Friday, June 18, 2010

בואי כלה

Maayanot alumna Rebecca Schenker asks:

Is there a specific way to turn during "boi bishalom"

This is a really interesting question, with not much textual evidence but different minhagim (see a conversation about it here).  In the typical shul, where the aron kodesh faces towards ירושלים - east here in America - and the entrances are in the back of the shul, everyone would agree to face the back.  Some people do this because they say to face the doors to welcome שבת, and therefore you should face the entrance wherever it is (even in the front?).  Rav Goren is quoted saying that שבת is not human or physical only spiritual, and doesn't need a door to enter (I wonder if he opened the door for שפוך חמתך at the seder), and therefore you should always face west (no matter where you are relative to ירושלים) towards the sunset.  Other minhagim say to face away from the aron kodesh, or opposing ירושלים.

In the old YU בית מדרש, which faced north (I think) and had its doors on the side, this led to an interesting sight.  There were two rabbeim who once  a year were in Yeshiva together for Shabbos, and sat near each other in shul.  One of them would face the doors (east), and one faced away from ירושלים (west) so for those moments, they were standing, and singing directly facing each other.

Have a great Shabbos .

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