Question:
Baruch Hashem in the mornings I have a choice of several shuls to daven everyday depending on my schedule and of course my makom kavu’ah on Shabbos. In the afternoons, there are only two minyanim in the area where I work and they daven in a split second, both mincha and ma’ariv. Am I better off davening alone in my office without a minyan or daven where even the chazaras hashatz is unintelligble?
Answer:
Hello,
If you don’t have a choice of finding a minyan that gives more respect to the davening, it is still better to daven with them than to daven by yourself. This is because you will still have tefilla b’tzibbur, kaddish, and possibly kedusha. R’ Volbe zt”l used to say, that when a person is davening in a minyan that goes too fast. He should start davening earlier than the minyan, in order to pace himself so that he will get to shemona esrei and start with the tzibbur. After that, you daven with kavana and if the chazzan is racing thru charoras hashatz, that is his problem not yours. Of course, after you finish your shemona esrei, you will be able to answer whatever is left of the davening. Needless to say, that if you can daven with a minyan that isn’t just davening in order to get it over with, that you should daven there.
Best wishes