1

I became more religiously observant nearly 30 years ago, in mid-college. Ever since, I've been living in a Chareidi environment, where the davening is on the slower side (to give you an idea: Weekday shacharis, about 45 min; Mon and Thurs, 55min).

I understand the davening in the original Hebrew and generally have no trouble keeping up.

But when it comes to certain parts -- like the Long Tachanun on Monday and Thurs, or the parts that are said as the Sefer Torah is taken out, or Selichos -- no matter how fast I try to read, I'm only half way through when the rest of the tzibbur is finished already.

I'd like to be able to keep up with the minyan throughout all the davening. It's especially relevant because it's a big factor holding me back from being a shliach tzibbur, which I'd like to be able to do.

I'm wondering if there might be any techniques that could help me read faster while saying what I'm reading out loud.

Elyah
  • 185
  • 9
  • I simply interrupt the long tachanun somewhere before ויאמר דוד, do the Torah reading with the community, then continue where I have stopped. Try to be ש"ץ on other days... – Kazi bácsi Dec 03 '22 at 22:16
  • 2
    Maybe be shatz, say everything, and challenge anyone who complains to actually say it aloud for you faster. – Double AA Dec 03 '22 at 23:39
  • 1
    I heard that Rav Herschel Schechter takes turns doing different parts of the long tachanun. Some Monday, some the next Thursday... Everyone does that for selichos. I have never ever been in a shul that says all the selichos printed in most siddurim. Nothing wrong with that. - Dunno about being shatz though. – MichoelR Dec 20 '22 at 04:22
  • @MichoelR Everyone does that for selichos? I don't, and I'm not the fastest reader out there. I suspect most would sooner mumble their way through it than skip parts outright. – shmosel Jan 18 '23 at 21:53
  • @shmosel "I don't. Well, do you say everything printed in the selichos? As I said, I've never been in a shul that did. "I suspect most would sooner mumble their way through it than skip parts outright." But why would they, according to that Tur? How is that better? – MichoelR Jan 18 '23 at 22:01
  • @MichoelR I don't know which specific selichos you're referring to, but I say whatever is Minhag Chabad on fast days and before R"H. If you're unable to, I'm not saying it's better to mumble them; I'm just questioning the factual claim that "everyone" skips. – shmosel Jan 18 '23 at 22:11
  • @shmosel Well, Chabad could be different. Most shuls (Nusach Ashkenaz) I know use a standard selichos from siddurim or pamphlets that is very different from what we actually say. I'm guessing that the shul says half of what's in the pamphlet, and even much less during the Aseres Yemai Teshuvah. Same on Rosh Hashana/Yom Kippur: Every shul I've davened at skips half of what's in the machzor. – MichoelR Jan 19 '23 at 01:34
  • @MichoelR There are various parts of the siddur we don't say, but that's also minhag, not about time considerations. – shmosel Jan 19 '23 at 01:51
  • @shmosel See this thread for a discussion of "mumbling through". I was hoping over there to see someone bringing sources for the point of view you're describing. – MichoelR Jan 19 '23 at 23:28
  • @MichoelR Where? – shmosel Jan 19 '23 at 23:42
  • @shmosel Sorry! https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/126158/better-less-with-kavannah-than-more-without – MichoelR Jan 19 '23 at 23:54
  • I know there's a concept (I don't recall the source atm) of saying different parts of davening with kavanah when you can, such that you cover the whole thing properly at least once over the course of the year. And I've heard tell of chassidim setting aside a portion of davening each day to say at length with full concentration, then bookmarking the page to continue the next day from where they'd left off. But that's all on top of the baseline requirement to say the whole davening. – shmosel Jan 20 '23 at 01:02
  • I still can't find the first source, but apparently the bookmark concept was something the Rebbe and the Rayatz referenced frequently. See here for one example (note "כמובן גומר"). – shmosel Jan 20 '23 at 05:02
  • Found it, it's Tanya Kuntres Acharon 3. – shmosel Apr 26 '23 at 20:50

1 Answers1

1

This information seems very promising; speed-reading techniques that could work for reading out-loud, as well:

https://tim.blog/2009/07/30/speed-reading-and-accelerated-learning/

In the mean time, I confessed my difficulty to other members of the shul, including the gabbai. I was strongly encouraged to lead the davening anyways.

One gabbai and even two different Rabbonim told me to just skip a little bit of the tachanun to keep up. And I'm referring to very religious, chareidi rabbonim, who are usually machmir in halachic matters and are qualified as morei hora'ah.

I thought this might be helpful in case anyone else finds himself with the same question.

Elyah
  • 185
  • 9
  • https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9F_%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9A_%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%97_%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%90_%D7%93 – Kazi bácsi Jan 04 '23 at 10:01