Question:
I have a question regarding the halacha of taking three steps back after Shemoneh Esrei.
We know that if someone is still davening Shemoneh Esrei behind a person, one should not take the three steps back until the person behind has finished. However, what should one do if, while waiting, the tzibur continues davening and moves on to the next parts of the tefillah? In this situation, the person has technically completed Shemoneh Esrei but has not yet taken the three steps back, and therefore has not fully concluded. At the same time, the tzibur is continuing, and the person may be missing parts of the tefillah.
This situation can sometimes be challenging, as it may result in missing parts of davening and needing to catch up afterward.
Answer:
Hello,
He may continue to daven with the congregation because anything related to davening is not worse than answering Amen, saying vayechulu, counting the omer, or saying Tehillim, which are permitted.
Best wishes
Sources:
משנה ברורה סימן קכב ס"ק ד, "ואם כבר סיים הכל אלא שאינו יכול לפסוע מחמת אדם שמתפלל לאחוריו וכמ"ש לעיל בסימן ק"ב לכולי עלמא יכול להפסיק ולענות אמן ובמאמר מרדכי כתב בפשיטות דאפילו ב"ה וב"ש מותר אז לומר:" וע' דעת נוטה תפלה תשובה רכ"ב-רכ"ז.
