Siman 68

Regarding the matter of the piyyutim that it is customary to say in the blessings of "yotzer or" and in the blessings after the reading of the Shema, although there are some of the great authorities whose minds were not comfortable with this, nevertheless, the geniuses of the world and the holy ones of the Most High have already increased and decided to permit it. Our teacher, Yosef Tov Elem, and our teacher, Eliyahu, already disagreed on this, and it was established in their hands to permit it (Haggahot Ashri at the end of the first chapter). And this is not included in what we learned in the Mishnah (11a): In a place where they said to lengthen—one is not permitted to shorten; to shorten—one is not permitted to lengthen. For this is regarding the matter of short blessings without a concluding signature, and long ones with a signature, and as it concludes afterward: "A place where they said to sign...", see there. And on the contrary, for we learned there: "One long and one short." And our teacher, Tam, explained that this is the explanation: whether long or short, meaning: if it is his desire to lengthen in the middle—he may lengthen; and if it is his desire to shorten in the middle—he may shorten. Only that he should not change from a signed blessing to one that is not signed, or from one that is not signed to a signed one. And so it is explained in the Tosefta, the first chapter of Berakhot, and this is the wording of the Tosefta: And why did they say "one long and one short"? A place where they said to lengthen..., to sign... Thus far its words.

And that which our sages, of blessed memory, said (34a) that one should not request his needs neither in the first three nor in the last three, our teachers the Tosafists already wrote there in the name of Rav Hai Gaon and our teacher Chananel that this applies to an individual and not to the congregation. Therefore, during the Ten Days of Repentance we say "Remember us for life," and "Who is like You," and "Inscribe," and "In the book of life." And their authors were the gaonim of the world and holy ones of the Most High, such as Rabbi Eliezer HaKalir and our teacher Shimon the Great, and the Divine Spirit rested upon them. And the early ones wrote that when the Kaliri composed the piyut "And the living creatures..." – fire blazed around him. And who will not see that holiness, and awe, and the outpouring of the soul rest upon all their words? And may the spirit of the fools be blasted who say that their language is stuttering; for do we not see the prayers of the Kaliri on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and for dew and rain – they are pleasant and easy to understand, and holiness and purity hover over them. And that which they composed several piyutim in sharp and hidden languages – they did so intentionally in my opinion, because they revealed within them awesome secrets. Therefore, they hid their holy words according to their holy way.

The Ari, of blessed memory, would not say piyyutim and pizmonim except for those composed by the early authorities, such as the Kaliri, which were established according to the truth. Regarding the customs practiced in the versions of the prayer, one must not change from the custom of the place, for there are twelve gates in heaven corresponding to the twelve tribes, and each tribe has its own gate and custom, aside from that which is mentioned in the Gemara, which is equal for all (Magen Avraham). This is the wording of the Yerushalmi in the third chapter of Eruvin: Even though we sent to you the order of prayer – do not change from the custom of your fathers (ibid.). In truth, regarding the essential matters, all versions are equal in the number of blessings and the openings and the closings. Even in the middle of the blessing there is no difference except in words where there is no difference whether it is thus or thus, such as in the blessing of "Atah Chonen," where in Ashkenaz they say "de'ah, binah, ve-haskel" and in Sefarad they say "chochmah, binah, va-da'at," and so too in all the blessings similar to this. And what of it? For we all have one Torah, and one law, and one prayer, and who is like Your people Israel, one nation on earth. Heaven forbid to create division, or to say that, God forbid, there is division among Israel. And one who says so is a fool and ignorant.

This is the wording of our teacher, the Rema, regarding what our teacher, the Beit Yosef, wrote: There are places where they interrupt the blessings of the Shema to say piyyutim. And it is proper to refrain from saying them. And he wrote regarding this: And some say there is no prohibition in the matter, and so they are accustomed in all places to say them. And one who is lenient and does not say them has lost nothing. Nevertheless, he should not engage in any matter, and even in matters of Torah it is prohibited to interrupt and engage, as long as the congregation is saying piyyutim. All the more so is it prohibited to speak idle chatter. Nevertheless, one who learns by means of contemplation, who looks in a book and contemplates—there is no prohibition in this, for contemplation is not like speech. However, because of this they may come to speak, and they will come to an interruption. Therefore, a person should not separate himself from the congregation in a place where they are accustomed to saying them, and he should say them with them. Thus far his words. And some are accustomed not to say those that are before the Shemoneh Esrei, but the piyyut that is in the repetition of the emissary of the congregation they do say. And so it is proper to do, and to be careful not to cancel any piyyut of the congregation, for Heaven forbid he will be punished. And the Bach wrote that one of the great men in his days began to cancel the saying of Kerovetz, and he did not complete his year, see there. And Kerovetz is an acronym: "The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous." (The Magen Avraham, subsection 1, brought from our teacher Moshe Peretz that it is proper to say piyyutim before the blessing of "Yotzer Or" and afterwards he should bless, see there. And it seems to me that it is proper. And what the Magen Avraham wrote from siman 54 requires study, for how is this called an interruption? See there. And be precise and you will find it easy.)