Erev Rosh Hashana

Rulings about Erev Rosh Hashana are based on the Mishna Berura reflecting Ashkenazi practice.

Tachanun

• Tachanun is not said on Erev Rosh Hashana except at Selichos, like we do not say Tachanun the day before other Yamim Tovim. However, it is said at Mincha the day before Erev Rosh Hashana (SA 581:3, MB22, MB 131:33)

Shofar

• The shofar is not blown in shul on Erev Rosh Hashana, to create a break between the optional Shofar blowing during Elul and the obligatory Shofar blowing on Rosh Hashana. Another reason given for this is to confuse the Satan (Rema 581:3, MB24).

Hataras Nedarim

• Background: The Gemara (Nedarim 23b) states that one who does not wants their vows to be upheld should stand and state at the start of the year ‘any vows that I make in the coming year are nullified’. This originally led to the practice of saying Kol Nidrei on Yom Kippur but has further led to the practice of doing hataras nedarim on Erev Rosh Hashana.

The Procedure

• The person whose vows are being annulled stands in front of three men, who form a beis din of ‘judges,’ and says the formula which can be found in the siddur or machzor.
  • One must understand what one is saying for the annulment to be valid; therefore, one who doesn’t understand the Hebrew should say the translation instead.
  • The three judges then say ‘muttar lecha’ (your vows have been permitted) three times, though strictly speaking the procedure is valid even if only one judge said ‘muttar lecha’ once.
    • The practice is for the person who has had his vows annulled to then make a statement (found in the siddur) in front of the beis din saying that they wish their future vows to not be binding, though strictly speaking this need not be said in front of the beis din.
• The Judges: The three judges must be adult males. They may be relatives of each other and of the person whose vows they are annulling.
• Multiple people: In some communities, multiple people stand to have their vows annulled together; the poskim debate whether this is ideal or should only be done in a time of need.
• Women: The poskim also debate whether women should do hataras nedarim on Erev Rosh Hashana, or whether they rely on Kol Nidrei. One should consult one’s Rav for guidance.
  • Where applicable, those women whose practice is to do Hataras Nedarim on Erev Rosh Hashana may ask their husbands to do so on their behalf, in which case the husband should state to the judges at the start that he wishes his wife to be covered as well, and at the conclusion the judges should state in the plural ‘muttarim lachem’ (Dirshu 581:45).

Mikvah on Erev Rosh Hashana

• Some men have the practice to go to mikva on Erev Rosh Hashana. They should only go to mikva from the start of the 6th proportional hour of the day (1 hour before Chatzos, halachic midday).
  • The purpose of going to mikva is to remove Tumas Keri (impurity that derives from having a seminal emission).
  • Given this reason, some Acharonim suggest that one should refrain from intimacy over Rosh Hashana, unless it is obligatory such as if one’s wife is going to mikva on Rosh Hashana evening, or if one feels it necessary to avoid inappropriate thoughts – in these cases one should then try to go to mikva again on Rosh Hashana morning when one can (Rema 581:4, MB 26, Dirshu 54).

Pouring 9 Kav

• When a man is unable to get to a mikva, or finds going too uncomfortable, he may instead use the procedure of ‘pouring 9 kav’ of water over himself.  This involves pouring 11-32 litres (depending on the different opinions about the size of halachic measurements of volume) over one’s entire body continuously in one go (not doing each part of the body separately, in different ‘pourings’). Thus the water should be poured over one’s head, with one holding one’s hands loosely against one’s torso. One should wet one’s feet in advance given the water may not fully reach the soles of one’s feet.
  • Shower: Many poskim say that this procedure can be performed in a shower, whereby one stands under the shower (preferably when it is off, then one turns it on once one is underneath it) and allows it to run over one’s head onto one’s entire body for a few minutes until the above quantity of water has been used. Typical showers tend to give about 6 to 10 liters of water a minute (though one can measure this precisely on one’s own shower by timing how long it takes to fill up a one litre container of water and multiplying it by eg 32 to meet the view of the most stringent opinion).
  • However, some poskim do not allow the use of showers for this procedure. One should consult a Rav for practical guidance on this and the exact volume of water one should ensure to use.

