Ask The Rabbi

Ask The Rabbi

category:  Other

Praying the Amidah (Shemonah Esre) prayer in an audible voice

A Shaliach has a synagogue on only 10 elderly men who don’t know how to pray. The prayer books are open in front of them the entire time, but they don’t say all of the prayers. The Shaliach wants to preserve the feeling of tefillah b’tzibbur, prayer in a community, and thus wants to do an ‘adjusted’ repetition of the Amidah.
Answer: When the time comes for the Amidah prayer, the Shaliach Tzibbur may say it aloud like in the Chazarat haShatz (the repetition for the congregation). If there are six people who answer, he may recite kedusha. If there are not, then he should not recite it. Then he should say the Elokenu v’Elokei Avoteinu of the Priestly blessing, Birkat haKohanim. The abovementioned system is not the preferred way, rather a possible solution for someone who feels that the situation requires it.

There are no hard and fast rules about white shirts. In general, a white shirt is considered to be a modest but respectable garment, and a person should wear clothing that is respectable.


Also, part of the day is spent standing in prayer in front of the Creator, and this certainly warrants respectable attire.


In any case, the main thing is not the external garments, but rather the spiritual ones, namely, a person’s thought, speech, and deed. Physical clothing is only a means to the end, the goal being purity of spiritual garments.

Sources