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Answering to kedusha – before finishing praying

Question:

Hi.
It takes me quite a while to pray. When I’m still in the middle of my silent amida and the chazzan is starting the repetition, should I stop? Should I answer the chazzan? Should I do all the standing up on my toes, etc? Also, does the halacha change if I have finished…but not taken my steps back because someone is still praying behind me?
And where are these halachas found?

Answer:

Thank you for your question.

Here are the rules regarding talking out for kiddusha while davening shemona esrei.

  1. When a person is still in middle of davening shemona esrei we do not answer to anything that the chazan or anyone else is saying because right now we are talking to the king and we may not interrupt it. However when the chazzan is saying the pesukim of kadosh, kadosh, and the pasuk of baruch kevod, we remain silent and listen to what the chazzan is saying. Note: according to some opinions we listen to the whole kiddusha See sources.
  2. After finishing the 19 berachos and saying the pasuk “yihiyu l’ratzon..”, then those two psukim may be said together with everyone. This is because it this point in shemona esrei we are allowed to answer to things similar to when in middle of a bracha of birkas kriyas shema. See Shulchan Aruch 122-1 M:B ibid 1,3.
  3. After finishing the private tefillos that we daven after shemona esrei, and saying the pasuk “yihiyu l’ratzon..” a second time and he is only waiting for the person in back of him to take the three steps back, then he may answer to everything, all amen’s baruch hu ubaruch shemo. See Mishna Berura 122-4, Halichos Shlomo (Tefillah) 8-31,

Daven well

Best wishes

Sources:

Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 104-7, See Shulchan Shlomo and Halichos Shlomo (Tefillah) 8-38  that he should listen only to these two pesukim, However Aruch hashulchan 104-13  says to listen until the end of kedusha (also see Chayei Adam 25-10), Also see Halichos Shlomo 8-37 that he is allowed to listen until the end of the bracha.

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