All right, rabotai (gentlemen), we’re at Rambam (Maimonides), Hilchot Tefilah (Laws of Prayer), perek tet (chapter nine): “Seder tefilot ha-tzibur kach hu” (This is the order of communal prayer). This is the order of tefilah be-tzibur (communal prayer). “Bashachar kol ha-am yoshvim”: In the morning, everyone sits, and the usheliach tzibur yored lifnei ha-tevah ve-omed be-emtza ha-am. The teivah is in the middle of the congregation. “Umatchil ve-omer Kaddish” (sanctification prayer): He starts with Kaddish. “Vechol ha-am onim, amen yehei shemeh rabba mevarach le-alam ule-almei almaya” (May His great name be blessed forever and ever), “bechol kochan.” “Bechol kochan” either means with their intention or out loud; there are two interpretations. “Ve’onin…” Yes, different girsa’ot (textual versions). Some say “le-alam le-almei,” and some say “le-alam ule-almei.” “Ve’onim amen be-sof Kaddish”: They answer amen at the end of Kaddish, “da’amiran be’alma ve’imru amen.”
“Ve’achar kach omer barechu et Hashem ha-mevorach” (Bless Hashem, the blessed One), and they say “baruch Hashem ha-mevorach le’olam va’ed” (Blessed is Hashem, the blessed One, forever). “Umatchil ufores al Shema bekol ram.” In the olden days, the chazan (prayer leader) would say Shema (Hear) out loud, along with the berachot (blessings). “Vehem onim amen achar kol berachah uverachah”: They answer amen after each berachah, including “yotzer ha-me’orot” (Who forms the luminaries) and “ahavat olam” (eternal love). “Ve-hayode’a levarech mevarech imo”: If he knows how to read himself, he reads until he says “ga’al Yisrael” (Who redeemed Israel). “Ve-hakol omdim miyad umitpalelim be-lachash”: Everyone immediately stands and prays the Amidah (standing prayer) silently.
“Umi she’eino yode’a lehitpalel, omed ve-shotek ad she-yitpalel sheliach tzibur be-lachash im she’ar ha-am.” Whoever doesn’t know how to pray waits for the chazan to finish his silent prayer. “Vechol mi she-yigmor tefilato im ha-tzibur,” and anyone praying with the chazan, “yafsi’a shalosh pesi’ot le’achorav.” He makes oseh shalom (Who makes peace), taking three steps backward. “Ve-ya’amod be-makom she-higi’a elav be’et she-yafsi’a”: He stays in the place where he finished the Amidah and waits.
“Ve’achar she-yafsi’a sheliach tzibur shalosh pesi’ot le’achorav ve-ya’amod”: After the sheliach tzibur finishes and makes oseh shalom, “matchil umitpalel bekol ram mit-techilat ha-berachot lehotzi et mi she-lo hitpalel.” According to the Rambam, the main reason for the chazarah (repetition) is to fulfill the obligation of those who don’t know how to pray. “Ve-hakol omdim ve-shom’im ve-onim amen achar kol berachah uverachah.”
Now, here’s the big question: What does the Rambam mean when he says “omdim”? You could argue that this is the minhag (custom) of people standing during the chazarah, because the Rambam’s wording is “ve-hakol omdim ve-shom’im ve-onim amen achar kol berachah uverachah.” The question is whether “omdim” actually means standing, or perhaps it means “shotkim”—being silent. “Omed” means they don’t talk; they just remain silent, but they can remain seated.
Let’s go to the back of the book, perek tet, halachah gimel, and see whether anyone makes this observation about the Rambam’s opinion on standing during the chazarah. Again, we’re being medayek (carefully interpreting) the words “ve-hakol omdim.” What page? Kuf-lamed-zayin? Kuf-lamed… Aha, here it is. Look at kuf-lamed-heh: “Ve-hakol omdim ve-shom’im.” The Rema (Rabbi Moses Isserles) brings, in the name of Hagahot Minhagim (Glosses on Customs), that the whole congregation should stand when the sheliach tzibur repeats the prayer. So the Rema says they should stand.
Shulchan Aruch Ha-Rav (Code of Jewish Law by the Rav) writes that the reason is that they concentrate and listen to the sheliach tzibur; shome’a ke-oneh (hearing is like answering), as if they were praying themselves. That sounds like only the people who are yotzeh (fulfilling their obligation through) the Amidah should stand, because they’re the ones who need the Amidah.
In Yaskil Avdi (He will prosper, My servant), the famous teshuvah of Hacham Ovadia Hadaya (Rabbi Ovadia Hadaya), he asks why the Rema didn’t bring a source for this custom from the Rambam. Just bring it from the Rambam, who writes that everyone stands and listens! He concludes that the Rambam’s “omdim ve-shom’im” means they are silent. The reason the Rema didn’t bring the Rambam is that “omdim” doesn’t mean standing; it means being silent.
