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What are the origins of the Ashkenazi practice of mumbly-speed-through davening? I refer both to:

  1. Shemoneh Esrei where the words are not articulated with the mouth (albeit silently) but rather the blessings are skimmed with the eye and the lips make mumbly motions unrelated to the specific wording of the brachot, and

  2. The rest of the service where only occasional words and phrases of the tefillah are announced and the remainder is speed-mumbled in an undertone.

I can understand the need to keep a low profile in historically antisemitic Europe and thus minimizing out-loud praying, but I am baffled by the apparent conflict of (1) with the intention of formally standing and speaking before Hashem when silently davening Shemoneh Esrei. If standing formally before a human king and speed-mumbling blessings sounds disrespectful, then how is it not disrespectful to speed-mumble blessings in the Shemoneh Esrei mindset of formally standing before Hashem?

What are the specific halachic reasons that led to this speed-mumbling practice? To me, it effectively reduces davening Shemoneh Esrei (and other mumbled tefillah) to just thinking it as you read through it with your eyes, so then how does that qualify as prayer? I'd like answers beyond "it minimally qualifies because your lips are moving". I'm hoping to get more clarity so that I can appreciate the deeper halachic rationale behind this practice, because with my current thinking I cannot in good conscience allow myself to speed-mumble Shemoneh Esrei and am therefore always significantly and frustratingly slower than the congregation when davening it.

Shaine Leah
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    Is it right to describe a mistake or incorrect behavior as a "practice"? The term "Ashkenazi practice" makes it sound like some kind of institutionalized custom or halachic position, which it isn't. Furthermore, I don't think this phenomenon is specific to Ashkenazim or only prevalent within Ashkenazi communities. – Fred Nov 29 '23 at 20:48
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    You should probably find yourself another shul. (I don’t mean to be flippant, and I realise that that isn’t always possible.) Alternatively, there is certainly room to argue for starting the amidah before the congregation does in circumstances like this. – Joel K Nov 29 '23 at 20:55
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    To add to my previous comment, you are probably observing two different phenomena without discerning between the two: 1) The phenomenon you described, where some individuals mumble through the prayers and either skip or don't properly enunciate many words. 2) A more common phenomenon, where people are actually reading the words, but only recite some of the words loud enough for others to hear. – Fred Nov 29 '23 at 21:00
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    This reads more like a rant than an actual question. – shmosel Nov 29 '23 at 21:48
  • Given that the mumbling has been a frustrating barrier for me in shul, of course I am curious why Ashkenazi do it that way. Surely there must be a halachic basis, if it is so ubiquitous? Rather than rant, I choose to give the benefit of the doubt and seek answers to educate myself. – Shaine Leah Nov 29 '23 at 23:41
  • @Fred Thanks -- part of my question is just that: why DO Ashkenazi only recite some of the words aloud during the part of the service that is presumably supposed to all be out loud (i.e. not explicitly silent unlike the Shemoneh Esrei)? Maybe "muttering" is a better word rather than mumbling. – Shaine Leah Nov 29 '23 at 23:55
  • I use the word "practice" because this is what I've experienced at every Ashkenazi shul I've ever attended. As a baalat teshuva (of the tinok shenisba type), this practice has been an obstacle to following the service for a long time, but despite that I've been pushing myself to learn and keep up, even though the speed-through pace, and constantly losing track of where we are, distracts from my kavanah. I took it for granted until I was recently informed that Sephardi in fact chant & enunciate every word (aside from Shemoneh Esrei of course). – Shaine Leah Nov 29 '23 at 23:59
  • I don't believe there is a "part of the service that is presumably supposed to all be out loud" but of course as you indicated Sephardi shuls tend to say a lot more out loud. If the prayers go too fast, you might want to get advice from a Rav who knows you well, it is likely he will suggest praying at your pace and aiming to join the congregation for parts said out loud and responses, e.g., Kedusha, Kadish, Barchu. This might mean starting earlier, jumping over parts to come back, etc. – mbloch Nov 30 '23 at 03:48
  • Since you ask sincerely for benefit of the doubt, realize some people have been praying 3x daily for 40-50 years or more. The excitement and freshness you feel is long gone for them, and is not easy to maintain. – mbloch Nov 30 '23 at 03:49
  • @mbloch I sure hope that is NOT the reason! It would be very concerning if the timing of services is catering to people who just want to get through mechanically as fast as possible. At least in my perspective, slowing things down gives me time to register and renew my emotional connection to the brachot each time I say them. As for the 3x daily for years regimen, though, I can imagine how this could in fact turn into a meditative experience that has a deeper spiritual meaning even though it's not "fresh and exciting" like for a newbie... Does this ring true at all? – Shaine Leah Nov 30 '23 at 04:11
  • ר' יששכר אומר "וְדִגְלוֹ עָלַי אַהֲבָה" אפילו אדם יושב ועוסק בתורה ומדלג מהלכה להלכה ומפסוק לפסוק אמר הקב"ה חביב הוא עלי "וְדִגְלוֹ עָלַי אַהֲבָה" ודילוגו עלי אהבה. https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%93%D7%91%D7%A8_%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%94_%D7%91_%D7%92 – The GRAPKE Nov 30 '23 at 13:21
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    Does this answer your question? How do people daven so quickly, and what's the support for it? or this Which parts of the prayer service must be said clearly out loud – Deuteronomy Nov 30 '23 at 16:16
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    @Deuteronomy, thanks yes that is very helpful. – Shaine Leah Nov 30 '23 at 16:34
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    As Fred said, this is a mistake/improper behaviour. It's not an Ashkenazi custom, chas veshalom, but it is a pathology that might be more prevalent in Ashkenazi shuls because of the way they daven - silently and individually for the most part.

    It is mainly caused by impatience, apathy to tefilla, and a desire to not stand out as "the slow one holding back the minyan".

    Halacha is clear - every single letter and vowel in tefilla has to be properly pronounced

     – Rabbi Kaii Nov 30 '23 at 16:38
  • @ShaineLeah Why DO Ashkenazi only recite some of the words aloud during the part of the service? That's a good question. I wonder whether even this rises to the level of a custom, and I've observed that while some people do this, most people seem to recite everything quietly, which is to say loud enough to hear themselves but not audible to other people nearby (except for the Sh'ma' and responsive portions of the prayers like K'dusha that are recited aloud). Most likely, people who recite bits and pieces loudly are doing so to arouse their own focus and kavana on the prayers. – Fred Nov 30 '23 at 17:02
  • I thought that silent recitation is what distinguishes Shemoneh Esrei, so why are they doing the same for other parts of the service? – Shaine Leah Nov 30 '23 at 21:59
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    "Why DO Ashkenazi only recite some of the words aloud during the part of the service?" There are parts of the silent-ish parts (e.g. Psukei deZimra) which are demarked in the siddur, at the end of paragraphs, for the Chazan to say loudly. In this way he sets the pace of the tefillah for the congregation. That does have the status of practice, rather than error, and one of the things the OP is observing in (2). – josh waxman Dec 01 '23 at 07:10

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