This shabbos Yael and I were learning about kiddush and hamotze. By kiddush we were discussing the various minhagim regarding sitting vs. standing and by hamotze we were discussing whether one should dip the challah in the salt or pour salt on top. We looked into the Mishnah Brurah on both topics and tried to find a conclusion as to what the halachah says on the subjects.
Something we mentioned was that people tend to discuss family customs about these matters but they never bother looking at what the halachic sources actually say. There are some areas in one's observance that he just looks at his father or his rebbe and decides that this is the way something is supposed to be done without really looking it up or discussing it with a posek. Obviously, tradition and minhagim are an integral part of Jewish existence, but you never know if your father/rebbe is doing something because of a minhag or because of a specific situation that exists. If you look up the halachah it may be that their practice was because of extenuating circumstances that don't necessarily apply to you.
We noticed at first glance that many of the various minhagim regarding the standing and sitting during kiddush are supported equally and validated by both the Rama"h and Mishnah Brurah, but not every minhag has a basis in halachah and some may be based on unique situations. It's always best to trace it back to it's source and see which minhagim you identify with as having a basis in the halachic sources and which you may feel are more questionable.
Something we mentioned was that people tend to discuss family customs about these matters but they never bother looking at what the halachic sources actually say. There are some areas in one's observance that he just looks at his father or his rebbe and decides that this is the way something is supposed to be done without really looking it up or discussing it with a posek. Obviously, tradition and minhagim are an integral part of Jewish existence, but you never know if your father/rebbe is doing something because of a minhag or because of a specific situation that exists. If you look up the halachah it may be that their practice was because of extenuating circumstances that don't necessarily apply to you.
We noticed at first glance that many of the various minhagim regarding the standing and sitting during kiddush are supported equally and validated by both the Rama"h and Mishnah Brurah, but not every minhag has a basis in halachah and some may be based on unique situations. It's always best to trace it back to it's source and see which minhagim you identify with as having a basis in the halachic sources and which you may feel are more questionable.
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