I was raised nusach ashkenaz. For the past 7 1/2 years I've been davening in a shul that davens nusach sefard. As is customary, when in shul, I too davened nusach sefard. As it happens, being a mother to young children, the majority of my davening has taken place in shul, davening nusach sefard. It now is second nature to use that nusach. I've since moved, and occasionally go back to my shul, in the meantime, nusach sefard is what readily comes to my lips. what nusach should I be davening?

B"H
Rivkaleah,

If your husband has a particular nusach, this should be the nusach of your children. Usually, a married woman also takes on the nusach of her husband. (If your husband doesn't seem to mind that you daven in a nusach different from his own, then you could continue with what you were raised with as a child.) If the nusach of your shul is different from the nusach to which you were accustomed at home (as you have said, the shul davens nusach "sefard"), it would seem to me to be only a matter of preference. Since you will not be the Shaliach Tzibbur, and since most of the prayers are said silently anyway, you could still make use of your own original nusach, nusach "Ashkenaz." This might present a small problem, though, when
it comes to keeping up with the same pace as the other congregants in the shul. It does not look right if they are reading the "Pesukei d'Zimra," while you are concentrating on something totally different. In the "Amidah" this would be less noticeable, however.

David

Usually, a married woman also takes on the nusach of her husband.

David[/QUOTE]

This statement warrants questioning.

I happen to know that this topic is quite debated amongst the poskim. In general, when a woman marries a man who's customs are different from the customs she grew up with, it is important that they should go to their posek and ask.

It might seem that this is a question that one can decide on one's own, but there are real issues that can come up. For instance, a woman who was raised Ashkenazi and married a Sefardi man is REQUIRED to get a HaTares Nedarim to eat kitnius according to SOME poskim; others disagree. This is why I HIGHLY recommend you (Rivka Leah) to consult with YOUR posek regarding these matters.

Mordechai