[HANASHIR:11480] Re: facing east

[Sholom Simon <sholom...>]

Cutting and pasting from various posts:

>Generally, the minhag (custom) is to face toward Jerusalem, whatever that 
>direction might be.  However, if the Aron with the Torah is on a wall other 
>than the one facing Jerusalem, the minhag is to face the wall with the
Torah. 
>To do otherwise would be disrespectful of the presence of the Torah. 

Actually, there is a machlokes (disagreement) about what to do in this
case.  I have heard of both opinions (one to face the Torah, one to face
J'lem).

(I have heard that facing the Ark/J'lem is only needed during Amida,
although I've also seen it (and my own custom) is also for during the
bowing on Barchu and Aleinu).

I asked a very knowlegable friend about this, and he replied that facing a
certain direction, he thought, was only important during the amida,
explaining:

"We don't believe that Hashem is in the east.  However, when PRAYING -- and
most things in the prayer service are not actual prayer -- we have a
special promise (from HaShem to Shlomo [in I Kings]) that our prayers will
be answered (more) if we direct them towards the Beis Hamikdash."

>That's the main point
>of Alenu, so I really don't understand the custom of opening the ark for
>that tfila, because it gives the impression that we are doing just that.

While I've seen the opening of the ark for Aleinu in Reform places, I have
_never_ seen it in an Orthodox place.

In fact, on the High Holy Days, when the ark is open, and we do Aleinu
during the Amida for Musaf, we make a point of closing the ark when bowing
for this reason.

FWIW,

Sholom


+-------------------------------------------------------+
|   Sholom Simon     | sholom (at) aishdas(dot)org               |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
| proud daddy to Joshua Ari  4/18/93 - 27 Nissan 5753   |
|        and Eliana Rebekah  3/12/95 - 11 Adar-2 5755   |
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