Goodbye “Shelo Asani – God didn’t make me a …” Hello “She’asani Yisrael” – “God made me a Yisrael” Rabbi Asher Lopatin

The Aruch HaShulchan (46, yud) like the Bach that rules that if you say She’asani Yisrael, you cannot say the other two negative b’rachot – you would be “stuck” having said just one, positive, B’racha.

The Rosh (Rabeinu Asher) in the back of Masechet B’rachot, upholds the version that we have in Menachot – “She’asani Yisrael”. The Gaon MiVilna affirms it is the correct language to use in his Biur HaGra on the Shulchan Aruch.

Even though the three negative blessings have prevailed in our traditions and siddurim, and She’asani Yisrael has not, the Magen Avraham of three centuries ago and the Mishna B’rura of one century ago mention that in their respective periods there were siddurim – perhaps many of them – that had the b’racha of she’asani Yehudi or Yisrael, but that that is a mistake of the printers.

Asher Lopatin Says:
June 30, 2009 at 2:01 am | Reply

Yes, halacha l’ma’aseh. I say every morning She’asani Yisrael. I spoke about this to the shul, but our minhag at shul is to say all of Birchot Hashachar to ourselves, as private b’rachot, and begin the shul’s communal davening with L’olam.

Asher Lopatin

via Goodbye “Shelo Asani – God didn’t make me a …” Hello “She’asani Yisrael” – “God made me a Yisrael” Rabbi Asher Lopatin « Morethodoxy: Exploring the Breadth, Depth and Passion of Orthodox Judaism.

My comments there (though not entirely on topic):

1. • Benjamin Fleischer Says:
     June 30, 2009 at 5:51 pm | Reply There is a fundamental difference, as I understand it, between Conservative and Orthodox approaches to Halakha. Both movements accept it as binding, but the Conservative movement takes a positive-historical approach of “tradition and change”. Rather than simply accepting the customs of our ancestors as statutes, it understands the history of halakhic development and seeks to derive from there what is truly fundamental and what can change. (Though, the movement as it has existed for the last 100 years covers a wide swathe of halakhic opinion and practice from the very liberal reconstructionist to the more conservative break off, R’ David Weiss haLivni’s Union for Traditional Judaism). However, I think that a careful reading of the way Rabbis poskened up until the Enlightenment showed a much more agile ability to radically change halakha.

     Orthodoxy, for the most part today, does not posken based on historical scholarship and is less willing to make radical changes. R’ Lopatin has strong textual basis within the tradition for the change he proposes if one accepts that a halakhic need can be justified by a halakhic precedent.

     “Minority opinions have been
     preserved in the talmudic sources besides those of the majority so that if a rabbinical
     court, at a later time, should for some reason of its own agree with the minority, it would
     have the right to invalidate a previous ruling according to the majority. It would have the
     authority to do that even if the first ruling was given by a rabbinical court greater in
     learning as well as in numbers than itself.” (M Eduy. 1:4-6).

     [Berkovits, E Not in Heaven (Ktav 1983) p.7-8, cf. p122 n.21 where he explains that though a “fellow
     court” cannot annul the majority opinion, a later court may.]

     • Benjamin Fleischer Says:
       June 30, 2009 at 6:16 pm R’ David Golinkin (Masorti, Israel) has written a booklet Halakha leYameinu which this seems to be a summary of in case you are curious. You can also review Masorti responsa online at responsafortoday.com

       You may be interested in his teshuvot on kitniyot (allows it) and driving on shabbat (forbids it).

       I only add this to challenge the idea that the Conservative/Masorti movement cares not for Halakha. There are rabbis that may overreach and certainly the average member does not adhere to the standards of the law committee, but it does still have standards

       I doubt that morethodoxy wants the discussion to go that direction, though, so just consider this fyi.

2. Benjamin Fleischer Says:
   June 30, 2009 at 5:37 pm | Reply You may find this related discussion here interesting as well at original jewish

   Rene Teague asked: What does everyone think? … Can I legally say “she asani
   Yisraelit”?

   This question is very similar to a question that was asked of Rambam
   [Maimonides]. I think it might be helpful to post both the question and the
   (abridged) response.
   ….
   [You can find the original in Freimann, Maimonides' Responsa, Mekizei Nirdamim,
   Jerusalem, 1934 - SR].