Can one practice saying Kaddish by oneself, for educational purposes?

Question

If someone wants to get better at saying one of the Kaddishes (Kaddish d'Rabbanan, Kaddish Yatom [Mourners], etc.), is it permissible to say the Kaddish out loud by oneself?

Kaddish is classified as a davar shebekdusha, a ritual that requires a minyan be present. Almost everyone agrees that Kaddish should not be said in a liturgical setting without a minyan. My question is whether an educational setting is different. Can one sit alone with a siddur to practice saying the words? May they be pronounced out loud, which would probably be the more effective educational technique? What is the general rule regarding practicing prayer while not actually praying?

Partially inspired by: Is there such a thing as a Kaddish L'vatola?. — Mike, Jan 05 '15 at 08:03
@YeZ I do not think it is a dupe. The second part of your question about a chazzan practicing never got answered. I thought it would be better to break that off into a separate question. — Mike, Jan 06 '15 at 00:17
That isn't a "second part" - that is just an example application of the question. And besides, a question being unanswered doesn't make a repeat any less of a duplicate. — Y e z, Jan 06 '15 at 00:22
@YeZ Yeah, I see your point . . . but the most upvoted answer says it "shouldn't be taken lightly" so whether education outweighs that concern is not addressed and seems like a separate question. — Mike, Jan 06 '15 at 00:27

score 2 · Answer 1 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:42

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As Double AA says

A davar shebekdusha (lit. thing done in holiness) is any ritual that requires a minyan to be done.

I understand this to mean that performing a davar shebekdusha without a minyan means that the activity has not been effective. Or as Ohr.edu 's Ask the Rabbi says

Kaddish is the public sanctification of G-d's Name. If kaddish is said in private, then by definition it is not kaddish.

So saying Kaddish out loud by oneself will not work as Kaddish. This is not a problem because you do not want it to work as Kaddish – rather as practice for the real thing.

edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:42

Community

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answered Jan 05 '15 at 21:14

Avrohom Yitzchok

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Are you making a diyuk on DoubleAA's words? – Daniel Jan 05 '15 at 21:35
@Daniel Not so much a diyuk, as rephrasing his words. And "Ohr.edu 's Ask the Rabbi" agrees to the rephrasing. – Avrohom Yitzchok Jan 05 '15 at 21:40
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@Daniel I wouldn't necessarily put it past Double AA to be diyuk-worthy. – Scimonster Jan 05 '15 at 22:22

Can one practice saying Kaddish by oneself, for educational purposes?

1 Answers1