Shabbat, Sepharadi Style part 1

Political correctness would dictate that we should say that all systems of halachah and tradition are equally valid. But truth be told, few people actually beleive that. When we win the confidence of members of different communities, we will often here why "our" way is by far the best. One online Kashrut "expert" even wrote that the opinions of Sepharadic rabbis can be ignored, as "our" rabbis are far greater. Words like these can be heard in many groups and sub groups, even between Ashkenazim themselves. Sepharadic Jews, however, tend to be more open to outside criticism, and have, at various times and in various places, abandoned their own ways, out of respect for someone whom they consider to be a great personage. Recently, my wife, Sima, read a posting for a dinner being held by a Sepharadic synagogue in our area, that boasted of the authenticity of the Sepharadic  cuisine that will be served. The keynote speaker...a popular Ashkenazi rabbi.Over the course of the last two centuries, many communities have adopted Ashkenazi customs and halachah. The tide began to be turned by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef,(1920-2013, who made his motto "To restore the Crown to its former glory", preaching far and wide about the validity of Sepharadic tradition. Privately, he went much further, declaring Ashkenazi ways to be "confusion", and the Sepharadic way to be infinitely more valid.I have come to accept that view. Elsewhere, I have discussed the reasoning behind these ideas. The great Sepharadic rabbis of the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth centuries, were the heirs to the heritage of the great Yeshivot of Babylon, where the Talmud had been composed, while their Ashkenazi counterparts received primarily a written text, which begged interpretation. Subsequent generations of Sepharadic rabbis put their efforts into arriving at the true meaning of Tanach and Talmud, while Ashkenazim sought to read between the lines. One must question how much of this reading between the lines is actually uncovering true intent, and how much is reading into the text ideas that are alien to it? In this series, I will not go into difference of cuisine or melodies; but into the actual differences in observance of Shabbat between the two groups. I hope to show that the Sepharadic way is almost always faithful to sources, while the Ashkenazi approach emphasizes custom and "svara" (theoretical constructs). Also, where there is some doubt in the intent of a Talmudic principle, Sepharadim will attempt to clarify which interpretation is the most valid, while Ashkenazim will often rule that all interpretations, even contradictory ones, must be upheld in practice. Although these differences can be found in all areas of Jewish life, they can most readily be found in Shabbat observance. The Sepharadic way seems like it is more lenient; but in fact, it is stricter where sources call for strictness, whereas Ashkenazim will be lenient where custom has spoken. On the other hand, Sepharadic authorities see no problem for Shabbat in such everyday amenities as brushing teeth, washing with soap, reheating foods that have been previously cooked, squeezing a lemon into a cup of tea, or many other little ways that make Shabbat less restrictive, so that one can concentrate on its transcendent spirituality,.Ashkenazi understanding has declared these same actions as possible Biblical prohibitions.Moreover, its not that Sepharadim  are bending over backwards to be lenient, but are merely following the sources to their logical conclusions, rather than reading in layer upon layer of insecurity. Only in the area of Passover observance is the difference more evident. But a Sepharadic Shabbat is, I believe, a less obsessive one, filled with more joy and celebration.