A mesorah from the Brisker Rav that any extra time on Yom Kippur should be devoted to saying Tehillim
Rabbi Akiva Hirth of Passaic, New Jersey, was one of the original talmidim in the Yeshiva Gedola of Passaic, which was founded in 1973. On its 50th anniversary, Reb Akiva recalled the yeshivah’s first Yom Kippur davening, which was held in a small basement apartment.
There were just a handful of men who participated in the Yamim Noraim tefillos of the nascent yeshivah that inaugural year, and the one Kohein who attended for Rosh Hashanah decided to join a larger minyan for Yom Kippur. Anxious not miss the opportunity to hear Bircas Kohanim on the holiest day of the year, the gabbai of the yeshivah’s minyan approached a Kohein who was a member of the one other Orthodox shul in Passaic, and asked if he would be able to make the 15-minute walk over to the yeshivah for Bircas Kohanim. The Kohein acquiesced and agreed to come before the end of Mussaf.
On Yom Kippur day, though, there was no sign of the guest Kohein’s whereabouts. Mussaf came and went, as did Krias HaTorah and Minchah — and he still hadn’t come. Finally, as Ne’ilah began, the long-awaited Kohein showed up. The Passaic rosh yeshivah, Rav Meir Stern shlita, instructed the chazzan to hasten Ne’ilah so that there would be enough time to recite Bircas Kohanim before shkiah.
The chazzan dutifully followed the psak, allowing the yeshivah to hear Bircas Kohanim in time — but there was now a solid 45 minutes left until they could daven Maariv.
Create a free account to keep reading.
