Selichos at the Kosel
This essay was first published in 1991/5751.
"And Hashem passed over his face..(i.e. went against His own wrath) (Shemos 34). Rabbi Yochonon said, if this were not written explicitly in the posuk, it would be impossible for us to say it. From here we learn that HaKadosh Boruch Hu draped Himself like a shaliach tsibur and showed Moshe the order of tefillah. He said to him, whenever Yisroel sin, they should pray this way [i.e. by saying the Yud-gimel middos brought in the Torah at that point] before Me, and I will pardon them..." (Rosh Hashana 17:)
It would seem from here that the Yud-gimel middos, the thirteen attributes of mercy that are the recurring refrain of the selichos, are of major importance and perhaps the main component of the whole order of selichos which we say during these days of judgment, with the rest of the prayers serving as their backdrop and framework.
A further idea to consider is whether the organization of the selichos, with pesukim and the individual selichos preceding the saying of the Yud-gimel midos, is similar to the order of the public tefillos which Chazal instituted, (which are described in the second perek of maseches Taanis) where the actual tefillah was preceded by divrei civushin, words of an elder about the gravity of the situation, to arouse the tzibbur to teshuvoh.
Where Are Selichos First Mentioned?
Although several individual tefillos which form part of today's selichos are already mentioned in very early sources, (for example Mi She'ana is mentioned in Taanis 2:4), the first place we find an order of selichos similar to that which we follow today is in the siddur of Rav Amram Gaon, which was written just over eleven hundred years ago at the request of a Spanish kehilla who asked him to send them the correct nuschaos (versions) of all the tefillos.
The Tur, quoting Rav Amram, brings a summary of the order of the selichos that we are familiar with, starting with Ashrei and Kaddish and ending with Va'anachnu Lo Neyda and Kaddish.
Rabbi Daniel Goldschmidt, in his edition of Rav Amram's siddur, brings a much fuller list, adding four different groups of pesukim from Tanach requesting Hashem's mercy and blessings. Each of these is followed by the Yud-gimel middos. After these comes vidui. The selichos are concluded with the various Hebrew and Aramaic tefillos with which (together with nefilas apayim) we also end selichos.
In the centuries following Rav Amram Gaon, piyuttim and pizmonim composed by the great paytanim were added to the collections of pesukim brought in Rav Amram's siddur, and we find that both the Shibolei HaLeket (in siman 282) and the Levush write that the individual selichos that are said vary from place to place.
In Seder HaSelichos, Rabbi Goldschmidt lists no less than thirteen different minhagim of Ashkenazi kehillos across the European continent, all of which were current up until these communities were destroyed eighty years ago.
In Western Europe there were distinct minhagim in Greater Germany (Frankfurt-on-Main and surroundings) which spread to France, Holland and some American kehillos, a minhag of Alsace, which was also adopted in Basle, a different minhag of the Ashkenazim in Italy, and the minhagim of Nirnberg and Fiorda, of Sweden and Switzerland, of Worms, of Cologne and of Palus.
In Eastern Europe there was the minhag Polin which was current in the kehillos of Eastern Germany, Vohlin, Rasein, and the Ukraine, and also today in many batei knesses in Eretz Yisroel. Minhag Pihem, Maren, veHungaren was also followed in Silesia, Berlin, and Altona-Hamburg-Wansbeck.
The Prague Alteschul had its own minhag, and there was also the minhag Posen VeHorodno. Finally, there is the minhag Lita VeZamut which was brought to Eretz Yisroel by talmidei HaGra in the eighteenth century which is used today wherever nusach HaGra is followed.
The Range Of Minhagim For Beginning Selichos
The Mechaber (Shulchan Oruch O"C, 581), writes that from Rosh Chodesh Elul it is the custom to rise early for selichos. This is the custom followed today by Sephardi kehillos.
The Ramo mentions the minhag of starting on the Sunday before Rosh Hashana, unless Yom Tov is to fall on a Monday (like it does this year) or a Tuesday, in which case selichos start the week before.
The Sephardic Custom
Rav Hai Gaon, the MaHaRi'Tz Gi'us and the Sefer HaManhig all mention starting from Rosh Chodesh. The source of this minhag is in Pirkei DeRebbi Eliezer where we learn that on Rosh Chodesh Elul, Moshe Rabbenu ascended Har Sinai to receive the second luchos, coming down forty days later on Yom Kippur, when Hashem acceded to his prayers and forgave Bnei Yisroel completely for the sin of the Golden Calf. Since these forty days are a time when Hashem granted us extra favor and mercy, special tefillos were arranged for the entire period.
The Meiri in his Chibur HaTeshuva brings as a further reason, namely, the halacha of starting discussion of the laws of each chag thirty days before the chag. He writes that saying the extra tefillos and the teshuva of chodesh Elul are related to that halacha.
The Ashkenazic Practice
In discussing the sources for the minhag of bnei Ashkenaz as given by the Ramo quoted above, it is simplest if we view the minhag as comprising three requirements:
1] Selichos should start from the twenty-fifth of Elul.
2] Selichos should start on a Sunday (or Motzei Shabbos).
3] There should be at least four days of selichos.
The Twenty-fifth of Elul
In the first perek of Rosh Hashana, the RAN discusses the reason the first of Tishrei is Yom Hadin for mankind. The mishna there discusses the various dates that mark the beginning of a New Year for different purposes (such as counting the age of trees for the years of orlah) and it also discusses the times during the year when Hashem sits in judgment on various issues. While judgment on the year's rainfall, and of the crops of fruit and grain both take place at times which are clearly linked to these things, no such connection is obvious when it comes to Rosh Hashanah.
