When the chazzan steps back upon completing the silent Shemoneh Esrei, he remains standing there for the time it takes to walk four amos, returns to his original place and says quietly: Hashem sefasai tiftach …¹ and begins aloud: Baruch atah Hashem. Everyone [in the congregation] must be careful to remain silent, (during the repetition of Shemoneh Esrei), to listen carefully and be attentive [to] what (the chazzan is saying, and to say Baruch hu uvaruch shemo² and Amein after each berachah. Even the study [of Torah] is prohibited while the chazzan is repeating the [Shemoneh Esrei] prayer; and needless to say that you must take care to avoid idle conversation. If it is not difficult for you, it is proper to stand as if you yourself are praying Shemoneh Esrei; your eyes either closed or following the chazzan's chanting in the siddur. There are some whose custom it is that after the Kedusha, they remove the Rashi tefillin and put on Rabbeinu Tam tefillin.³ and Rabbeinu Tam as to the order of the insertion of the parshios (portions) into the tefillin. Many pious people have a second pair of tefillin made according to Rabbeinu Tam’s specifications. The proper time for putting on this second pair is after Uva letzion. But what they do is not in accordance with the law.

footnotes: ¹ “God, open my lips etc.” ² “Blessed is He and blessed is His Name.” ³ There is a dispute between Rashi

Since the chazzan has already prayed his own prayer silently and is repeating Shemoneh Esrei only for the benefit of the listeners, it is, therefore, required that during the repetition of Shemoneh Esrei, there be no less than nine listening [to the chazzan] and answering [Amein] lest his berachos be in vain.⁴ (a blessing said in vain) is a sin which, according to some authorities, is comparable to “Taking God’s Name in vain”—one of the Ten Commandments. Therefore, when there is an exact minyan,⁵ care should be taken that the chazzan not begin the repetition of Shemoneh Esrei until all have completed their [silent] Shemoneh Esrei so that they are able to answer [Amein].

footnotes: ⁴ A berachah levatalah ⁵ Ten people including the chazzan.

The chazzan must be careful when completing a berachah, not to begin the following berachah until after most of the congregation have answered Amein. If he did begin the next berachah immediately, for instance, after completing [the berachah] Magein Avraham he began to say Atah gibor at once, then since he already started saying Atah gibor, no longer [does the congregation] say Amein." The penalty for vacating the Amein is now upon him (the chazzan).

When the Kedusha [is said], you should be careful to join your feet so that both are together as if they were one foot, as it is written [of the angels who say Kedusha] "And their feet (plural) are a straight foot" (singular). When saying: Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, also Baruch [kevod Hashem mimekomo], and Yimloch [Hashem leolam …] you should raise your body and heels upward. It is the custom to raise the eyes upward [during Kedusha], and preferrably they should be closed.

When the chazzan reaches [the berachah] modim, the entire congregation bows and says the entire modim derabanan⁶ aloud it is propitious for a person to add a short supplication. A number of the Rabbis said short prayers. Rav Papa concludes that all the prayers are proper and our version is a composite of all and is therefore called Modim derabanan—the Modim of our Rabbis. in a bowed posture.⁷ and at the conclusion. If you are standing [in the midst of] the Shemoneh Esrei prayer and you hear the chazzan about to say modim, if you are in the midst of a berachah, you should also bow.⁸ But if you are at the beginning or end of a berachah, you should not bow, because it is prohibited to add bowings either at the beginning or end of a berachah besides those that were ordained by our Rabbis, of blessed memory. See chapter 18, paragraph 11.

footnotes: ⁶ The Talmud (Soteh, 40:3) teaches that during the time in which the chazzan says Modim ⁷ Some bow only at the beginning until before Adono-y ⁸ I.e. while continuing your own prayer.

Before the chazzan starts [the berachah] Sim shalom, he says Elokeinu veilokei avoseinu barcheinu … when he reaches veyishmerecha,⁹ the congregation responds, Kein yehi ratzon¹⁰ and does not say Amein. The same applies when he reaches vichuneka and shalom.¹¹ It [the Birchas Kohanim] is said only at Shacharis and Musaf prayers, but not at Minchah, with the exception of a communal fast day when we say Sim shalom at Minchah;¹² at Minchah. then the chazzan also says: Elokeinu veilokei avoseinu …. It is not said [at the minyan] at the house of a mourner nor on Tisha Be'av at Shacharis.

footnotes: ⁹ The end of the first berachah of the בְּרָכָה מְשֻׁלֶשֶׁת—the three-fold berachah. ¹⁰ “So may it be Your will.” ¹¹ The end of the second and third berachos of the three-fold berachah. ¹² Unlike the usual practice of saying Shalom rav

After the chazzan completes the Shemoneh Esrei he should say quietly Yihyu leratzon … but he need not step back three paces because he may rely on the paces at the end of the full Kaddish.

