Questions tagged [chazzan-prayer-leader]
Questions about the person who leads Jewish prayers when a minyan is present.
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Why do we still do chazarat hashatz?
This question assumes that the purpose of chazarat hashatz is to allow for those who were unable to say their own shmoneah esrei (assumedly due to Hebrew illiteracy) to fulfill their obligation to ...
user1552
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When may one do a Hechi Kedushah?
May a Chazzan decide on his own to do a Hechi Kedushah, or are there rules for when it is appropriate/mandated?
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Following minhagim when praying in a different community?
Say you go to a minyan of a different community than your own, how should you behave?
When being hazan do you use their pronunciation or yours?
Do you pray your nusach or theirs?
Do you put on talit ...
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Why no repetition of the Shema in shul?
We repeat the amida in shul for the sake of those who do not know the amida. We read the birkat hamzaon aloud for the sake of those who do not know the blessings. In both cases, we assume that many ...
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Refusing to Daven from the Amud
According to Bruchos 34a, one should initially refuse to Daven for the Amud, so as to feel unworthy of the duty and to not look too eager to do it. The first time one is asked he should refuse, the ...
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Why is a prayer leader still removed for omitting V'lamalshinim?
TL;DR
The Ashkenazi nusach of V'lamalshinim omits explicit mention of heretics. Therefore, recitation or omission of this blessing by the prayer leader seems to no longer serve as a signal for whether ...
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Being Shaliach Tzibbur in a Congregation with a different Nusach
In Yalkut Yosef OC 101:10 rules that a Sephardi who is davening in an Ashkenazi minyan should not daven Nusach Ashkenaz as shaliach tzibbur. He can only be shaliach tzibbur if the minyan agrees to let ...
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What should a chazan do if he has theological problems with the congregation's text?
There are several places in the selichot where there are controversial phrases, e.g. addressing prayer to angels not G-d. I'm not asking for opinions on this, but I've heard some people just skip ...
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What is the reason for the lights lit on the desk of the prayer leader?
What is the reason for the candles or lights lit on the desk of the chazzan (prayer leader)?
In a shul today I saw candles lit on a table at least 6 feet from the reader. Does that fulfill the ...
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How to say go-al Yisroel before Shacharis Amida
When the leader gets to just before the Shacharis Amida, how should he say the blessing
go-al Yisroel: aloud or saying the word Yisroel so the end of it cannot be heard?
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How do we know what the Chazzan should say aloud?
In many siddurim, the text indicates a position, toward the end of each normal paragraph of prayer, where the Chazzan is supposed to start reading aloud, so that everyone knows when it's time to go on ...
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When there are four aveilim (mourners), Is it better to have one minyan of 40 people or 4 minyonim of ten each?
Today I was in a shul where there were four parallel mincha services because four mourners wanted to lead the services. I thought there was a principle of ברב עם הדרת מלך?
What sources are there that ...
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Shliach Tzibbur and Tashlumim for missed tefillah
The M"B in Siman 108 Sif-Katan 4 brings that someone who missed a tefillah and is now the shliach tzibbur may use the chazaras ha'shatz for his tashlumim.
(Makor in Radbaz Siman 361.)
The Radbaz ...
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Answering Baruch Hu UVaruch Shemo and Amen while learning
If someone is giving Shiur in the same room as people Davening, do the people learning answer Baruch Hu Uvaruch Shemo and Amen to the Hazarat HaShatz?
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Origin of custom to switch Shli'ach Tzibur in Shacharit
In a number of shuls, it has become a minhag to switch Shat"z during the weekday Shacharit at these locations. I am assuming Nusach Ashkenaz in my examples:
One person says only Birkot Hashachar -> ...
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Shaliach Tzibbur missed out one or more blessings in the repetition of the amidah. What to do later?
What should one do if the Shaliach Tzibbur missed out one or more blessings in the repetition of the amidah and it was only pointed out to him after he had finished?
Does he have to repeat the amidah ...
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How can we get people to stop talking (much, loudly) during minyan?
I know that lots of minyanim have the talking problem; has anybody solved it?
