Reciting Vayehi Noam
[1] (Halacha 704)
Question: Why do we say Vihi Noam and Atah Kadosh on Motzaei Shabbos?
Answer: Chazal said1: '[Rabbi Akiva] said to him [Turnusrufus]: All the days of the week we are judged, and on Shabbos we rest, and on Motzaei Shabbos, until the sedarim are completed; and when the sedarim are completed, an angel named Dumah, who is appointed over the souls, comes and takes the souls of those people and casts them to the earth. This is the meaning of "a land of gloom, as darkness itself, tzalmaves (the shadow of death), without any order" — what is tzalmaves? [It means] "go out to death (tzei la'maves)," for the sedarim have already been completed.'
And it is written in Seder Rav Amram Gaon2: 'And the chazan opens with Vihi Noam Hashem Elokeinu .. u'maaseh yadeinu koneneihu, and the entire congregation begins after him with Vihi Noam and recites Yoshev B'seser etc. until Va'arehu bishuasi — such is the minhag. After the congregation finishes Orech yamim, the sheliach chazor returns and repeats it and says Orech yamim. And he says Atah Kadosh .. And this that they were accustomed to say Vihi Noam and the Kedusha d'Sidra and to say it with pleasantness and sweetness of taste at the departure of Shabbos, is so that Yisrael should tarry in completing their sedarim, in order to prolong the rest of the wicked from returning to Gehinnom, as we say: on Motzaei Shabbos the angel who is appointed over the spirits cries out "Return to Gehinnom, for Yisrael have already completed their sedarim." And therefore Yisrael mention Vihi Noam in the order of Motzaei Shabbos, for so it is alluded to regarding Vihi Noam on Motzaei Shabbos'3.
And Shibolei HaLeket4 wrote: And why were they accustomed to say this mizmor on Motzaei Shabbos? My brother R' Binyamin explained, according to what Chazal said .. a song against harmful spirits, with harps and lyres and drums, and he says Yoshev B'seser Elyon until Ki Atah Hashem machsi; and this mizmor was said by Moshe Rabbeinu, may he rest in peace, at the time that he erected the Mishkan and prayed [regarding] the harmful spirits that they should cease from the world .. And since on Shabbos they do not need protection .. therefore now that they enter the weekdays and they need protection .. therefore they were accustomed to say this mizmor on Motzaei Shabbos, which contains a prayer to be saved from harmful spirits .. As it says, "A thousand shall fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you" — from the judgment of Gehinnom, as it says, "no evil shall befall you" — evil means nothing other than Gehinnom, as it says, "and even the wicked for the day of evil" .. Orech yamim they double and say it twice, and the reason is to separate between the recitation of the mizmor and the Kedusha d'Sidra; and some say it is because the words of Vihi Noam correspond to the words of Krias Shema, lacking five words, therefore they double Orech yamim, which is 5 words, so that the words should be aligned'.
And the Tashbetz Katan5 wrote: 'In Vihi Noam the letter zayin is absent, to tell you that whoever says it 7 times, no weapon (kli zayin) can harm him6 .. The Maharam, may his memory be blessed, when he would pray Vihi Noam would say "L'olam Orech yamim" etc. twice. And then it has the numerical value of Kohanim in gematria, because the Kohanim of the Chashmonaim and his sons went out to war and said Vihi Noam 7 times and Orech yamim asbi'eihu twice, and they were victorious'.
And the Tur7 wrote: 'And we are accustomed to say Vihi Noam because it is a mizmor of blessing, in which Moshe blessed Yisrael at the time they completed the work of the Mishkan; and we are accustomed to double the pasuk Orech yamim asbi'eihu, since through this the Name that emerges from it is completed8 .. And we begin with u'Atah Kadosh because there is no redemption at night'.
