minhag of Tzfas.
    However the Tzanzer Rebbe was mechadesh that since the new Tzanzer community isn't in the borders of traditional Tverya, since they are located in Tverya Ilit which is a nice drive away from Tverya, they shouldn't abide to the Minhag of Tzfas and Tverya, and rather revert to the original Minhag of Bnei Ashkenaz, which is to Duchen by Shacharis as well.

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