The RAN brings the Pesikta where we find, in the name of Rebbi Eliezer, that the first day of creation was on the twenty-fifth of Elul and the sixth day, when Adam Horishon was created, was the first of Tishrei. Adam Horishon was created, placed in Gan Eden, and then he sinned and was judged and forgiven all on his first day of existence. This, says the RAN is a siman that all his descendants would henceforth be judged and acquitted each year on this day.
Our tefillah in musaf of Rosh Hashana is: "This day marks the beginning of your deeds..." This, therefore, refers to the creation of man, and not the world as a whole, for the world was created on the twenty-fifth of Elul. The RAN adds that this is why selichos are started on that date in Barcelona and the surrounding area.
The Biur HaGra (O'C 581) explains that this is also the basis for our minhag but, since the twenty-fifth of Elul always falls on a different day of the week, the beginning of selichos was fixed for a particular day, even though this means that the date is sometimes before and sometimes after the twenty-fifth of Elul.
Another aspect of the twenty-fifth of Elul, also connected to the fact of its being the first day of creation, is mentioned by the Chida (in Bircei Yosef O"C 581:19 quoting from Mesaprim Tehilos Hashem brought in a manuscript of Rav Yisrael Lingo). He says that it is appropriate to read on each day from the twenty-fifth of Elul onwards the pesukim describing that day's creations.
Starting on Motzei Shabbos
The Leket Yosher (quoting the Terumas Hadeshen) brings that the reason we start on Sunday is because of its proximity to Shabbos. On that holy day, people have been learning and delving into spiritual matters instead of working and from this, as well as the mitzva of Oneg Shabbos, they are in good spirits. Thus they have the proper frame of mind to enable the Shechina to rest with us and it is a good time for selichos.
There is a hint in the Torah (Devorim) that we should start selichos after Shabbos. The Ba'al HaTurim points out that the gematria of Atem nitzavim hayom is the same gematria as the words la'amod leslichos (694). Selichos usually start, according to the Ashkenazic custom, the night after parshas Nitzavim has been read either at Shacharis or Mincha.
2. At Least Four Days of Selichos
Several reasons are mentioned by the poskim for having at least four days of selichos. The Levush writes that it is so that those who have the minhag to fast on the first ten days of the year, should be able to fast at least four days prior to Rosh Hashanah, to make up for the four days of Aseres Yemei Teshuvoh they are not able to fast, namely, two days of Rosh Hashanah, Shabbos Shuvo, and Erev Yom Kippur.
The Ateres Zekenim points out that the Torah writes "VeHikravtem Olah" (you should bring an olah sacrifice) for all the other festivals but for Rosh Hashanah, the posuk says, "Va'asisem Olah," (you should make and olah sacrifice). This is to indicate that a person should offer himself to Hashem on this day, devoting himself totally to the service of Hashem.
One of the requirements of a sacrifice is that it be checked to see that it has no mumin (blemishes) for four days before it is brought, and we therefore examine ourselves for at least four days before Rosh Hashanah.
The Leket Yosher quoted earlier likens the days before Rosh Hashanah to the three days of preparation before Matan Torah, and as selichos begin on Sunday (and Rosh Hashanah cannot fall on Wednesday), there simply will never be less than four days.
Additional Minhagim For Starting Selichos
The Rambam, Rosh, and Tur mention that there are some who say selichos only during Aseres Yemei Teshuva. In the siddur of Rav Amram Gaon, there is a seder of selichos to be said from the fifteenth of Elul (this is also brought by the Mateh Efraim from the Avudarham).
The Meiri brings a minhag to say selichos every Monday and Thursday of Elul, and in the Tanya Rabbosi, (Hilchos Rosh Hashana 72) the reckoning is that if Rosh Hashanah falls on Monday or Shabbos, selichos start on the preceding Monday. If it falls on Tuesday, they start on the Monday of the previous week. And if it falls on Thursday, then they start on the preceding Thursday.
The Importance of Selichos
Some idea of the general importance of selichos can be gained from the explanation given by the Levush as to why we say the full Kaddish Tiskabel afterwards, and not Chatzi Kaddish. Kaddish Tiskabel, which includes a special request that our prayers be accepted, is usually said only after the Amidah has been said and the word tzelosehon in that Kaddish refers to the prayers of the Amidah.
The whole order of the selichos, says the Levush, is based on the regular order of tefillah: the pesukim beforehand correspond to pesukei dezimrah, the Yud-gimel midos and intervening pesukim, to the Amidah itself, and then Nefilas Apayim follows, just like after the regular Amidah.
A quote from the Sefer Chassidim (brought in the Magen Avraham in siman 68) and Machtzis Hashekel shows how important the pesukim before each selichoh are:"The Chacham heard that those around him were saying the krovetz (joyous poems said in some synagogues on special occasions) to a tune, but were rushing the pesukim. He told them that the pesukim were the basis on which the krovetz had been composed, and they should sing the pesukim just as they were doing for the krovetz themselves, so as not to make the piyut the main thing and the pesukim which had been composed with Ruach Hakodesh secondary."
The Machtzis Hashekel points out that the same is true of the pesukim before the selichos and these should be said slowly, not quickly as many do.