And the Abudraham9 wrote: 'And the reason we double Vihi Noam at the beginning and Orech yamim asbi'eihu at the end: some say it is because Yoshev B'seser Elyon together with the pasuk Vihi Noam contains 124 words, and when you double them they become 248; and by right it should be doubled another time, but on account of the burden on the congregation they instituted to double only the first and last pasuk, and it is considered as if the whole was doubled. And therefore they instituted to say it on Motzaei Shabbos, which is the beginning of the week, in order to guard the 248 limbs, as we say in Eleh HaDevarim Rabbah: through the 248 words that are in Krias Shema, "guard His mitzvos and live" — guard the 248 words that are in Krias Shema, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will guard your 248 limbs'.
And the Tzror HaMor10 wrote: 'And because through the sin of Adam HaRishon all kinds of impurity, zivah, and keri were drawn from him, so Scripture immediately commanded, "Adam, when he shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising or a scab," and it did not say "ish" or "gever" but rather "Adam," to allude to Adam HaRishon, from whom these impurities and afflictions and all kinds of zivah were drawn, which came into being from him during the 130 years that he was separated from his wife; and evil harmful spirits and afflictions of men and evil spirits attached themselves to him. And therefore it says in the song against harmful spirits, "nor shall any affliction come near your tent," and therefore this mizmor has 130 words corresponding to those 130 years; and therefore they double the pasuk Orech yamim to complete the count'.
It is brought in the writings of the Arizal11: 'On Motzaei Shabbos when we say Vihi Noam, it is because there were two kinds of tosefes Shabbos: one in the secret of the tefillos, and one in the secret of the seudos. And corresponding to the seudos we make a seudah on Motzaei Shabbos .. And corresponding to the tefillos, we say Vihi Noam, and you should have in mind to draw down that supernal pleasantness (noam) to all the tefillos of the entire week'.
And the Rebbe, the Rashab12, wrote: 'And as it is stated in the sifrei Kabbalah .. that this that we say Vihi Noam on Motzaei Shabbos is so that the impression from the delight of the tefillah of Shabbos should remain for the entire week'.
In practice the Rema13 wrote: 'And we say Vihi Noam and the Kedusha d'Sidra at length, in order to delay the Kedusha d'Sidra, for then the wicked return to Gehinnom'.
And these are the words of the Alter Rebbe14: 'We are accustomed to say Vihi Noam because it is a mizmor of blessing, in which Moshe blessed Yisrael at the time they completed the work of the Mishkan; and we are accustomed to double the pasuk Orech yamim etc., since through this the Name that emerges from it is completed. And we are accustomed to say the Kedusha d'Sidra and begin with u'Atah Kadosh and not U'va l'Tzion goel, because there is no redemption at night. And all this length that we extend after tefillas Arvis on Motzaei Shabbos is in order that Yisrael should tarry in completing their sedarim, so as to prolong for the wicked their return to Gehinnom, for they wait for them until the last congregation of Yisrael completes their sedarim'.
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Notes:
1 תנחומא כי תשא סי' לג ↩
2 סדר מוצ"ש (ח"ב סי' לז) ↩
3 וראה בשו"ת בנימין זאב סי' ריט: 'כלומר הרי אנו מתפללין שיהא בשבוע זה מעשה ידינו בכשרות וביושר ולא נבוא לידי עבירה כדי שלא נידון בגהינם' ↩
4 ענין שבת סי' קכט ↩
5 סי' רנז - רנח ↩
6 וכתב האבודרהם: 'וגם תמצא כי ז' פעמים א"א אותו ואלו הן בשבוע שיבא בו פסח ב' ושבועות א' ור"ה א' ויוה"כ א' וסוכות שנים הרי שבעה' ↩
7 או"ח סי' רצה ↩
