Kedushah Recoup: A Minyan for One and for All
I was unavoidably late to Minchah one afternoon and run into shul moments before the z’man ([latest] time to pray) only to find that I have just missed the opportunity to answer Kedushah with the minyan (quorum of ten for prayer). With no other choice, I’m about to start davening (praying) b’yechidus (on my own). But do I have any other option?
Someone who is praying alone but in the presence of at least nine others may recite a “hoiche Kedushah” (lit., loud Kedushah); he may act as if he is the chazzan (prayer leader) and raise his voice when beginning his personal Amidah. Those around him will answer his Kedushah, allowing him to recite what he had missed during the communal davening. But he is davening aloud merely to enable himself to recite Kedushah and not as a shliach tzibbur (lit., representative of the congregation—the official term for “chazzan”): He doesn’t daven the Amidah twice—silently and then aloud—because only an actual shliach tzibbur may do so (as a function for those who may not know how to properly daven on their own). In addition, once he has concluded the brachah “Hakel Hakadosh” after Kedushah, he continues the Amidah silently. There is no heter (dispensation) to continue to daven out loud, as exists for a real shliach tzibbur in Chazaras HaShatz (the leader’s repetition).
We’re a minyan of exactly ten davening together, and one congregant is lagging behind;* he is still reciting the blessings before the Shema, when he is not allowed to speak out at all, even to answer Amen to most brachos and thereby participate in our communal davening. Our congregation reaches the end of the silent Amidah, yet the chazzan may not begin the Chazaras HaShatz aloud, for there are only eight of us available to answer Kedushah and Amen. What is the solution?
If the congregation is unable to wait for the tenth man to catch up to the chazzan, they may designate him to recite his own silent Amidah in a loud voice as a substitute to the standard Chazaraz HaShatz—even though under normal circumstances the shliach tzibbur must “review” the Amidah silently before petitioning for the congregation. He recites the entire Amidah out loud (with the other eight men and the original chazzan answering Amen). However, since it is also his own private davening, he must conclude with Elokei Nitzor and take the three steps back immediately, as he would normally do for a silent Amidah.
*Generally, only six of the ten men counted for a minyan have to be active participants in the davening and recite the silent Amidah in unison.