Nittel on Friday nite?

freidasima ↓

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 4:26 am

So now that I have your attention, and I really didn't know whether to post this under "Yom Yov/Holidays" but thought you would get the joke, what is your minhog regarding Nittel Nacht (Xmas Eve) that comes out on Friday nite?

Why am I asking? In my home we always kept the european custom that you don't learn on Nittel Nacht. Why? Because if the non jews would come into a Jewish home it shouldn't be as if they were sitting with Gemorohs which was always a good reason to start a little pogromchik, also because Yidden didnt want it to be as if they were learning for his neshomo (you know who, the Joshkeleh) or whatever.

In any case, Even gedolim kept that this was the one night a year that you did something else. So one used to cut all the shabbos toilet paper (you should excuse me) for the year that night. Another would play cards (which is what we would do, not that my father knew how to of course but he would teach me as a child to literally build houses with cards) etc.

So what do you do Friday night when you should be giving a dvar torah at the table (but shouldn't because it's nittel) or learning (but shouldn't because it's nittel) etc.?

In other words, is shabbos docheh nittel? Not kidding. My husband's family doesn't keep this minhog, Americans as they are, and we were just having a discussion so he said "ask your Imamother friends what they do, there are a lot of americans there".

So - not only American imamothers but all, what do you do or not do on Friday nite nittel in your house?
And a good merry shabbos to all (Lol!)

grin ↓

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 4:37 am

wow - thanks for this reminder. Living in Israel, I didn't realize it's tonight - yes, we do keep nitel minhagim and yes, also on Shabbos.

But I don't remember specifics - I'll try to tell you motzash what we did.

Rubber Ducky wrote:

I've don't get how this might be "learning for his neshomo (you know who, the Joshkeleh) or whatever."

that the kochos of tum'a utilize the learning done to make mroe tum'a.

Ruchi11218

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 4:49 am

I remember when we first got married, and my DH was telling me all about this. At first I was like, "Huh, what . . what are you talking about?" Well many years have gone by and low and behold, I haven't remembered this concept until just now when I read your post. Thanx for bringing back old memories.

↑ freidasima ↓

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 4:55 am

Right, it isn't ilui neshomo but that you don't do anything for "his" Honor...

In any case, so I said something to dh and he said, ok we will just eat without dvar torah and go to sleep...but hey, another minhog of nittel is that you don't go to sleep until after chatzos just in case the non jews come to make a pogrom...yeah well, b"h we don't have any non jews around in this neighborhood except for my mother's filipinit and a few others and I doubt that they will make a pogrom...I had to remember to wish her a happy nittel and use the correct phrase when I was there and then my mother turns to me and says in yiddish "nittel? hant is nittel? (today is nittel?)" and so she turns to the filipinit and gives her a merry nittel....

yeah well.

and to all a good night...

bubby ↓

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 5:33 am

We're strict about it...in Lubavitch, the minhag is to play chess, & usually in 770 you see hundreds of chess games being played (the Rebbe would play chess, the one time in a year there wouldn't be any Torah going on.) With it being Shabbos I guess we'll just...talk.

As my DH says, it's like pulling teeth to get anyone to give a D'var Torah in our house so what's the difference? Rolling Eyes

↑ bubby ↓

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 5:47 am

I'm sure it WAS Nittel. Please share the photo, maybe it could be identified (year, place etc.)

The Rebbe Rayatz was not in the best of health, but I'm sure if he & the Rebbe could play chess they would study Torah & Chassidus...which makes it seem that it was Nittel. Our Rebbeim were known for not wasting a precious second from learning or disseminating Torah & Chassidus. Ever. You may want to do YOUR research on that.

↑ freidasima ↓

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 5:59 am

Shal gotta tell you, my father used to say to my husband when he was much much younger regarding nittel and the fact that in my husband's family they didn't keep this, "and my son, if you have a big cheshek to learn gemoro, it's ok even tonight"..
And a good shabbos to all.

↑ bubby ↓

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 6:17 am

smilingmom wrote:

I asked my DH and sons, but none of them knew that tonite is xmas.

To those that keep it, do you mark it on your Jewish calendar?

How could they NOT know??? shock

It's everywhere, you can't escape it! I will be glad when it's over...all this false bonhommie is making me Puke

Next week, it's back to being growled at by the water delivery guy, the mailman, the custodian, the..... Once they've gotten their holiday bonus, the "goodwill to all men" flies out the window with those reindeer.

Ho flippin' Ho Twisted Evil

PinkFridge ↓

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 6:36 am

shalhevet wrote:

I wish you all a big, merry yetzer hara to say divrei Torah tonight. LOL

If there's still a world tomorrow morning, you'll know to thank the Litvishers, right?

I had NEVER heard of this concept till I was an adult. If you have a mesorah, gezunteheit. I doubt the Friday night kids' learning/cholent bash is canceled tonight but I might be wrong. (And two of the branches are held in shtiblach.)

Friedasima, kol hakavod for keeping up the family mesorah.

↑ smilingmom ↓

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 6:40 am

bubby wrote:

smilingmom wrote:

I asked my DH and sons, but none of them knew that tonite is xmas.

To those that keep it, do you mark it on your Jewish calendar?

How could they NOT know??? shock

It's everywhere, you can't escape it! I will be glad when it's over...all this false bonhommie is making me Puke

They know it's the season, because I go to parties almost every night, and of course because we live in New York, but they did not know it was Saturday.

↑ bubby

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 6:48 am

Teachers & parents know because the bus schedules change as of today. I know because every so often, my talk radio hosts break out into maudlin holiday songs about grandmas getting run over by reindeer or driving home for the holidays, or some such twaddle. Drivers know because they see wreaths stuck on the front of sanitation trucks.

How do other people know it's Xmas? (would make a good thread, maybe!)

auntie_em

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 7:10 am

This is interesting to me. I grew up with a mishmash of minhagim and it never occured to me to ask about this one, which we have always kept. I don't know why. My parents and grandparents are/were not chassidish. I love them and really cherish our traditions, but they were not really based on a logical system..lol.

My whole life, we did not learn Torah or anything for the 24 hours or so of their holiday. Pogroms were not mentioned to me, but I was always told that if someone were to come in or see in through the windows, it should not look like we are observing the holiday. So we would play cards or board games if it fell out on shabbos. If it fell on a Tuesday or something, we went to the movies! (Like a lot of American Jews..lol)

Then again, my grandmother always made sure to drop some coins in their Big Red Pushkes (lol, that is what she called the Salvation Army kettles) so it shouldn't look like Jews don't care about poor people.

I wonder if we should play dreidel? The reasons seem vaguely similar.

Happy 2B ↓

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 7:34 am

I dont think I've ever heard of this minhag. I can't imagine the entire lakewood yeshivah sitting and playing cards... Seems like a big bitul torah to me... an excuse to have the night off? I'd think you would want to have more learning.With so much tumah the kedusha of learning can overpower it and bring mashiach!!!

Is this a chassidishe minhag?

Why can't you just say l'elui nishmas so and so and allocate the learning to someone else.

I'm not putting down anyones minhag.. I just never heard of it and am trying to understand it. Then again there are many minhagim we dont understand.

↑ PinkFridge ↓

Fri, Dec 24 2010, 7:35 am

bubby wrote:

Maudlin songs like Grandma and reindeer? I love that!
Sounds like you need to hear some Oy to the World (carols with klezmer arrangement).

And Auntie Em, some say dreidel on Shabbos is a problem.