8 וכתב המג"א סי' רצה: 'וע' במטה משה שהאריך בזה וכ' שיש בישועתי ב' יודי"ן וכשכופלין אותן היא ד' יודי"ם והיא שם הוי"ה במילוי יודי"ן [= 'שגימטריא שלו ע"ב, שיש במילואו ד' יודי"ן כזה, יו"ד ה"י וי"ו ה"י' (מחה"ש)] .. וכ"כ בסידור מהרר"ה והיא המילוי שם של הוי"ה במילוי יודי"ן [= 'שהשם ע"י מילוי כזה עולה ק"ל, צא וחשוב, י' י"ו יו"ד עולה מ"ו, ה' ה"י עולה כ', יחד ס"ו, ו' ו"י וי"ו עולה מ"ד, יחד ק"י, ה' ה"י עולה כ', יחד ק"ל' (מחה"ש)]. כמ"ש של"ה כזה י' י"ו יו"ד וכו' וקריאת המזמור נחשב' לאחד ובזה מיושב קושית מוהרר"ה במרדכי'. [=ר"ל, שבמזמור יושב בסתר יש קי"ב תיבות, ובצירוף פסוק ויהי נועם שיש בו י"ב תיבות עולה קכ"ד, וכשכופלים פסוק ארך ימים שיש בו ה' תיבות עולה קכ"ט תיבות, חסר תיבה אחת למנין ק"ל, לזה כתב דקריאת מזמור עצמו נחשב לאחד, הרי ק"ל' (מחה"ש)] ↩
9 סדר מוצ"ש ↩
10 פר' ויקרא ↩
11 פע"ח שער השבת פכ"ד ↩
12 המשך תרס"ו ע' קנד (ע' רב במהדורה החדשה) ↩
13 שו"ע או"ח סי' רצה ס"א בהגה ↩
14 שו"ע או"ח סי' רצה ס"א ↩
[2] (Halacha 705)
Question: Do we say Vihi Noam and Atah Kadosh on every Motzaei Shabbos?
Answer: It is written in Seder Rav Amram Gaon1, brought in the Ritz Giat2: 'And so did Rav Sar Shalom Gaon send [in a responsum]: We do not say Vihi Noam except on Motzaei Shabbos, but on Motzaei Yom Tov we do not say it, but rather on a Motzaei Shabbos [leading] to weekdays; but on a Motzaei Shabbos [leading] to a Yom Tov we do not say it, for when the early forefathers established it, they established it only for a Motzaei Shabbos [leading] to weekdays, but on a Motzaei Shabbos [leading] to a Yom Tov — since one needs to say u'maaseh yadeinu, and there is no maaseh yadeinu (work of our hands) on Yom Tov — one does not say it. And Kedusha d'Sidra likewise we do not say. The general rule of the matter: wherever we do not say Vihi Noam, we do not say Kedusha d'Sidra. And also on a Motzaei Yom Kippur that falls on Motzaei Shabbos, we do not say Vihi Noam nor Kedusha d'Sidra3. And when we say Vihi Noam on a Motzaei Shabbos [leading] to weekdays, [that is] where there are ahead six weekdays; but if there is a Yom Tov or Yom Kippur in the middle, even if Yom Tov fell on erev Shabbos and there are ahead five weekdays, we do not say Vihi Noam on that departure of Shabbos. What is the reason? Since we say u'maaseh yadeinu, u'maaseh yadeinu twice, we require that there be ahead six days, all of them weekdays'4.
If so, according to Rav Amram Gaon, we say Vihi Noam only on Motzaei Shabbos (and one on which Yom Kippur did not fall on that Shabbos), and on condition that there are after it 6 weekdays; and when we do not say Vihi Noam, we do not say Atah Kadosh.
[And the reason that Atah Kadosh is dependent on Vihi Noam, the Abudraham5 wrote: 'that they instituted the Kedusha d'Sidra to be said only because it is not the way to bless a student without his teacher being blessed with him. Therefore, since one begins with the blessing of His people'.
The Knesses HaGedolah6 challenged his reasoning: 'For although on account of this claim, whenever we say Vihi Noam we must say the Kedusha d'Sidra, but the opposite is not obligated — that if we do not say Vihi Noam, we do not bless a student without his teacher being blessed. And furthermore, there is a great reason not to withhold it, for the entire Kedusha d'Sidra was instituted for Motzaei Shabbos, since it is the time when the wicked who rested on Shabbos return to Gehinnom, and on Motzaei Shabbos the one appointed over the spirits cries out "Return to Gehinnom, for Yisrael have already completed their sedarim" .. And although when Yom Tov falls in the middle of the week we do not say Vihi Noam — for the reason that u'maaseh yadeinu koneneihu is written in it twice — but the Kedusha d'Sidra, which was instituted because it is the time of the return of the wicked to Gehinnom, why should we not say it'7].
