3

If I find myself in a situation where davening with a particular minyan will be detrimental to my kavana, should I daven b'yechidut but with a better focus and concentration, or should I stay with the minyan for the advantages that a minyan gives (either by virtue of being able to say things an individual can't say, or because b'rov am hadrat melech) even though it is more likely that my lack of kavana will lead to davening which can't make me yotzei my obligation to daven.

Note, this is not about speed, but about talking, noise and ba'alei tefilla who mispronounce, are tone deaf or don't know what they are saying. The entire davening experience is one which is actively detrimental to kavana. Halevai the davening should be faster...

Double AA
  • 98,894
  • 6
  • 250
  • 713
rosends
  • 38,242
  • 6
  • 38
  • 110
  • 3
    Possible duplicate of Too fast or no minyan? – Scimonster Mar 11 '16 at 14:41
  • @Scimonster that one has answers (starting earlier, saying certain things at home, skipping things and saying them later). My question is about the entirety of the davening experience. There is no real compromise position. – rosends Mar 11 '16 at 14:45
  • I don't have time to summarize this right now, but Rabbi Eliezer Melamed discusses this here. – Cauthon Mar 11 '16 at 14:47
  • @Cauthon Thanks. I found that only the first paragraph addresses something akin to my hypothetical situation and even then, it only really focuses on the first bracha of the amida. – rosends Mar 11 '16 at 14:51
  • No problem. I think he means that the first bracha is only an indicator, but anyway, there's a list of a few sources here in a short answer by Rabbi Shelomo Aviner (scroll down to the 6th answer from below). – Cauthon Mar 11 '16 at 15:09
  • 1
    @Cauthon a number of the answers seem to be on point and clear: מניין –. מעלת המניין מעל הכוונה שלנו – rosends Mar 11 '16 at 15:15
  • 1
    possible dupe http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/66554/759 – Double AA Mar 11 '16 at 22:29
  • Rav baruch gigi (rosh yeshivah at Yeshivat har etzion) commented in general that if one feels his kavana will be greater davening alone it is legitimate to do so, but only on an infrequent basis. It should become the norm, as at the end of the day his kavana will be better in a minyan. – andrewmh20 Mar 13 '16 at 17:32
  • Wikipedia notes that

    "there were those who had the custom to accept the mitzva of loving their fellow man as themselves before shacharis in order that their prayers should be acceptable because (קיצור שו"ע סימן י"ב ב ) if Heaven forfend there is separation of hearts below then there no unity above. "

    The trick seems to see enough positive things in the other participants of the minyan so that you are not disturbed.

     – Avrohom Yitzchok Mar 13 '16 at 20:39

0 Answers0