Q & A - WITH RABBI RISKIN
Question: Is it permissible to recite selichot at 10:00 or 11:00
at night? It is very difficult for me to get up early in the morning to
recite selichot before sunrise.
Answer: The best time to recite selichot is at what our Halakha calls
Ashmoret Haboker, which is early morning, preferably before sunrise. There
are many synagogues which have begun evening selichot at 10:00 p.m. or 11:00
p.m. I believe that this is legitimate - with the notable exception of
Saturday night. This is because, according to the Kabbala, the period before
midnight on Saturday night is a period when G-d's Law (Dinim) reigns
supreme, - as opposed to His Compassion. Hence,
Saturday night before hatzot (midnight) is not considered an
appropriate time for selichot.