In Shibolei HaLeket8 he brought differing minhogim among the Geonim [in addition to the view of Rav Amram Gaon, which he also brought in the name of Rabbeinu Netronai Gaon]: 'There are places that do not say Vihi Noam on Motzaei Shabbos when Yom Tov falls on the first or second or third [day], but from the fourth [day] onward, if Yom Tov falls, they do not omit it. And their reason is that the first, second, and third are called "after Shabbos," and from the fourth onward is called "before Shabbos"; and since the second and third are considered "after Shabbos," it is like a Yom Tov after Shabbos, on which we do not say it .. But in the name of Rav Sherira Gaon, of blessed memory, I found: and regarding the recitation of Vihi Noam on Motzaei Shabbos, which is found in the words of Rav Amram that we do not say it except at a time when there are ahead six weekdays .. we wondered greatly at this, and this is a minhag which we did not know and which we never heard of, even in the place of Rav Amram; certainly on a Motzaei Shabbos [leading] to a Yom Tov it is not customary to say it, and even on a Motzaei Shabbos [leading] to Chol HaMoed it is not customary to say it. And they asked Mar Rav Yosef bar Mar Rav Chanina and his father, of blessed memory, whether one may say it on a Motzaei Shabbos [leading] to Chol HaMoed, and he said to them: it is not the minhag to say it, but if one said it, he lost nothing; nowadays do not withhold it except on a Motzaei Shabbos [leading] to a Yom Tov or to Chol HaMoed alone. Behold, it is implied from the responsum of the Gaon that if Yom Tov falls from the second day onward, it is not proper to withhold saying Vihi Noam. And everything is according to the minhag of the locale'.
The Tur9 wrote like Rav Amram Gaon; however, regarding Atah Kadosh, he wrote: 'And in Ashkenaz they are accustomed, when they do not say Vihi Noam — such as when Yom Tov falls in the middle of the week — that then they also do not say the Kedusha d'Sidra .. and they are not accustomed thus in Sefarad, but rather they begin with the pasuk Orech yamim asbi'eihu etc. and Atah Kadosh'.
And in practice the Rema10 wrote like the minhag of Ashkenaz: 'And at a time when we do not say Vihi Noam — such as when Yom Tov falls in the week — we do not say the Kedusha d'Sidra'.
But the Sephardic sages wrote that according to Kabbalah one must always say Vihi Noam on every Motzaei Shabbos, and as the Chida11 wrote: 'I saw some of the great ones of the generation that even though the congregation was not saying it .. they would say Vihi Noam quietly, in the manner one says it every Motzaei Shabbos. And the Rabbanan stated the reason: that according to the way of truth, the recitation of Vihi Noam is required on every Motzaei Shabbos that is a weekday, even if there is a Yom Tov in that week ..'.
And so wrote the Ben Ish Chai12: 'And know that even though the plain-meaning poskim wrote that one should not say Vihi Noam when Yom Tov falls in the middle of the week, nevertheless, according to the sod one must say it on every Motzaei Shabbos .. And behold, here in our city of Baghdad, yatz"a, the minhag from of old was not to say Vihi Noam when Yom Tov falls in the middle of the week; and thanks to G-d .. I established, with G-d's help, the minhag in all the synagogues that are here in our city of Baghdad, to say Vihi Noam until the end of the mizmor on every Motzaei Shabbos ..'.
In practice the minhag of Chabad is as the Alter Rebbe13 wrote: 'If Yom Tov or Yom Kippur falls on one of the weekdays in the coming week, even if it falls on the coming erev Shabbos, we are not accustomed to say Vihi Noam; for since we say u'maaseh yadeinu konenah twice, all six days must be fit for work; but if it falls on Shabbos we say it. And at a time when we do not say it, we are also not accustomed to say Atah Kadosh and the entire Kedusha d'Sidra, because Vihi Noam relates to the work of the Mishkan, and through this the Shechinah dwelt among Yisrael — and this is "and You are holy, enthroned upon the praises of Yisrael." Therefore they are always joined one to the other'.
