Selichos on Hoshana Rabbah

Selichos on Hoshana Rabbah

In his recent article on the Selichos of Yom Kippur, Rav Shimon Szimonowitz wrote that Selichos and fasting go hand in hand: every taanis has its Selichos, and the stronger a day's connection to fasting, the more Selichos are said on it. However, the Kol Bo siddur mentions that in the kehillos of Poland and Lita, Selichos were said on Hoshana Rabbah as well. Hoshana Rabbah is not a fast day, so why were Selichos said then?

Yanky Klugmann

Rav Shimon Szimonowitz responds: The Tashbatz (3:160) was asked about fasting and saying Selichos on Hoshana Rabbah. The questioner had the practice of fasting on Hoshana Rabbah and asked about the Selichos he found in some siddurim for the day. The Tashbatz responded that fasting is forbidden on Chol Hamoed, and that he could therefore deviate from his practice without concern for its standing as a minhag. From the Tashbatz it would appear that on Hoshana Rabbah, too, the Selichos accompanied fasting on that very day.