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Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 90 prescribes that someone davenning alone should synchronise his prayers with the community:

ישתדל אדם להתפלל בב"ה עם הציבור ואם הוא אנוס שאינו יכול לבא לב"ה יכוין להתפלל בשעה שהציבו' מתפללין

Two cases:

  1. there is a minyan davenning. In this case, I intuit that the individual should try to daven the Amidah at the same time as the community. This would mean that he would start the morning blessings slightly later than them because they will have to say several kaddishim etc. that he will not be able to say.

  2. there is no minyan (eg in lock down) – everyone is davenning alone. Then practically everyone can start at the same time.

Is there a source for my intuition that the individual should try to daven the Amidah at the same time as the community?

related: Praying at the same time

Avrohom Yitzchok
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3 Answers3

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I found a source, the Kaf HaChaim 64 who says:

סד) שם, בשעה שהצבור מתפללין, פי' דווקא לכוין בשעה שמתפללין תפלת י"ח אבל לא שאר התפלה

At the time when the community daven, that is specially to intend for the time they are davenning the Shemoneh Esrai but not the rest of the davenning.

Avrohom Yitzchok
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Rav Asher Weiss shlita answers the scenario of synchronising a private minyan with the time of one's normal shul minyanim in his list of Corona-based sheilos and teshuvos here p.88

He seems to suggest that it is a reference to davening in general and not amida in isolation. He mentions that is worthwhile to have a collective set time for davening so that we don't get lax in our tefillos as well as also helping satisfy the human nature aspect, that we can feel somewhat uplifted that we are all still davening together albeit not in the flesh.

במקום שנסגרו בתי הכנסיות ובטלה תפילת הציבור וכל אחד מתפלל ביחידות, האם ראוי שכולם יתפללו בשעה אחת, וכמו שכתוב לעולם יתפלל אדם בשעה שהציבור מתפללין

.הנה יסוד השאלה מה מעלת שעה שהציבור מתפללין, האם זה משום שיש ציבור שמתפללין בעשרה ושערי תפלה נפתחים לתפלת הציבור, וממילא גם תפילת היחיד מתקבלת, או שמא עיקר כונת הדברים דאף אם אין העם מתפללין בעשרה מכל מקום יש סגולה להתפלל ביחד עם הרבים ואף אם אין בידו תפלת הציבור מכל מקום הוי בכלל תפילת רבים. ונפקא מינה בנידון דידן דאין כאן תפילת הציבור בעשרה, ומכל מקום יש כאן תפילת רבים...

ולכאורה נראה טפי שאין הדבר תלוי במנין המתפללין ביחד אלא ברבים המתפללין בחדא מחתא ובשעה אחת...

סוף דבר, אף שלא מצאתי בזה ראיה מפורשת, נראה דראוי לקבוע זמן מסויים שבו כולם יתפללו ביחד אף שכל אחד יתפלל בביתו. ומלבד סגולת השעה שהציבור מתפללין, כמדומני שיש בזה תיקון גדול מצד טבע הבריות, שהרי במצב אומלל זה שבו בתי כנסיות שוממין לדאבון לבנו וכל אחד מתפלל בביתו, גדול החשש שלא יקפידו בזמן תפילה וזמן קריאת שמע, ורבים יזלזלו בתפילתן ולא יאריכו בה כראוי וכנכון, ואם יקבעו זמן להתפלל ביחד, יש בזה חיזוק עצום לשלימות התפילה וכוונתה, ולדעתי אם אפשר שכולם יתפללו ביחד אף ישמעו זה את זה וא׳ ישמש כמעין שליח ציבור ויסיים כל פרק בקול, כך נאה וכך יאה, אף דפשוט וברור שאינן מצטרפים בדרך זו לומר חזרת הש״ץ או כל דבר שבקדושה

In places where the shuls have been closed and communal prayer has been [temporarily] abolished and everyone davens in private, is it appropriate that everyone davens at the same time, as it says that “one should always daven at the time that the community is davening”?

The basis for the question is the nature of the value of the time that the community is davening: Is it because there is a group of people that pray with ten, and the gates of prayer are opened for a communal prayer, and the prayer of an individual is thus also accepted? Or perhaps the primary intent is that even if the people are not praying in a group of ten, there is still merit to praying together with the community. As even if this is not considered communal prayer, it is still considered the prayer of a group of people. The practical difference between the two approaches is in our case, where there is no communal prayer with ten people, but there is still prayer of the public at the same time…

It would seem that the matter does not depend upon a minyan of people praying together, but rather on many people praying at the same time…

The bottom line is that even though I have not found a clear proof, it seems that it is fitting to fix a set time that everyone prays together, even if every person is doing so in his home. Aside from the value of the time that the community prays, it seems to me that this is also very helpful in terms of human nature, as in this miserable situation in which the shuls are desolate to the anguish of our heart and every person is praying in his home, the concern is great that people will not be careful about praying during the proper time and the same goes for Kerias Shema, and many may not treat the tefilla properly and not pray for an appropriate length of time. But if they pray together and even hear each other, and one serves as a type of shaliach tzibbur, and completes each section aloud, this is very nice, even though it is obvious and clear that they cannot combine together in this manner to recite the repetition of the chazzan or any other davar shebikedusha.

Dov
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    FYI - there is a phenomenal resource here - https://www.kolcorona.com/halachot which lists a great number of Corona-based teshuvos from various leading poskim – Dov Nov 01 '20 at 13:40
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Beis Yosef gives the source as Brachos 7b

אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי יִצְחָק לְרַב נַחְמָן: מַאי טַעְמָא לָא אָתֵי מָר לְבֵי כְּנִישְׁתָּא לְצַלּוֹיֵי? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: לָא יָכֵילְנָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: לִכַּנְפִי לְמָר עַשְׂרָה וְלִיצַלֵּי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: טְרִיחָא לִי מִלְּתָא. וְלֵימָא לֵיהּ מָר לִשְׁלוּחָא דְצִבּוּרָא, בְּעִידָּנָא דִּמְצַלֵּי צִבּוּרָא לֵיתֵי וְלוֹדְעֵיהּ לְמָר.

As a prelude to another of the statements by Rabbi Yoḥanan in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, the Gemara relates the following incident. Rabbi Yitzḥak said to Rav Naḥman: Why did the Master not come to the synagogue to pray? Rav Naḥman said to him: I was weak and unable to come. Rabbi Yitzḥak said to him: Let the Master gather ten individuals, a prayer quorum, at your home and pray. Rav Naḥman said to him: It is difficult for me to impose upon the members of the community to come to my home to pray with me (Sefer Mitzvot Gadol). Rabbi Yitzḥak suggested another option: The Master should tell the congregation to send a messenger when the congregation is praying to come and inform the Master so you may pray at the same time.

(Translation from Sefaria)

user6591
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  • Thanks for the source. I particularly wanted to know about trying to synchronise davenning the Amidah. – Avrohom Yitzchok Nov 01 '20 at 15:10
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    I guess you would need to source chazzal referring to any other prayer as tzalui that has a rule to pray with the community in the beis haknesses. Until then, the only thing that qualifies is amida. Especially considering the entire sugya there it's quite obvious the gemara is discussing the amida. – user6591 Nov 01 '20 at 15:23