I daven with a weekday shacharit minyan that has a noise problem. A couple of people are the main sources of the problem ...
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What are the oldest Jewish songs (tune plus words) that are still popular today?
When I say "song", I mean the combination of tune and words; and yes I'm probably thinking Ashkenazically here. It seems like any European old-timer I've met knows the "good old fashioned" tune for ...
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Priority for multiple "chiyuvim" to be Shaliach Tzibbur
What is the priority for the following situations regarding who is Shaliach Tzibbur during a weekday (I'm excluding the possibility of various customs that exclude such people from leading services on ...
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Explain the use of the chazzan to end paragraphs
My understanding of the "history" of the shaliach tzibbur (shat"z) is that few people could read or pronounce Hebrew, and, there were few siddurim printed. Thus, the use of an "expert" to represent ...
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Which parts of the prayer service must be said clearly out loud?
I've heard a few different opinions on this. During longer prayer services, such as Shacharit on Shabbat, at least in Nusach Sefard, Pesukei D'Zimrah is quite long and there is a tendency for the ...
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Can you learn during chazarat hashatz?
Are you allowed to learn Torah silently during the chazzan's repetition of Shmonah Esrei?
(This is a case where you are davening with that minyan.)
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whoever leads s'lichos should lead the rest of the day's prayers: why s'lichos?
Rama 581:1 says whoever leads s'lichos should lead the rest of the day's prayers, and Magen Avraham, followed by others including Mishna B'rura, says this is due to "hamaschil b'mitzva om'rim lo g'mor"...
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Why are different kaddishes said by different people?
The "Mourners' Kaddish" and the "Rabbis' Kaddish" are said by mourners: either all instances are said by all mourners in the synagogue simultaneously, or each mourner gets a turn at one kaddish, or ...
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Guitar during public weekday prayers
Is anyone aware of any halakhic opinion regarding the playing of musical instruments, guitar for example, in shul on a weekday, not Shabbos. Does it have the same religious stigma and opposition as ...
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Is B'rich Shmei said while the Torah sits in the Aron, or as it's held (by whom?)
Sing "vayhi binsoa" as the Aron is opened by -- let's call him Mr. Opener
Brich Shmei is said
Chazan is now holding Torah scroll and says Shema (or Gadlu).
I've seen different things happen for Brich ...
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Does one need to fulfill the 248 words when reciting Shema outside the timeframe of Kri'at Shema?
O.C. 61:3 states that one should recite a total of 248 words when saying Kri'at Shema. As there are only 245 words, the last 3 words are fulfilled by listening to the Shat'z repeat the ה אלקיכם אמת. ...
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How to start שחרית at the עמוד if one's already said ישתבח
Seemingly, if one is ahead of the congregation and reaches "Yishtabach", he should recite it. Now, suppose he does so, and then the fellow in charge of getting people to lead the services comes over ...
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Steps after chazaras hashatz, if the chazan doesn't continue past Ashre
As user6591 notes, the Shulchan Aruch (OC 123:5) says that the prayer leader does not need to take three steps backward after his repetition of the amida, and the Mishna B'rura (:18) gives the reason: ...
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Splitting up Shacharis between two Chiyuvim
I have Davened in a few Shuls where they have split up Shacharis between two Chiyuvim. (One Davens until Ashrei after Tachanun / One davens from Ashrei until the end.) What is the source for doing so?
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Nusach for silent Amida when chazzan in an other-nusach congregation
My understanding (based, if I recall correctly, on R' Moshe Feinstein) is that when I pray in a congregation that uses a different version of the prayers (nusach) from the one I usually use, I should ...
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Praying directly before an aron
It is very common to have a pictorially adorned curtain on an aron kodesh (cabinet that hold the Torah scrolls in a synagogue).
It is also very common to have the shatz (prayer leader) stand before ...
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Is there any basis for Chabad minhagim regarding tallit gadol?
I often daven at Chabad shuls and I have noticed that they have some particulars regarding tallit usage inconsistent with the rest of Ashkenazi Jewry, including:
not wearing when receiving an aliyah ...
