The second shiur on inyanei Elul, a week before Selichos begin Motzei Shabbos Parshas Nitzavim. It starts with the four minhagim of when Selichos start — Rosh Chodesh Elul, the Sunday before Rosh Hashanah, Tes Vav Elul, or only in Aseres Yemei Teshuvah — and then works through the practical questions that come up every year: what hour of the night, what happens when a man has only one of the two options, and what a person who walks in late is actually obligated to say.

In this episode:

- Rav Moshe was asked about a place where it was dangerous to be out after chatzos — may they say Selichos early in the night, and why does he call it a hora'as sha'ah that has to be written down and not turned into a heter?

- Chatzos halayla or ashmores haboker — is one the l'chatchila zman, and if the yeshiva davens at 7:30 and you get up at 7:00, is that enough?

- Ashrei and the Kaddish before the Yud Gimmel Midos — do they also have to wait until chatzos, and if you came late, do you say Ashrei or catch up to the tzibur?

- The shatz wraps in a tallis at night like Hakadosh Baruch Hu was misatef b'taliso — does he make a brachah, and why is it better that someone else hand it to him?

- A minyan in an avel's house or the beis knesses — where is tefillah more mekubal, and when is going to the avel the right thing anyway?

- Why the ba'al tefillah for Selichos also davens Shacharis, Mincha and Maariv — hamaschil b'mitzvah omrim lo g'mor on a tefillah that is a mitzvah bifnei atzmo?

- Vidui on Motzei Shabbos before chatzos — the one thing everyone starting early has to be careful about.

Sources: Tur OC 581, Shulchan Aruch and Rama OC 581, Rambam (Hilchos Teshuvah, and Hilchos De'os), Abudarham brought by the Mateh Efraim, Magen Avraham OC 565 s"k 5, Igros Moshe OC 2:105, Mateh Efraim, Aruch Hashulchan OC 581, Halichos Shlomo (Yomim Nora'im, Tishrei; and Tefillah), Sefer Mishmeres Shalom, Taz, Shaarei Efraim, Levush OC 581, Darkei Moshe, Chasam Sofer, Kovetz Halachos, Likkutei Maharich, Minhagei Maharil, with mesoros quoted b'shem Rav Elyashiv, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky. Machshavah section: Rosh Hashanah 17b (and Rashi, daf 17), Maharsha, Maharal (Be'er Hagolah, Be'er Daled), Ramban (Parshas Mishpatim), Rabbeinu Bechaye (Parshas Ki Sisa), Tomer Devorah (Ramak), Gemara Shabbos on "ani v'hu," and a mesorah b'shem Rav Moshe Shapiro.