Rabbi Yosef: Secular cannot be cantor
In honor of High Holidays, Shas journal publishes collection of spiritual leader's halachic rulings regarding prayers
In honor of the High Holidays, Shas journal Yom LeYom published a collection of relevant halachic rulings made by the ultra-Orthodox Sephardic leader.
"A person who commits an offense, such as shaving his beard with a knife, must not be appointed as a cantor. And even leading a prayer by chance, for example on the anniversary of his parents' death – is forbidden," the rabbi was quoted as saying.
"Moreover if he desecrates Shabbat, even if not defiantly, he is disqualified from leading a prayer. And if the synagogue managers are not properly religious and appoint such a person as a cantor, each of the congregation members had better pray at home on their own rather than pray at the synagogue with such a criminal cantor."
Rabbi Yosef called on synagogues to hire regular paid cantors in a bid to prevent such a mishap.
"It is more fitting to take a paid cantor than a voluntary cantor, because in a place where the cantor is regular and receives a salary, he makes certain to arrive for prayers on time and is very cautious in leading the prayer… If it were free, anyone would jump on the opportunity."
The collection also contained a ruling, which the rabbi voiced in one of his weekly sermons last month, that a person who educates his children in non-religious institutions is disqualified from serving as cantor, as are judges in civilian courts and those who appear before them.
