TIMING

• Slichos always starts on a Motzai Shabbos.
• We start saying slichos on Motzai Shabbos/Sunday either because the world was created on a Sunday and the world was created for man to sanctify Hashem so therefore teshuva should start on the same day the world was created or because we want the sanctity of Shabbos with us when we start the process of teshuva.
• There needs to be at least four days of slichos leading up to Rosh Hashana.
• When Rosh Hashana falls out before Thursday, there won’t be four days of Slichos before Rosh Hashana, therefore we must start on Motzai Shabbos the week before Rosh Hashana.
• Slichos are not allowed to be said before midnight (closer to am with daylight savings time).
• If the only way to say slichos would be to say it before midnight, then it would be allowed but after the first third of the night. However, this is usually not the case.
• Most say that the best time to say slichos is at the end of the night immediately before daybreak.
• If one washed hands before dawn, they should be washed again after slichos before davening.
• Nowadays, we say slichos in the morning before davening because we rely on the opinions that the point of Slichos is to lose some sleep and replace the sleep with Slichos.
• If Slichos weren’t said earlier, it can be said all day.
• If Slichos are being said at night, the chazzan should borrow someone else’s talis instead of using his own.
• For those saying Slichos during the day, Talis and tefilin don’t have to be put on before Slichos.
• The minhag is that women don’t say Slichos. However, they can say Slichos if they so choose.

PREPARATION

• Many have the custom to fast half a day on the first day of slichos until midday or after Mincha.
• If one washed their hands (negal vasar) before dawn, they should be washed again after slichos before davening.
• Birchas Hatorah should be said before Slichos.
• Slichos are patterned after Davening. Ashrei that’s said before Slichos is pesukei dizimra. The Slichos are like Shemona esrei, followed by Tachnun.
• It’s preferable to say “Ashrei” before Slichos, even if you come late and are behind the minyan and even if davening without a minyan.
• After saying ashrei, skip to where the minyan is holding. Afterwards it’s best to go back and say what was skipped.
• Slichos should be said with a lot of concentration.
• The י״ג מדות can’t be said without concentration.
• It’s better to say less Slichos with more concentration than more Slichos with less concentration.
• It’s better to say Slichos at your own pace and then skip to Kel Melech Yoshev in order to say it with a minyan.

PROCESS

• There must be a minyan before starting “Ashrei”.
• If the minyan is up to י״ג מדות, skip to where they’re up to in order to say י״ג מדות with a minyan.
• If you’re in middle of אל מלך יושב and the minyan is saying י״ג מדות, skip to י״ג מדות.
• You can start saying the י״ג מדות as long as the Minyan is still saying any part of the י״ג מדות.
• It’s best to stand up for Slichos.
• If it’s difficult, then stand up just for קל מלך וי”ג מדות and שמע קולנו and vidui.
• At the end of קל מלך יושב, make sure to make a slight pause between the words בשם and ה’.i
• When saying the י״ג מדות, there should be a slight pause between ה’ and ה’.
• The main part of the Slichos are the few pesukim that are said before each slicha.
• Slichos that don’t start with the name of Hashem start with אלוקינו ואלקי אבותינו.
• Many don’t say כרחם אב על בנים before each סליחה as is printed in most siddurim.
• Most siddurim have אשמנו three times. However many only say one אשמנו based on the opinions of the Gra and Arizal.
Even though we normally don’t say tachnun at night, for Slichos it’s allowed.
• Many have the minhag not to say מכניסי רחמים in tachnun because it sounds like we’re davening to the angels and not to Hashem.
• If one says Slichos without a minyan, the י״ג מדות and words in Aramaic should not be said.
• Aramaic can’t be said because angels can’t understand it and without a minyan angels are necessary to carry up the tefilos.
• The י״ג מדות can be said alone if it’s read with the same tune as if reading from the Torah. However, make sure to finish the entire passuk (Shemos 🙂 until after the words ועל רבעים so as not to split up a passuk.
• It’s preferable to say Tachnun together with a minyan.