Tuesday 3 September 2013

Hallel, Shir Hakkavod, Aleinu

Something to chew on -
IIIRC the Talmud itself counsels us to avoid reciting Hallel too frequently, lest we reduce its preciousness.

I've heard this applied to Shir Hakkavod, and so
Some recite it every Shabbat
Some only on Yom Tov
And
Some only on Yom Kippur.

Now we come to one of the most dramatic passages on Yamim Nora'im, the Aleinu. It has that special melody reminiscent of Avot and Kol Nidrei. Hazal ordained it for Mussaf R"H, and it's also in the Hazorat HaShatz on .Y"K

Now we hear complaints about how Aleinu is mumbled and how little heed is paid to this majestic prayer - at least during the 3 times a day we recite it.

Is this due to the law of unintended consequences? Has placing Aleinu at the end of davening 3 times a day cheapened it somehow?

Best Regards,
RW

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