A 29 Year Old Chazzan
by R. Ephraim Glatt, Esq.
Question: May a 29 year old serve as chazzan on Yomim Noraim?
Short Answer: Even though the Rama writes that we should choose a chazzan who is at least thirty years old, many acharonim disagree.
Explanation:
I. The Source
The Darkei Moshe (O”C 581:2) cites the Kol Bo who holds that a shul should search for a proper chazzan for the Yomim Noraim because the davening represents the avodah. Thus, the chazzan must be the age of someone who could perform avodah, which is 25. The ideal, however, is that the chazzan be at least 30 years old, as this is the age where his heart is heavy and “broken.” The chazzan should also be married, similar to the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur.
The Rama (O”C 581:1) codifies this Kol Bo, holding that the chazzan for selichos and Rosh Hashanah should be at least 30 years old and married.
II. Mishnah B’rurah’s Attack
The Mishnah B’rurah (O”C 581:12) explains the Rama, that 30 is (i) the age of avodah and (ii) the age when the chazzan’s heart will be heavy and broken. The Shaar Hatzion (21) notes that even though the Darkei Moshe said that age 25 was the start time of avodah, the Rama wrote 30 based on the actual words of the Kol Bo, that the person starts learning avodah/t’filah at 25 but becomes an expert (and ready to serve) at 30.
The Shaar Hatzion (22) also challenges the second reason of the Darkei Moshe/Kol Bo. Why is a 30 year old considered someone with a heavy heart and broken? If anything, a 30 year old is in his strongest physical health! Rather, the Shaar Hatzion makes two suggestions. First, perhaps there is a printing error in the Kol Bo and the correct age should be 60. However, the Orchos Chaim, the source of much of the Kol Bo, also writes 30. Thus, a second option is that it means that a 30 year old is better than a 25 year old because a 30 year old has a more heavy heart and broken soul.
III. Divrei Yetziv’s Attack
The Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe (Divrei Yetziv 2:250) likewise challenges the Rama. First, if we are comparing a chazzan to a kohen gadol (i.e., that he needs to be married, why is there an age minimum? Only levi’im had such age requirements, not kohanim. Second, why is 25 the age to start? Levi’im could not actually do service until 30? Third, why is a thirty year old deemed to be broken? Even if you say that a 30 year old is more broken than a 25 year old, how is this true?
To answer the first question, the Divrei Yetziv cites the Gra, that these days are the yemei hadin, which is represented by the service of the levi’im. He explains that this is a kabbalistic concept.
Regardless, the Divrei Yetziv questions the entire premise of thirty for the levi’im, as the Gemara (Chullin 24b) states that there is NO minimum age for levi’im in the Beis Hamikdash, only in the midbar (when they needed to carry heavy items and thus needed strength)? Further, even if you assume that we are following the rules of the midbar, is a chazzan posul after the age of fifty?
The Divrei Yetziv answers that there is one opinion in the Kesef Mishnah that holds that for the avodah of signing, the age minimum exists even in the Beis Hamikdash. Thus, perhaps the age 30 for chazzan is comparable to the singing avodah.
Going back to our second question above, where does 25 come from, as the levi’im were still training until age 30, the Divrei Yetziv answers based on the Ramban (Bamidbar 8:24). The Ramban explains that “training” from 25-30 simply means that they were not yet experts or in leadership roles until 30. Certainly though the levi’im started doing avodah from 25.
To answer the third question, the Divrei Yetziv cites the Komarno Rebbe that a thirty year old has reached the age where his nefesh is complete. He can now know the proper way to ACT in a manner that appears broken and humble before Hashem. And that is why we don’t care about older than 50, as he surely has reached this age of humility before Hashem.
Accordingly, the Divrei Yetziv concludes that it is preferable to choose a chazzan who is in kollel and has toraso u’menuso more than a thirty year old, as the talmid chachim will certainly have these middos of humility before age 30.
Interestingly, the Chashukei Chemed (Peah, p.110) writes that we choose the kollel person even if most of the tzibbur wants the thirty year old.
IV. The Shevet HaLevi
The Shevet HaLevi (5:66) similarly rules that it is preferable to choose a married person than a person above 30, as the attribute of 30 is merely a nice idea based on the levi’im. But, as explained above, even the levi’im could serve in the Beis HaMikdash under 30.
R’ Mordechai Willig, shlita (Batei Yosef, Yomim Noraim, p.212) holds that the most important attribute is for the chazzan to be a yarei shamayim and an expert in the nusach of the t’fillah. R’ Willig adds that, in particular, nowadays it is not truly necessary to seek a chazzan who is at least thirty years old.