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Notes:
1 ח"ב סי' לז, סדר מוצאי שבת ↩
2 שערי שמחה הל' יו"כ ע' סה ↩
3 ענין זה שכשחל יו"כ בשבת א"א (ולא רק מטעם שבוע זה חל סוכות) אולי י"ל שהוא נפק"מ לדעות דלקמן שכאשר חל היו"ט מיום רביעי ואילך יש לומר ↩
4 טעם נוסף כתב היעב"ץ בסידורו, בית דוד בית נז אות ו: 'אבל העיקר הוא לדעתי משום שימי החול שבנתיים מוטלים בין שתי קדושות שיש בהן כדי להגין ולהציל מן המזיקין, ואם היו אומרים אותו אז, נראה כפוגם בכבוד הקדושה הנוספת שיש בשבוע זו באמצעה, זה ברור בס"ד' ↩
5 סדר מוצ"ש ↩
6 שכנה"ג הגה"ט או"ח סי' רצה א ↩
7 וראה בבסידור יעב"ץ שם אות ז ↩
8 ענין שבת סי' קכט ↩
9 או"ח סי' רצה ↩
10 שו"ע או"ח סי' רצה ס"א בהגה ↩
11 ברכ"י או"ח סי' רצה ס"ק א. וכ"כ בסי' תצא ס"ק ב ↩
12 ש"ב ויצא ס"ו ↩
13 שו"ע או"ח סי' רצה ס"ג ↩
[3] (Halacha 706)
Question: Yom Kippur and Pesach that fall on Shabbos — on Shabbos Teshuvah and Shabbos HaGadol that precede them, do we say Vihi Noam?
Answer: It is written in Sefer HaMinhagim (Tyrnau)1, brought in the Eliyah Rabbah2: 'And there is no zayin at all in Vihi Noam, therefore whoever says it 7 times will be saved from a weapon; and therefore there are 7 Shabbosos in the year on which we do not say it. For when Yom Tov falls in that week, then there is no maaseh yadeinu for all six days, therefore we do not say it. Also [if] the night of Tishah B'Av falls on Motzaei Shabbos, we do not say it, because it is called a moed. But on the night of Purim and Chanukah we say it. And so [if] Yom Tov falls on the coming Shabbos, we say Vihi Noam on the Motzaei Shabbos before it'.
And so it is written in Minhagos Wormaisa (Kirchheim)3: 'And if there are 6 days between Shabbos HaGadol and Pesach, then we say Vihi Noam, Atah Kadosh, V'yitein lecha''.
But we find several Acharonim who disputed this, and as the Yaavetz4 wrote: 'Maharal Tyrnau wrote in his Minhagos, at the beginning of the book, that if Yom Tov falls on the coming Shabbos we do not say Vihi Noam on the Motzaei Shabbos before it. And at the end of Sefer HaMinhagim it is written, in the law of Vihi Noam, that when Yom Tov falls on Shabbos we say it on the Motzaei Shabbos before it; and it appears that this is the practice. Firstly, because those brief minhogim at the end of the book were composed by one of the later authorities, who was after Maharal Tyrnau, of blessed memory. And furthermore, it stands to reason: what is the reason we do not say it when Yom Tov falls on the coming Shabbos? Because we require the six weekdays and there are none; therefore, when it falls on Shabbos, where this reason does not apply, why should we not say it. But even so, it appears to me that the Yom Tov of Pesach that falls on Shabbos is different, that one should not say it on the Motzaei Shabbos before it, since there is erev Pesach, which is forbidden in work, and note this; but on erev Yom Kippur that falls on erev Shabbos, although it somewhat resembles a Yom Tov in that one does not fast on it — nevertheless, since it is not forbidden in work by law, it is no better than any other erev Shabbos, and this is not sufficient reason to withhold from reciting Vihi Noam on the Motzaei Shabbos before it ..'.