Dipping in 40 Seah

• Dipping in 40 Seah: An alternative to ‘pouring 9 kav’ is for a man to dip in 40 seah (the volume of water needed in a mikva – between approximately 300 and 600 liters) of water, even if it is drawn water (which is invalid for an obligatory tevilah), so long as it is not flowing water or inside a utensil. Dipping in a swimming pool is valid for this purpose (MB 581:26, MB R 606:4, MB 22, MB 88:4, Dirshu 11, Piskei Teshuvos 88:5-6).
• Note that these two procedures above of pouring 9 kav or dipping in 40 se’ah are only valid for men who are unable to go to a kosher mikva, given that this immersion is not an obligation. These are NOT alternatives for one who has an absolute obligation to go to mikva, such as a woman after being niddah.

Visiting the Cemetary

• Some also have the custom to visit and daven at cemeteries on Erev Rosh Hashana – as there are righteous people buried there, it is a place where tefillos are more readily accepted. (Rema 581:4, MB 27)
• Before starting to daven there, one should give tzedakah (MB 581:27).
• A person should not focus their tefillos towards the deceased; rather one should daven to Hashem that He have mercy on us in the merit of the tzadikim resting there. This can also lead to the deceased themselves beseeching Hashem on our behalf (MB 581:27, MB 559:41).
• One should not visit the same grave twice in one day (MB 581:27).

Preparing for Rosh Hashana

• In the same way as on the day before Shabbos and other Yamim Tovim, one should prepare for Rosh Hashana by bathing, ensuring one has clean clothes and taking a haircut and shaving. Ensuring that we enter Rosh Hashana looking smart demonstrates our confidence that Hashem will be kind to us and issue us with a positive judgement.
• Nonetheless, due to Rosh Hashana’s status as a day of judgement, one should not wear one’s finest Yom Tov clothes (Yom Tov clothes are meant to be even fancier than Shabbos clothes) (SA 581:1, PH Yamim Noraim 2:10, MB25).
  • Kittel: There are differing customs whether the entire congregation wear a kittel on Rosh Hashana or only the Chazzanim and Ba’al Tokeia (Dirshu 49).

Fasting on Erev Rosh Hashana

• Shulchan Aruch records the custom to fast on Erev Rosh Hashana. (SA 581:2) This custom is not widely practiced nowadays, due to us being in a ‘weaker state’ than our ancestors (Chayey Adam 138:1). For those who do fast I below are some relevant halachos:
• One who fasts every year does not need to accept the fast on himself at Mincha the day before, unlike other voluntary fasts (MB16, Dirshu 35).
• Many have the custom to be particular to eat or at least drink before dawn if they are fasting, so that this fasting does not look like the custom of idolaters who fast the day before their festivals (even from before dawn) (Rema, MB 21).
• One who is fasting should not, however, fast the entire day so as not to enter Yom Tov in a state of distress; rather one should stop fasting from Plag Hamincha  (1.25 hours before the end of the day) and many stop already at Mincha Gedola (half a proportional hour after halachic midday).
• Some have the custom to daven Mincha before eating in order to say ‘Aneinu’ in one’s private Amidah, as this is only said when one is still fasting. Aneinu is not said by the Chazan in his repetition of the Amidah (MB15, Piskei Teshuvos 20).
• One who is invited to a bris need not fast even if this is their usual custom. The father, Mohel and Sandek have a mitzva to eat, even if they would normally fast. One who normally fasts and is ill should consult their Rav as to whether they need hataras nedarim before eating (Rema, MB 19).
• Some also have the practice to fast on the first day of Selichos (MB 15).