Changing the Nusach in Shul - B'Mareh HaBazak vol. 6

A note of introduction: B'Mareh HaBazak is a collection of responsa written by the scholars in Kollel Eretz Chemdah, an institution in Israel dedicated to producing high-quality Talmidei Chachamim and judges. The teshuvot are unsigned by any particular scholar.

In a teshuva wrutten in 2005, the community in Pforzheim, Germany asked whether they could change the nusach that is used for davening in their shul. As the shul was originally populated by Jews of Middle Eastern descent, the nusach used was that of Eidot HaMizrach. However, over the years the community changed in its make-up and a new building was built, and the question posed was whether they could switch to using nusach Sefarad, as per most communities in the Land of Israel.

The initial position taken in the teshuva is that the nusach of a shul should not be changed, certainly so long as original members of the shul remain. If people with a different nusach join the shul, they should daven to themselves with their own nusach, but the chazzan should use the official nusach of the shul.

However, in this case there was a desire to change the nusach not only to accomodate the newer members of the shul, but also as a way to draw more people into the shul who might otherwise not be affiliated with any shul (i.e. kiruv). As such, given those realities, plus the reality of a new building, there seems to be room to allow the change. It is recommended to also change the name of the shul, and to perhaps introduce some new by-laws, all in the name of creating a sense that this shul is a new entity and thus the change is part of a larger shift in the overall composition of the congregation.

Shehecheyanu during Sefira - Yechaveh Daat 1:24

Can one make a bracha of Shehecheyanu on a new article of clothing during sefirat HaOmer? On the one hand there is the temptation to say no, since we do not make this bracha between Shiva Asar B'Tamuz and Tisha B'Av as that is a period of national mourning, and Sefirat HaOmer is also a time when we mourn, specifically for the students of Rabbi Akiva. However, Rav Yosef notes that while there is an aspect of mourning to this time period, it is actually supposed to be a happy time, with Ramban even referring to it as a type of Chol HaMoed between Pesach and Shavuot. As such, there should be no issue with saying Shehecheyanu during Sefira.

However, Rav Yosef concludes that one may adopt such a stringency out of piety, although in such a case a person could choose to wear a new garment on Shabbat and make the bracha, since even during the three weeks one could make a Shehecheyanu on Shabbat.

Music and Haircuts during Sefira - Igrot Moshe YD 2:137

In this subsection of a multi-topic teshuva, Rav Moshe Feinstein deals with two issues. First, he addresses the question of whether it is permissible to listen to musical instruments during sefirah if you are alone. Rav Moshe says that it is forbidden, based on the fact that even during the rest of the year we are lenient about listening to instruments for the purpose of enhancing a simcha, and therefore the added prohibition of sefirah encompasses people who are by themselves. [It should be noted that Rav Moshe has a generally strict view about listening to music post-churban Beit HaMikdash, and thus his view in this case is strict as well]

Rav Moshe then deals with the issue of whether or not a woman can get a haircut during sefirah. The existence of such a question is based on the fact that a woman who is in aveilut can get a haircut after shiva but still during shloshim. Even according to the Ramo, who is strict when it comes to shloshim and the week of Tisha B'Av, Rav Moshe feels there is still room to be lenient since the prohibition of haircuts during sefirah is only a minhag (albeit a strong one). However, he writes that if there is no pressing need for the haircut then it should be avoided.