Question:
On Rosh Hashanah, it better to go to a shul with a better baal tokea or congregants? In other words, is there a preference for davening with a minyan of bnei torah where the baal tokea may not be the most proficient, or would we prioritize davening in a place with a better baal tokea, even where the mispallelim may not be as righteous?
Answer:
This is a delicate question, since I don’t know what you mean by better. It says in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 595, that if a person has a cnhoice between going to a place that he can hear the sofar, of to a place that the is a minyan, he should go to the place that he will be able to hear the sofar. The reason being that sofar is deorayso, and davening with a minyan is d’rabonon.
In your situation, you have both a shofar and a minyan. Therefore, if the place baal tokea in the minyan of the bnei torah is satisfactory, and you will be yotza the tekios that he is blowing (even though he may have to repeat some of them etc. or the tekois are not so “nice”, but they are kosher). Additionally, if it is minyan of bnei torah they have a good baal makreh, and he will ensure that the tekoi8s are good, then go to the shul of the bnei torah. This is because you will be yotza tekios, and your davening will be with more concentration. If, however, the tekios of that shul are not good and are halachically questionable, (which is something that you would need to know the halachos in order to determine) then it would be better to daven in the shul where the mispallellim are not as righteous.
Wherever you go, Hashem should hear your tefillos and grant you a kesiva vchasima tova.
