The Nusach of the tefillah

[1] (Halacha 152)

It is known that the festival of 20 Kislev came about on account of the hours that the Alter Rebbe spent, after his release, in the home of the misnaged, and the master of that house relates as follows: 'In the meantime he entered into discussion with our Rebbe and began to speak harshly to him, saying to him: Behold, you imagine in your souls that you have already been saved; know that since you have now fallen into my hands you will not leave here until you sign for me to nullify the new nusach and the rest of the things you innovated, which our forefathers, who were among the greatest of the land like you, did not practice thus. And what would you have lacked had they said "We shall revere You" rather than "Crown"?'

Question: What indeed is the permission to change the version of the tefillah?

The question is based on the words of the Magen Avraham, who wrote¹: 'However, the minhogim that have been practiced regarding the foundations of the tefillah are not to be changed from the minhag of one's place, for there are twelve gates in the heavens corresponding to the twelve tribes, and each tribe has its gate and minhag — apart from what is mentioned in the Gemara, which is equal for all (the kavanos). And these are the words of the Yerushalmi Gemara: Even though we have sent you the order of the tefillos, do not change from the minhag of your forefathers. End of quote.'

Answer: Well known are the words of our master the Maggid of Mezritch, the teacher of the Alter Rebbe — whose yahrzeit was yesterday, 19 Kislev — in his work Likutei Amarim²: 'Behold, the matter of tefillah is in order that each person be able to ascend through his gate, for the tefillah is a ladder set on the ground whose top reaches the heavens, and each gate has its own particular combinations; therefore there are different nusachos. And behold, the thirteenth gate is for one who does not recognize his tribe, and [the Arizal] instituted an order through which gate one would come to the courtyard of the King — to this the thirteenth gate is directed, and it corresponds to the thirteenth tikkun, which is "v'nakeh," which receives from all twelve tikkunim, and this suffices for the discerning. And behold, the G-dly Arizal, since the pathways of the heavens were illuminated for him, taught knowledge to the people — for one who does not recognize his tribe — and instituted an order compiled from several nusachos, as is known to the experts. And if the questioner should ask: for what purpose are there thirteen gates? Behold, the thirteenth includes them all, so this would have sufficed! The answer is that in the time when each and every tribe was known, and the version pertaining to each and every tribe, it was certainly better to enter through [one's own] gate .. however, in this time, when the tribes are not known (and the proof is that there are kohanim and leviim among us — and how could we all have one version?), therefore let every man take hold of the way of the Arizal, of blessed memory, which is equal for every soul; and therefore it will be in the future to come, like Jerusalem — as is explicit in Yechezkel — that each and every tribe will be known. May it be His will that we merit to see in its rebuilding with the coming of the Redeemer, speedily in our days.'

Based on these words the Admor, author of the Divrei Chaim of Tzanz, wrote³: 'But after the holy and exalted one descended from heaven, the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, whose greatness is explained in the book Yachin u'Boaz [chapter 2] by the Gaon, author of Meir Nesivim, who testified to the greatness of his holiness and his wonders, and likewise Shem HaGedolim [entry Or HaChaim and entry Tzafnas Paneach] recounted in his praise, and several early Geonim testified that he was sent from heaven to rectify his generation — and he understood that the root of his soul was not from the gate of Nusach Ashkenaz, and therefore he took hold of the version of the Arizal, of blessed memory. And he also saw that from his time onward there were many souls fit to take hold of the version of the Arizal, of blessed memory, and to this end he instituted that those who follow him should pray in the version of the Arizal, of blessed memory. And thus the leaders of the holy generations after him conducted themselves — his disciples and the disciples of his disciples, great Geonim in the revealed and the hidden [Torah]. Therefore, anyone who believes in the Baal Shem Tov and in his disciples ought to take hold of the version of the Arizal, of blessed memory, and from it he should not budge.'

And concerning the question of how it is indeed permitted to change the version, the Rebbe points to the responsa Beis HaYotzer⁴, who wrote: .. According to the opinion of the Likutei Amarim, and according to what our holy master, of blessed and saintly memory, explained in his book Divrei Chaim, may his merit protect us — that the nusach of the Arizal, of blessed memory, does not oppose any version, for he, of blessed memory, sifted the fine flour from the food and it is rectified for every soul, since it includes all the gates. And if so, in changing from Nusach Ashkenaz to Nusach Sefard, which is the nusach of the Arizal, of blessed memory, one does not remove himself from his presumed status of having been until now in the gate of Ashkenaz — since even now, when he prays in the version of the Arizal, he likewise ascends in this gate of Ashkenaz, because it is a version that includes all the gates, as above.

And afterward, on the basis of the nusach of the Arizal, which is, as stated, the thirteenth gate, the Alter Rebbe rectified his Siddur⁵, and as the Rebbe Rashab, of blessed memory, wrote concerning this⁶: 'And it is known that the version of the Rebbe, of blessed and saintly memory, is for the most part according to Nusach Sefard, for all the kabbalah of the Arizal is upon this version ... And in my opinion, even if we were all wise, all of us knowing the kabbalah, we would be required to pray as we have been commanded, in the version of our great Rebbe, of blessed memory — to which one may not add and from which one may not detract.'

And with regard to practice the Rebbe writes⁷: 'What you write concerning the version of the Arizal is correct — that he arranged his version in an order compiled from several nusachos in a manner that would be suitable for all, as is explained at length in the book Likutei Amarim of the Rav, the Maggid of Mezritch, who was the teacher of the author of the book Hafla'ah and the book HaMikneh, world-renowned Geonim whose books are studied in all the yeshivos. .. In accordance with what was stated above .. it is understood that one may change from Nusach Ashkenaz to Nusach Sefard, and from Nusach Sefard to the version of the Arizal, which is the version of Chabad — but not the reverse. Therefore it is correct that you should continue in the version of the tefillah (which, as you write) you have already begun and are continuing in, and you should certainly do this in pleasant ways and in peace.'

If so, in practice there is a virtue in the nusach of the Arizal, as the Alter Rebbe arranged it, which is the gate that includes all the versions, and through it one may fittingly ascend the levels of tefillah; therefore it is proper to change over and to pray in this version.

¹ סי' סח ↩

² סי' קלג. וראה גם שו"ת האדמו"ר הזקן שער השמועה סימן ה ↩

³ שו"ת או"ח ח"ב ס"ח ↩

⁴ או"ח סי' ה. וראה בשו"ת מנחת אלעזר ח"א סי' יא ↩

⁵ ראה מ"ש בהקדמה לשער הכולל ↩

⁶ אג"ק ח"א אגרת יד ↩

⁷ אג"ק חי"ט ע' ד. וראה גם ח"ח ע' קיד. חי"א ע' סה. חי"ג ע' רצט. ובכ"מ ↩

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