If there are ten [men, a minyan], in the synagogue, on a communal fast day who are fasting and completing [the fast],¹³ or Minchah and one of the ten is an elderly or ill person who will be eating later that afternoon, even if he is still fasting at the time of prayer, the chazzan does not say aneinu in the repeated Shemoneh Esrei. Mishnah Berurah disagrees. He maintains that aneinu may be said. the chazzan adds the prayer aneinu before Refa'einu¹⁴ (a communal fast day) the chazzan adds aneinu as a separate berachah; i.e. it has its own closing: בָּרוּ אַתָּה ה׳ הָעוֹנֶה לְעַמוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעֵת צָרָה. Each individual also adds aneinu to his silent Shemoneh Esrei not as a separate berachah, but as part of the berachah: Shomeia Tefillah. Also, the chazzan adds aneinu at both Shacharis and Minchah, whereas, the individual adds it at Minchah only. at Shacharis and Minchah. If he erred and did not say it, if he realized [his omission] before he said "Hashem" of the berachah: Rofei cholei amo Yisrael, he goes back and says aneinu and [then] Refa'einu. But, if he did not realize [his omission] until after he said "Hashem," he completes the berachah Rofei cholei amo Yisrael, and says aneinu in the midst of the berachah Shomea tefillah, and closes the berachah [with] [Baruch atah Hashem] shomea tefillah, as would an individual. If he also forgot there,¹⁵ he completed the berachah Shomeia Tefillah. he adds it after completing Shemoneh Esrei¹⁶ before Elokei netzor. but without a closing berachah.

footnotes: ¹³ I.e. they intend to fast until nightfall. Thus, if they are praying Shacharis ¹⁴ On a Taanis Tzibur ¹⁵ I.e. he realized his omission after ¹⁶ I.e. after: hamevareich es amo Yisrael bashalom

We do not repeat the Shemoneh Esrei aloud, unless there are at least six men who constitute a majority of the minyan, who have finished praying.¹⁷ can never be made up of less than ten men. The author refers to a situation where among the ten assembled there are several who have already prayed. It is still a minyan if there are at least six who are now praying. The others, however, must be present and participate in answering Amein and in saying the Kedusha. But, if there aren't six men who are now praying, we do not repeat the entire Shemoneh Esrei aloud. Instead, one [of those praying] says [from the beginning of Shemoneh Esrei] until Ha'el hakadosh aloud, and everyone says Kedusha, and [the one who said the berachos aloud] completes his Shemoneh Esrei quietly.

footnotes: ¹⁷ “Six men who have finished praying.” The author does not mean that there are only six men assembled. A minyan

In all cases where the individual who erred goes back [and repeats] the Shemoneh Esrei, so too, if the chazzan erred in the repetition of Shemoneh Esrei, he must repeat the Shemoneh Esrei [aloud], except at Shacharis of Rosh Chodesh and Chol Hamoed. There [if the chazzan] forgot to say Yaaleh veyavo and did not realize it until he completed the [loud] Shemoneh Esrei, he does not go back, for since [it would result in] an imposition on the congregation, we rely on the reference [to Rosh Chodesh] [to be said] in the Musaf prayer. But if the chazzan realized [his omission] before he completed the Shemoneh Esrei, he goes back to [the berachah] Retzei as this [would not constitute] a burden on the congregation.¹⁸ is close to the end of Shemoneh Esrei and very little would have to be repeated.

footnotes: ¹⁸ Since Retzei

It is incumbent upon every man to say Kedusha together with the congregation; and also the Amein which is said after [the berachah] Ha'el Hakadosh and after [the berachah] Shomea tefillah. These Ameins are obligations equivalent to Kedusha.¹⁹ after each berachah said by the chazzan (para 2, 3). These two berachos have the special status equal to Kedusha which everyone must join in answering. Even those not now praying with the minyan but happen to be present in the synagogue at the time, should answer Amein. Likewise it is obligatory to respond to the kaddeishim²⁰ which the chazzan says.²¹ and yehei shemei rabba. Also [when the chazzan says] Modim you are obligated to bow²² together with the congregation. Therefore, if you were late in coming to the synagogue, having arrived too late to catch up and pray the Shemoneh Esrei together with the congregation and will perforce pray Shemoneh Esrei individually, if [by waiting still longer to start] the time for tefillah will not pass,²³ should not be prayed after one third of the day has passed. If by not starting to pray at once the time for that prayer will pass, you should start praying at once. you must be mindful not to begin praying Shemoneh Esrei at a time [which will cause you] to lose the opportunity of answering [Amein] to any of the above.²⁴. Rather you should wait until you respond [Amein to them] and then start to pray Shemoneh Esrei. But, you should not wait between ga'al Yisrael²⁵. and [the start of] Shemoneh Esrei, for you are required to connect "the Redemption"²⁶. to the Shemoneh Esrei, and it is forbidden to interrupt between them. But you should [rather] wait [silently] before [saying] Shirah Chadashah.

footnotes: ¹⁹ Actually there is an obligation to answer Amein ²⁰ The plural of Kaddish. ²¹ I.e. to answer Amein ²² See above 18:11. ²³ E.g., Shacharis ²⁴ The things mentioned above which have the status of Kedusha ²⁵ The closing words of the berachah before the start of Shemoneh Esrei ²⁶ I.e. Ga’al Yisrael

An individual standing in [silent] Shemoneh Esrei, who completes the berachah, mechayei hameisim [as] the congregation is saying the Kedusha in Uva Letzion or the Kedusha [in the berachah] Yotzer or should not say kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, with them because these kedushos are not the same as the Kedusha of Shemoneh Esrei. But, if the congregation is saying the Kedusha of Musaf, though he is praying Shacharis, he says kadosh,kadosh, kadosh. along with them. The same [applies] in reverse,²⁷ and the congregation is at Shacharis. because the Kedusha of Shacharis and the Kedusha of Musaf are the same [kedusha].

footnotes: ²⁷ I.e. when he is at Musaf