And so it is written in the Haggadah shel Pesach im Chidushei Halachos (Tosfa'ah)5: 'For even if we say that it is not called a Yom Tov, nevertheless since it is forbidden in the performance of the primary categories of work, one should not say Vihi Noam; and although there is room to hesitate about this, nevertheless one who is lenient in this has lost nothing; and besides this, I saw in the Minhagim that even when Yom Tov falls on Shabbos — except for Pesach — one should not say Vihi Noam; and although we do not practice thus, nevertheless in our case one should not say Vihi Noam'.
And the Tzitz Eliezer6 agreed with them: 'And if so, it stands to reason to decide that when erev Pesach falls on erev Shabbos one should not say Vihi Noam on the Motzaei Shabbos before it, since according to the words of the aforementioned Geonim, the law of the prohibition of work on erev Pesach after midday, and its inclusion among the moadim, has a support and proof from the Torah from the order of the pesukim ..'.
But on the other hand the Pri Megadim7 justified the earlier minhag, that one should indeed say it: 'And if Yom Tov falls on Shabbos we say Vihi Noam on the Motzaei Shabbos before it. And even if Pesach falls on Shabbos, and erev Pesach after midday is forbidden in the performance of work by law [siman 468:1], and before midday, in a place where they were accustomed not to do [work] they do not do it [there 468:3], even so we say Vihi Noam on the Motzaei Shabbos before it. And in siman 559 in the Taz, os 3, the reason we do not say it on Tishah B'Av is that it was founded upon the erection of the Mishkan. And in the Beis Yosef the reason is that [in] a place where they were accustomed not to do [work] [siman 554:22]. If so, [on] Pesach on Shabbos and erev Pesach on Friday, or Purim in the middle of the week, [why] do we say it? Therefore the Taz wrote the reason that it was founded upon the erection of the Mishkan'.
And so too it is written in Noam Megadim: 'But if Yom Tov falls on Shabbos we say it, so it is written in the Eliyah Rabbah there, os 4, in the name of the Minhagim; and there is room to consider Pesach that falls on Shabbos, where on the sixth day, erev Pesach, [work] is forbidden after midday in the performance of work, and in the morning, in a place where they were accustomed not to do [work], see siman 468 — if so, why do we say it? And it is forced to say that since work for the need of Yom Tov is permitted, nevertheless since complete work is forbidden — I then saw that we say it nevertheless, since it is not entirely forbidden in work'.
And ostensibly so it appears from the precise wording of the Alter Rebbe8, who wrote: 'If Yom Tov or Yom Kippur falls on one of the weekdays in the coming week, even if it falls on the coming erev Shabbos, we are not accustomed to say Vihi Noam .. but if it falls on Shabbos we say it'. And from the plain meaning of his wording it appears that so it is with all the festivals, that when the festival falls on Shabbos, we say Vihi Noam on the Shabbos before it.
And indeed, in the Luach Kolel Chabad it is written that we do not say it, but it has already been testified regarding the minhag of Lubavitch, and the Rebbe, the Rashab, would indeed say it, as it is written in Shevach HaMoadim9, that he heard from Harav Zalman Shimon Dworkin, of blessed memory, the mora d'asra of Crown Heights, that so they were accustomed in Lubavitch.
And so it is written in Otzar Minhagei Chabad10: 'If Pesach falls on Shabbos, they were accustomed in Lubavitch to say Vihi Noam on Motzaei Shabbos HaGadol'. And so it is found in the reshimos of Harav Yaakov Landau, may he rest in peace: By the holy Rebbe [the Rashab], may his soul be in the hidden treasuries, may his merit protect us, they did not say Vihi Noam except only in a week in which Yom Tov actually fell. Before erev Pesach and before erev Yom Kippur they said Vihi Noam.
And regarding the conduct of the Rebbe it appears that there were changes over the years11, that on Motzaei Shabbos Teshuvah of the year 5724 the Rebbe did not say Vihi Noam, and likewise as sheliach chazor on Shabbos HaGadol, 8 Nissan 5725. And likewise on Shabbos HaGadol, 8 Nissan 5738 and 5751.
