DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
"Delivered to Over 6000 Registered Recipients Each Day"

      
(File size: 3.49 MB)
Rosh Hashanah – The Addition of “Te’anu Ve’te’ateru” in Kaddish

In the Kaddish recited at the end of Musaf on Rosh Hashanah, the Hazan adds a special insert that begins "Te’anu Ve’te’ateru Min Ha’shamayim." In this section, the Hazan wishes the congregation many blessings, that G-d should open for us many different "gates" – such as "the gates of light," "the gates of love and brotherhood," and so on. It is customary for the congregation to respond "Amen" after each wish.

Hacham Bension Abba Shaul (Israel, 1924-1998), in Ner Siyon (listen to audio recording for precise citation), laments the fact that many people answer "Amen" to these blessings with greater emotion and enthusiasm than they express in the standard responses to Kaddish. He emphasizes that the "Te’anu Ve’te’ateru" section is a later addition to Kaddish, and must not be treated with greater importance than Kaddish itself. We need to be careful not to confuse the primary responses of "Amen" with the secondary responses. And, our Sages teach that one who answers to Kaddish with all his concentration and feeling can annul even the harshest decrees. Therefore, while it is certainly commendable to answer "Amen" to the blessings in "Te’anu Ve’te’ateru" with great fervor, we should invest that same amount of feeling and emotion into the standard responses to Kaddish.

Summary: It is customary for the congregation to recite "Amen" to each of the special blessings pronounced by the Hazan during the "Te’anu Ve’te’ateru" section added to the Kaddish at the end of Musaf on Rosh Hashanah. This is a commendable practice, but one must ensure to answer "Amen" to the standard portions of Kaddish with no less fervor and emotion as that with which he answers "Amen" to the special additional blessings.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
If One’s Hands Touch Somebody Else’s Hands After Netilat Yadayim
A Firstborn Son's Rights to a Double Portion in the Inheritance
The Status of A Will in Halacha
The Basic Laws of Inheritance When the Deceased Did Not Leave a Will
May One Recite Hashem’s Name When Teaching a Child the Beracha?
Fast Days – Rinsing One’s Mouth with Water, Chewing Gum and Taking Pills
Ta'anit Yahid: Accepting a Personal Fast, and Eating Before Dawn on the Day of the Fast
The Intention One Must Have During Netilat Yadayim
Feeling Distressed Over the Destruction of the Bet Ha’mikdash
Is The Middle-Man Retailer Responsible For Compensation If The Mfg Is Out Of Business, and Issues Regarding Counterfeit Bills
Is A Deal Binding If Its Content Is In Violation Of A Torah Prohibition?
Laws of Barter Transaction; the Halachic Status of a Handshake When Closing a Deal
The Obligation to Keep Verbal Commitments
When Does Property Transfer Ownership In A Transaction
Delivering a Speech While the Torah Scroll is on the Bima
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found