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In the circumstance that a minyan is comprised of people who all share an obligation to recite the kaddish, how is it said? Do they recite it in unison, skipping the amen at the conclusion of the first line but otherwise keeping in unchanged? Or is it integral to the kaddish that there be at least two people who are responding to it, rather than reciting it?

I say "at least two people" since subsequent amens are preceded by the plural ואמרו, and since the text uses plural suffixes on בחייכון וביומיכון.

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  • Or perhaps they take turns throughout the various kaddishes during Shacharis (two before Pesukei d'Zimra and at least two at the end of davening), though by Mincha and Maariv where there's only one Kaddish Yasom and no Kaddish d'Rabbanan this wouldn't work. – DonielF Jan 23 '17 at 23:44
  • Note the traditional Ashkenazi practice is to have only one person say kaddish at a time. – Double AA♦ Jan 23 '17 at 23:58
  • @DoubleAA - I've davened in a lot of traditional Ashkenazi shuls, and I have never seen the kaddish recited more than once in a row! Usually, if there is more than one mourner present, two or three (or more) people recite it simultaneously and the rest of the congregation responds. – Shimon bM Jan 24 '17 at 0:01
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    @shim that's probably bc most ashkenazi congregations in the last 150 years have veered from ashkenazi practice in this regard. (when I said one at a time, i mean one person per kaddish-spot, not that they each say kaddish in a row at each spot; ie one person goes after alenu, the next mourner after shir shel yom, etc. That's the whole reason there are multiple kaddishes in the siddur: if everyone could say together then only one kaddish at the end of the service would be said for both alenu and the psalms and ein kelokeinu etc.) – Double AA♦ Jan 24 '17 at 0:02
  • What is the mekor for the so-called "obligation" to recite the kaddish? – Joshua Pearl Mar 4 '18 at 20:36

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