On the other hand, on Shabbos Teshuvah 5727 the Rebbe stopped the chazan who had begun to say Kaddish Tiskabel, and directed that Vihi Noam be said. Also on Shabbos HaGadol, 8 Nissan 5745, they said it, and likewise on Shabbos HaGadol, 8 Nissan 5748, when the Rebbe passed before the amud he said Vihi Noam.
In practice it appears that in such a configuration where Yom Kippur and Pesach fall on Shabbos, the essential [ruling] is to say Vihi Noam on the Shabbos before it.
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Notes:
1 מוצאי שבת ↩
2 או"ח סי' רצה ס"ק ד ↩
3 ע' רל בהגהות למוצ"ש הגדול בהגהה הב' ↩
4 שו"ת שאילת יעבץ ח"א סי' יט ↩
5 סי' א ↩
6 שו"ת חי"ג סי' לז אות ב ↩
7 או"ח משב"ז סי' רצה ס"ק ב ↩
8 או"ח סי' רצה ס"ג ↩
9 ע' 184 ↩
10 ניסן ע' יט ↩
11 ראה אוצר מנהגי חב"ד אלול תשרי ע' קע, יומן בית משיח גליון 245 ע' 52, מעשה מלך ע' 151 ↩
[4] (Halacha 707)
Question: Do we say Vihi Noam in a house of mourning?
Answer: Shibolei HaLeket1 wrote with respect to a house of mourning: 'And on Motzaei Shabbos they say there Vihi Noam, V'yitein lecha''.
But the Abudraham2 wrote: 'And on the night of Motzaei Shabbos we do not say Vihi Noam nor Yoshev B'seser Elyon, but rather from Orech yamim asbi'eihu, and the reason: that it is not proper to say song in a house of mourning .. And in this manner they are accustomed in Al-Ala, except that they say the pasuk Va'ani zos brisi and Ya'ancha Hashem b'yom tzarah'.
And the Knesses HaGedolah3 wrote: 'And they were accustomed in Seville not to say in a house of mourning, neither Vihi Noam nor Yoshev B'seser Elyon, but rather from Orech yamim asbi'eihu. And in this manner they were accustomed in Toledo. The Rada, of blessed memory, in Hilchos Berachos. And it seems to me that in Constantinople they are accustomed to say it, and I instituted in Tiria, may G-d protect and preserve it, to say Yoshev B'seser Elyon alone without Vihi Noam'.
And the Maharikash4 wrote: 'And they are accustomed not to say Vihi Noam on Motzaei Shabbos'. And the Magen Avraham5 wrote: 'And there are places that do not say Vihi Noam in a house of mourning, but only begin with Yoshev B'seser [Knesses HaGedolah]'.
Except that the Gaon Rav Chaim Naeh6 wrote regarding the words of the Magen Avraham: 'And the Alter Rebbe, of blessed memory, did not mention this at all, which implies that in the places of Ashkenaz they were accustomed to say it'.
And it is written in the Kaf HaChaim7: 'There are places that were accustomed not to say in a house of mourning, neither Vihi Noam nor Yoshev B'seser Elyon, but rather from Orech yamim asbi'eihu .. However, according to what was written above in the name of the Shaar HaKavanos, it appears that the pasuk Vihi Noam too must be said, and moreover that it is the essential [part]'.
Also in Darkei Chesed (Aushpal)8 it is written: 'Vihi Noam and V'yitein lecha we say in a house of mourning, and there are places that do not say Vihi Noam and begin with Yoshev B'seser and double the pasuk Orech yamim etc. and begin with Atah Kadosh Yoshev Tehillos Yisrael, because there is no redemption at night, and the world is accustomed to say it'.
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Question: Does the mourner himself also say it?
Answer: The Eliyah Rabbah9 wrote: 'And it appears that a mourner should not say Vihi Noam, for he is forbidden in work, even though [work for] something that would be lost is permitted, as on Tishah B'Av in siman 559; so it is written in the Minhagim [Hilchos Tishah B'Av]'.
And so wrote the Pri Megadim10: 'And the mourner himself, ostensibly, should not say Vihi Noam, for he is forbidden in work. But Va'ani zos brisi he says, since he studies Iyov, and also recites Birkas HaTorah'.
