הלכות למועדי השנה
GUIDE TO THE JEWISH YEAR
משנ״ב תקפא:ב
Hebrew
לְדָוִד, יהוה אוֹרִי
Sephardi
LeDavid, Adonai ori
English
1 Beginning on the first day of Elul (the second day of Rosh Ḥodesh) and for the entire month of Elul, it is customary to say לְדָוִד, יהוה אוֹרִי (page 203) in the afternoon at the end of Minḥa and in the morning after saying the Daily Psalm (some say it after Aleinu).
רמ״א או״ח, תקפא:א
Hebrew
לְדָוִד, יהוה אוֹרִי
Sephardi
LeDavid, Adonai ori
English
2 In addition, four shofar blasts are sounded at the end of weekday morning prayers, prior to (or following) recitation of לְדָוִד, יהוה אוֹרִי.
Pre-Rosh HaShana Customs
3 On the Motza'ei Shabbat prior to Rosh HaShana, the congregation gathers at midnight to say Seliḥot. This is often preceded by a sermon from the rabbi. If Rosh HaShana falls on Monday or Tuesday, the first recitation of Seliḥot is moved back to the preceding Motza'ei Shabbat [רמ״א או״ח, תקפא:א].
4 The congregation says Seliḥot each weekday thereafter through Erev Yom Kippur. Although the original custom was to say Seliḥot every night after midnight and before dawn, most congregations today say them prior to Shaḥarit; some say them during the preceding evening [ערוה״ש שם, ב-ד].
5 The Shaliaḥ Tzibbur chosen to lead the Seliḥot should preferably be distinguished in Torah scholarship and personal virtue, over the age of thirty and married [רמ״א או״ח, תקפא:א].
תקפא:דשו״ע או״ח תקסה:ה
English
6 One who is praying alone is permitted to say Seliḥot without a minyan, provided one omits the י״ג מידות ("Thirteen Attributes of Mercy") and the Aramaic passages. However, one who is alone may read the י״ג מידות with ta'amei hamikra.