More on Tachnun
In the continuing saga, from yours truly, a troublemaker at heart, more on Tachnun …
Tachnun With a Mohel
We had an interesting happening in shul today that I want to share with my readers. I am writing on vav Iyar, when the secular population is celebrating you-know-what (a “nidcheh”). We had a guest in shul today, a Sefardishe Mohel who turns up once in a while. He sat at my table, at the side of the Bais Medrash. This is a Yid for whom it almost never occurs that he doesn’t have a bris that day. (Did you follow the double negative?). So I expected that they would notice and skip Tachnun.
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A Mohel is one of the three “Ba’alei Bris”, and the congregation doesn’t say Tachnun during Shacharis with a Mohel present. This is a point which is discussed in the Poskim, but since the internet is not the forum for detailed responsa, let me leave it with that which this is currently the accepted practice, at least in our circles.
I have never seen it yet that the congregation didn’t notice his presence and call out “Kaddish, Kaddish, Mohel”. But I was still in the middle of Shemone Esray when the Chazan finished Chazaras HaShatz, and indeed no one said anything, and they said Tachnun. So I also said Tachnun because it says that only a congregation is pushed off, not an individual. I think that I was correct in this.
Anyway, after davening, a friend of the Mohel came over to say hello, and asked him:
“You said Tachnun today?”
He answered, “I don’t say Tachnun all year long, I’m a Mohel.”
“Ah. Wait a minute, you have a bris today?”
“Of course.”
“So why didn’t you say anything, the congregation should have skipped Tachnun.”
“The congregation wants to say Tachnun today.”
“Yes, but it’s against Halacha, no?”
“Don’t worry, there are plenty of people doing the exact opposite, transgressing Halacha in the opposite direction. Here, the whole chayus that this congregation has from today is that which they say Tachnun, I should take that away from them?!? I sat quiet, and if they noticed they noticed, and if not, not.”
I enjoyed the approach.
A gantz yor freilach …
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