But the Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Kluger11 disputed the Pri Megadim and wrote: 'But in my opinion this does not appear so, for behold the pasuk Vihi Noam is stated in the plural; and if so, granted that on Chol HaMoed and Yom Tov and Tishah B'Av, on which everyone is forbidden in work, therefore one should not say Vihi Noam, but regarding a mourner — although he is a mourner and forbidden in work, others are permitted to do [work], and he prays on behalf of others; and we find many prayers in which a person prays on behalf of the community even though it does not pertain to him, and it is a mitzvah to pray on behalf of one's fellow. Therefore he should say Vihi Noam, to pray on behalf of others who are permitted in work, and this is clear, in my humble opinion'.
And so wrote the Maharil Diskin12: 'And likewise the recitation of Vihi Noam on Motzaei Shabbos — there is also no proof from Tishah B'Av, since [there] everyone is idle from work, which is not the case here. And also, [on] Tishah B'Av a different reason is stated, because it was founded upon the erection of the Mishkan etc.'.
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Question: Is the recitation of Vihi Noam said sitting or standing?
Answer: We find among the Rishonim that in the past they were accustomed to say Vihi Noam sitting, and as it is written in Shaarei Simchah of the Ritz Giat13: '.. And on Motzaei Shabbos, when one says after tefillas Arvis Vihi Noam and Kedusha d'Sidra while they are sitting, the Rishonim were accustomed for the chazan to bless standing and the whole congregation to answer Amen with intention, so as not to trouble the congregation to return and stand'.
But nowadays the minhag is to stand, founded upon the writings of the Arizal, as it is written in the Pri Etz Chaim14: 'On Motzaei Shabbos, when you say Vihi Noam, you must say it standing, to receive the returning light from the secret of the Binah, which is called noam .. but one need only say the first pasuk standing, and not the whole mizmor .. And since this is the light of Binah, one must say it standing, and therefore we too have the power to illuminate in the world of Beriah, in the secret of U'va l'Tzion, which is not the case on other weekday nights'.
And the Magen Avraham brought it there: 'The pasuk Vihi Noam they should say standing [the writings]'.
And so wrote the Alter Rebbe15: 'Some are accustomed, for a reason known to them, to say the pasuk Vihi Noam standing'.
Except that regarding what is written in the Pri Etz Chaim that one need stand only for the first pasuk — behold, in the Shaar HaKavanos16 it is written: 'The matter of Vihi Noam that we are accustomed to say on every Motzaei Shabbos, and in this will be explained a wondrous matter, to draw down the additional holiness of Shabbos to all the days of the coming week until the next Shabbos. Behold, this mizmor of Vihi Noam one must say all of it standing, and at the least you should say this pasuk standing and afterwards sit. And the reason is that the intention now is to receive the returning light from the Binah, which is called "the noam of Hashem," from the secret of tosefes Shabbos, and therefore it must be standing'.
And in practice the minhag is to say all of Vihi Noam standing, and as it is written in the Shaar HaKavanos.
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Notes:
1 הל' שמחות סי' כב ↩
2 סדר ברכת המזון לאבל ↩
3 הגה"ט או"ח סי' רצה א ↩
4 סי' רצה בהקדמה ↩
5 קצות השלחן צג טו ↩
6 או"ח סי' רצה ס"ק ג ↩
7 ע' קעג הובא במדריך (גרליק) ע' 189 ↩
8 סי' קלא ס"ק ט ↩
9 או"ח משב"ז סי' רצה ס"ק א ↩
10 שו"ת האלף לך שלמה או"ח סי' קיט ↩
11 שו"ת קו"א סי' ה אות קצט ג ↩
12 ח"ב הל' חדש וספירת העומר ע' קח ↩
13 שער השבת פכ"ד ↩
14 שו"ע או"ח סי' רצה ס"ב ↩
15 דרושי שבת דרוש ב. ורה בשע"ת סי' רצה ס"ק א. בן איש חי ש"ב ויצא ו ↩
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