Skipping Tachanun During the Seven Days After Shavuos

Question

I am the gabbai of my local minyan, and I really connect to the tefillah of Tachanun. When we skip it, I feel like I am missing an important part of the davening, but of course I bow my head to the halachic ruling.

If there is a baal bris or a chosson davening in our minyan on a weekday, they let me know beforehand. Right after Shemoneh Esrei, I give a klopp on the bimah, and everyone knows that this means we will not be reciting Tachanun that day.

Once we get to Sivan, there are many days when we skip Tachanun. Shavuos is obvious, as is Rosh Chodesh, since we skip it on that day every month. The Shloshes Yemei Hagbolah I can also understand, as it is a very significant time to prepare for the Yom Tov of Shavuos. Bais Sivan I can swallow, since I saw in the Aruch Hashulchan (494:7) that it is a special day called Yom Hameyuchas, serving as a bridge between these two special time periods.

What I have a hard time with is the seven days following Shavuos. The minhag is that for a full week, we do not say Tachanun. I just do not understand where that comes from, and I would be so grateful if one of the choshuve rabbonim of the Yated could explain this to me.

Thank you.

A Confused Gabbai

Rav Sternbuch 

I am happy to hear that you take the tefillah of Tachanun seriously. Some shuls skip this critical tefillah without significant halachic basis, and there is an element of zilzul, disgrace, in doing this. However, regarding skipping Tachanun during the seven days after Shavuos, there is valid reason for this, and I will try to dispel some of your confusion.

Technical Exemptions vs. Halachic Exemptions

During the time that the Bais Hamikdosh stood, Klal Yisroel would be oleh regel, going up to Yerushalayim for the Yomim Tovim. One of the obligations of someone who was oleh regel was to bring the special korbanos of the Yom Tov. Chazal teach us (Chagigah 2a) that if a person could not bring his korbanos during the first day, he had seven days of tashlumim to “make them up” after the Yom Tov.

Everyone agrees that if one could not bring his korbanos for a technical reason, such as the first day of Yom Tov falling on Shabbos, when these korbanos were not brought, then he was eligible to bring his korbanos during the days of tashlumin. What happened if there was a more serious issue — for example, he was a chiger, crippled, who is halachically exempt from bringing the korbanos for oleh regel? If he was cured during these seven days of tashlumin, could he bring his korbanos?

The answer to this question depends on a famous dispute cited at the beginning of Maseches Chagigah (ibid.) regarding the exact nature of these days. According to Rabi Yochonon, the seven days of tashlumin are meant to make up for the first day of the Yom Tov. According to Rabi Yochonon, one can only bring korbanos during the seven days if he was fit to bring korbanos on the first day and was merely unable to do so for a technical reason. If a person was disqualified from bringing korbanos on the first day because of a halachic exemption, such as being a chiger, he cannot make up his korbanos afterward.

Rabi Eliezer rules differently. According to his understanding, the days of tashlumin are not solely making up for the first day, but rather, as long as during one of the days of tashlumin a person is not halachically disqualified, he can still bring korbanos during the seven days. Based on this understanding, even if a person was a chiger on the first day, he can still bring a korban during the days of tashlumin.

What Makes Shavuos Different Than Sukkos and Pesach?

We have explained the dispute regarding tashlumin — whether these days are coming to make up for the first day of the Yom Tov or for all the days of the Yom Tov. Which opinion do we follow regarding the Yom Tov of Shavuos?

Tosafos in one place (ibid. 9a) explains that during the Yom Tov of Shavuos, both Rabi Eliezer and Rabi Yochonon follow the opinion that the tashlumin are for the first day. The reason for this is that during Pesach and Sukkos, the days following the first day of Yom Tov also possess the kedusha of Chol Hamoed and Yom Tov, making them appropriate days to bring the korbanos of the Yom Tov. During Shavuos, however, there is only one day that possesses kedusha. Therefore, if someone was crippled on the first day of Yom Tov, he would not be able to bring his korbanos on the following days.

Tosafos elsewhere (ibid. 17a) appears to disagree with this statement. Tosafos cites the Talmud Yerushalmi, which states that even if one could not bring the korbanos on the first day because of a halachic exemption — for example, he was an onein — there is still tashlumin. This leaves us with the question: How do we practically view the days of tashlumin following Shavuos?

I believe that there is a way to reconcile these two opinions in Tosafos. We can suggest that while it is true that the seven days of tashlumin following Shavuos are not Chol Hamoed or Yom Tov, they nonetheless retain some level of kedusha. Therefore, there is room to understand the view of the Talmud Yerushalmi that even if there was a halachic exemption such as being an onein, the korbanos can still be brought during the days of tashlumin after Shavuos.

Practical Ramifications of the Seven Days of Tashlumin After Shavuos

In the last section, we explained that while the seven days of tashlumin following Shavuos do not have the same kedusha as the Yom Tov or even Chol Hamoed, they still possess some level of kedusha. This added kedusha transforms what would normally be ordinary weekdays into days of semi-simcha.

Based on the above explanation, we can answer your question. The Rama (Shulchan Aruch 494) rules that we omit Tachanun on Isru Chag, the first day after Shavuos, but the minhag in Yerushalayim is to skip Tachanun for a full seven days after Shavuos. The Chazon Ish was very disturbed by this omission, since seemingly there are no practical ramifications of the days of tashlumin today.

However, based on the approach we are explaining, we can suggest why some places have the minhag to skip Tachanun for seven days after Shavuos. This custom is based on the fact that these seven days are days of semi-simcha because of their added kedusha. In chutz la’aretz, some even begin the seven-day count from the second day of Shavuos.

This also explains the ruling of the sefer Bais Yaakov, cited by the Be’er Heiteiv (Shulchan Aruch 473). He rules that if one forgot to recite the brocha of Shehecheyanu on the first day of Shavuos, he can still recite this brocha during these seven days of tashlumin. After explaining that these days retain some of the kedusha of the chag, we can understand why one may still recite Shehecheyanu during this time (see Shu”t Teshuvos Vehanhagos 6:118).

I hope that I have successfully dispelled some of your confusion. I wish you true hatzlocha in your role as a gabbai and a Yom Tov filled with simchas hachag.