עברית
Prayer and Blessings
Selichot for Women Individually
Question
Hello, I really want to recite Selichot individually, but I do not know what the permissible text is and what is forbidden to recite individually. I would be grateful to receive the detailed text for individual recitation, and whether there is a difference in recitation between men and women. In other words, is there content that I, as a woman, am not obligated to recite? Thank you for your response.
Answer
Dear,
Women are not obligated to recite Selichot during the month of Elul. However, they are permitted to do so. Blessings of goodness will come upon them.
One should be careful not to recite Selichot in the first half of the night (see Chazon Ovadia, Days of Awe, pages 2-3).
When you recite Selichot individually, you should be careful not to say the thirteen attributes of mercy from the verse "And He passed by," unless you are reciting them with the cantillation marks (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, Siman 168, Seif 5, and Mishnah Berurah, 12). Also, you need to skip all the sections in Aramaic (Mishnah Berurah, Siman 859, sk 24).
According to the custom of Ashkenazim outside of Jerusalem, one should not fall on one’s face in a place where there is no Sefer Torah - see https://www.hidabroot.org/question/174085
Best regards,
Hillel Meirs
