By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

Minhag hamakom: the local custom or tradition. Minhagim (the plural) are sometimes said to outweigh halachah (Jewish law). While originally not commanded, they are often treated as if they were given at Mt. Sinai. However, as Rabbi Zvi Ron, Ph.D., notes in his thought-provoking “Jewish Customs: Exploring Common and Uncommon Minhagim” (Maggid Books), these customs evolved and changed over time. Although Ron’s writing is dry and technical, his prose is easy to read and he offers clear, detailed explanations gathered from Jewish texts over the centuries. 

“Jewish Customs” is divided into several sections – “Life Cycle,” “Shabbat and the Cycle of the Year” and “Liturgy,” with an additional chapter about Jewish clothing titled “Stripes, Hats, and Fashion” – that explore the origins and development of more than 28 customs. A great deal of the liturgy section focuses on Orthodox prayer books, but most of the other customs discussed will be familiar to readers. For example, the custom of saying lechayim after drinking an alcoholic beverage is a common one in most parts of the Jewish world. Although Ron notes that a variation of the word can be found in the biblical text, no one is sure exactly what it meant in that context. The first real discussion of using lechayim is found in “Tanhuma,” a collection of midrash (rabbinic explanations/stories). It focuses on what occurred when the ancient Sanhedrin (a legislative and judicial assembly) was dealing with capital crimes (those punishable by death). If the person was found not guilty of a crime, members of the Sanhedrin would announce that by saying lechayim. If the person was sentenced to death, then they would give him a glass of potent wine to ease the pain of his punishment. Therefore, when someone was saying Kiddush or Havdalah, they would say lechayim as a way of noting, “This cup [of wine] is for the living.” 

The author continues his discussion by looking at writings from later centuries. For example, he notes “Sefer HaPardes,” an 11th century text, and other later texts speak of how drinking wine can be dangerous. Saying lechayim before drinking, therefore, served as protection against those dangers. Ron lists what he calls the “four major negative associations of wine” as 1) the wine given to someone about to receive capital punishment, 2) wine as connected to the sin of Adam because some rabbinic thinkers believed the grape was the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, 3) the curse of Noah who became drunk from wine he made after the flood and 4) the fact that wine was originally created to comfort the mourner. This is only a brief outline of a well-done and absorbing chapter. 

Other chapters also offer interesting and, sometimes, unexpected explanations of how certain customs developed over the years. These include:

• The fact that Yizkor began not as a prayer or prayer service, but rather as a fund-raiser. During the service, people pledged money in honor of deceased loved ones. Even after the change to prayer, it was common for people not to remain in the sanctuary the first year after a loved one died.
• Noting that the original custom was to light only one light on Shabbat. Ron writes that the Talmud always spoke about the Shabbat lamp in the singular. The earliest reference he can find for the use of two candles is in the writings of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yoel HaLevi of Bonn (1140-1225). Rabbi Eliezer believed that, since one candle is normally used so one can eat, using a second candle shows that Shabbat is a special event. Ron also discusses the different words – remember and observe – used in the two biblical versions of the commandment concerning Shabbat. The author lists the reasons given by other rabbis – there are too many to list here – to show the many different explanations for the custom. He does note that the use of two candles began in the Ashkenazic world and later spread to Sephardic communities.
• The explanation that the salt water used during the Passover seder represents the tears the Israelites shed as slaves first appeared in the 17th century. Ron notes that the Talmud does not specify into what type of liquid the vegetable was supposed to dipped. Some scholars believe that charoset was originally used for both the vegetable and the bitter herbs. However, during the Greco-Roman period, vinegar and salt water were often used as vegetable dips. The author believes this custom was borrowed from them and later was given a religious meaning.
• The fact that of the different megillot read during holidays, the only one commanded is the reading of the book of Esther on Purim. Ran gives careful and detailed information about how the other books came to be connected with particular holidays.

In his conclusion, Ron discusses how an action or behavior can come to be considered a Jewish custom. If Jews do something that is found in the surrounding culture – for example, drinking coffee is one he mentions – that doesn’t make it a Jewish custom. This changes, though, if Jews start to give the action symbolic meaning. He notes, “However, what of a case where a practice was once cross-cultural, shared by Jews and non-Jews alike, but over time was dropped by the majority of the wider world and retained primarily by Jews? And what if, with the passage of time, Jews no longer recalled the original context of these practices and gave them a new, symbolic meaning, one that carries a Jewish message? It would seem that this practice would now be a Jewish custom.” Ron also notes that this can occur even if another culture retains the custom, but most Jews are no longer aware of it. One case mentioned is braided bread, which is still a Ukrainian practice, but which has been transformed in Judaism as a special bread used on Shabbat and holidays. 

“Jewish Customs” assumes that readers have some familiarity with Jewish customs and rabbinical writings. However, even those with less background will still be able to appreciate parts of the work due to Ron’s clear and simple explanations. Anyone interested in how Jewish customs or how Judaism has changed and adapted over the years will find much to enjoy.