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What does it mean for a mourner to "have a chiuv"?
I have noticed that in many synagogues, before davening, the gabbai customarily asks if anybody "has a chiuv". If there is anybody with a chiuv, he is asked to daven from the amud. The people who ...
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What is considered a picture for not davening in front of it
I heard that you can't daven in front of a picture
What does this included?
A mogen Dovid?
A flag of israel?
A lion?
What if it is part of the paroiches or Aron kodesh
....
Similar Davening in ...
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Placement of Aneinu on the day of a fast
On days when the community fasts the prayer of "aneinu" is added to the repetition of the leader in the morning and is said after the blessing of "Re'eh Nah".
In Mincha the community adds this prayer ...
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Answering the Chazzan from outside a Shul
If one is neither part of a certain Minyan nor Davening at all rather in a different room, but can hear the Chazzan, may he answer to Amen,Kaddish,etc. ?
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Should the Chazzan say the pesukim of Kedusho loud?
In the repetition of the Amida, it seems (see Teshuvos Igros Moshe 3 (9), OC 104 (7), OC 125 Biur Halocho d.h. "elo shoskin ..") that the Chazzan should say the pesukim of Kedusho loud enough so that ...
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Ritual immersion for the cantor
I pray with Chassidim. Before someone begins to lead the prayer, they ask if he underwent ritual immersion that morning.
Is there a (and if so, what is the) source for this requiring the cantor to ...
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If a chazzan has to repeat Shmoneh Esrei, can he use the chazarat hashatz for that?
Let's say a chazzan makes a mistake in his personal Shmoneh Esrei that he would have to repeat it for (e.g. missed yaaleh vyavoh). Can he use the chazarat hashatz as his required repetition, or must ...
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Should the shaliach tzibbur check the tzitzis of a tallis given to him to daven?
Some shuls require the shaliach tzibbur to wear a tallis for mincha which is normally given to him from shul property. Is he required to check the tzitzis before wearing it?
Do we say that it would be ...
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May the prayer leader drink water (to lubricate his voice) during the weekday prayers?
I have seen the person leading the prayers taking a drink of water (to lubricate his voice) during the weekday prayers.
Assuming he made a blessing (for the water, as usual before eating or drinking ...
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A Less-Observant Jew Leading Prayers
Can a Jew who does not observe Shabbat act as a shaliach tzibur (to lead prayers on behalf the congregation)? I know that many are lenient and find reasons to count a mechalel shabbat for a minyan, ...
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What if there's a Minyan of Aveilim?
It is my understanding that when one is in the year of mourning following the death of certain relatives, he is not allowed to lead ["daven from the amud"] certain prayers (such as those on Shabbos, ...
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Can one switch chazzanim at non-traditional places in the service to accommodate a mourner who came late?
Can one switch chazzanim at non-traditional places in the service to accomodate a mourner who came late? For example, Reuven is asked to lead the prayers (say mincha). He says “Ashrei”, “Kaddish” and ...
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Origin for different styles in splitting up El Adon and Lecha Dodi
In most Nusach Ashkenaz shuls that I have attended, the congregation and chazzan sing Lecha Dodi and Kel Adon together.
In most Hassidic minyanim (they are Nusach Sefard. I say "Hassidic" since the ...
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Kedusha after Tefila
Today, in our Shul (in Shaharit) a man walked in a little late and I guess he didn't have enough time to catch up to our Minyan. After Tefila, he asked the Gabbai if he could say his own Shemona Esre, ...
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In contemporary minyanim, can the shaliach tzibur fulfill the mitzvah of tefilah for someone who is listening?
Whereas one person commonly fulfills the kiddush obligation for the entire table on shabbat and yom tov, I never see anyone fulfill the mitzvah of tefilah by listening to the shaliach tzibur, and ...
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What is the benefit to praying with a Minyan?
What is the benefit(s) of Praying with a Minyan? Besides for all the additional things you can now do with a Minyan (Kaddish, Kriah etc). By prayer, I mean the Shmoneh Esreh. What is different in ...
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