As they say in the Gemara about the verse, “ve-chefitcho amdu chol ha-am”: “ein amidah ela shetikah” (standing means nothing but silence), as it says, “ve-hochalti ki lo yedaberu ki amdu lo anu od” (I waited because they did not speak; they stood and answered no more). So Hacham Ovadia Hadaya proves from the Rema, who didn’t cite this Rambam, that the Rambam must understand “omed” to mean being silent. Bottom line, Hacham Ovadia alav hashalom says, “ha-machmir” (one who is stringent) and stands during the chazarah, tavo alav berachah (blessing be upon him). The Ben Ish Chai (Son of the Living Man) holds that one should stand; Hacham Ovadia says tavo alav berachah.
“Ve’omed kedushah uveverachah shelishit”: There’s “nakdishach” and the third berachah. “Vecheivan shehegi’a sheli’ach tzibbur likedushah, yesh reshut lechol echad ve’echad lachazor limkom she’amad bo bitefillah.” “Yesh reshut” means he has the option to go back to the place where he stood. It doesn’t say you should do it; it means now you have permission, whereas before you weren’t allowed. Now you’re able to go back. You were locked in before.
“Ukshehegi’a sheli’ach tzibbur lemodim, vechorea, kol ha’am shochin me’at.” That’s where they got it in Chalab and all that: “shochin me’at,” because the Rambam says “me’at.” Velo ha? Of course. “Velo yishchu yoter midai.” It means that when you’re standing, you don’t have to make a full keri’ah (bow); you just nod your head.
“Ve’omerim: Modim anachnu lach” (We give thanks to You), “Hashem Elokeinu v’Elokei chol basar, yotzreinu yotzer bereishit, berachot vehoda’ot leshimcha hagadol vehakadosh al shehecheyitanu vekiyimtanu, ken techayeinu uTechonenu veta’asof galuyoteinu lechatzrot kodshecha, lishmor chukecha vela’asot retzoncha ule’ovdecha belevav shalem, al she’anachnu modim lach.” “Vechol ha’omer modim modim, meshatkin oto.” If he says “modim” twice, they silence him, because it looks as if he’s praying to two deities.
“Ve’achar sheyashlim kol hatefillah”—after the Amidah—“yeishev veyipol al panav.” He says “le-David” and leans a little to the side, so it won’t look as though he’s bowing to the ground. He leans slightly to the side, “hu vechol hatzibbur, veyitchanen vehu nofel.” “Veyeshev veyagbi’ah rosho hu ushe’ar ha’am”: Then he sits up, or raises his head, “umitchanen me’at bekol ram meyushav.” Afterward, the sheliach tzibbur stands and says Kaddish a second time. The chazan says Kaddish after Avinu Malkeinu (Our Father, our King), and the congregation answers as they did at the beginning.
“Ve’omed, vehu rachum.” First he stands while they sit, and they read with him. What is this “vehu rachum” that they’re saying here? It’s either for Monday and Thursday, or it’s something that was done in some places, in the siddur of Rav Sa’adyah Gaon. That’s why the Rambam writes that this verse should be said every day. Interesting! We do say it, but we say it in Uva Letziyon (And a redeemer shall come to Zion): “Vehu rachum yechaper avon velo yashchit vehirbah lehashiv apo.” We have it introduced there. He’s putting it after the Kaddish and before Ashrei (Happy are those). Correct—he’s putting it early, after the Kaddish and before Ashrei.
“Vehem onim.” Now that he says “vehem kor’im imo,” “ve’achar kach omer Uva Letziyon Go’el, va’ani zot,” then “Tehillah LeDavid”—that’s Ashrei. Then he stands while they sit and read with him: “Uva Letziyon Go’el, va’ani zot, ve’atah kadosh, vekara zeh el zeh ve’amar, kadosh, kadosh, vekoreh targum shel kedushah, vehem onim kadosh kadosh shalosh pe’amim, vechozer vekoreh targum shel kedushah, ve’omer vatisa’eni ru’ach, vekoreh oto targum, ve’omer Hashem yimloch le’olam va’ed, vekoreh targum kedei lehavin ha’am.”
From the Rambam, it sounds as if there’s no law that it must be read in a low voice. The Rambam should have said “belachash,” and the truth is that the Ben Ish Chai holds you don’t have to say it belachash. Hacham Baruch Ben-Shimon used to say it in an audible voice many times. Yes, because kedushah is meyushav; that’s a kabbalistic matter, because it’s olam haberi’ah, olam hakissei.
“Ve’elu hapesukim shebifnei hakedushah veshe’le’achareha im hatergumim hem hanikra’im seder kedushah.” That’s called seder kedushah (order of holiness): the targum (translation) and the pesukim (verses). “Ve’achar kach mitchanen bedivrei tachanunim.” We have those pesukim that we say after “Shomer Yisrael.” “Ve’omer Kaddish vechol ha’am onim kedarkam veniftarin,” and then they go home.
Someone who says during the tachanunim, “Mi shericham al kan tzippor,” is saying: “The God who had mercy on the bird in the nest, the mother bird, ‘shelo likach ha’em al habanim’”—that God said we cannot take the mother with the children. Why? Because God has mercy and doesn’t want to cause the mother bird agony. Or, “shelo lishchot oto ve’et beno beyom echad”—God is so merciful that He doesn’t let us slaughter the father, mother, and child on the same day. “Yerachem aleinu”: The same God who has that mercy should have mercy on us. What do you do to such a person? “Meshatkin oto.” You tell him to be quiet, because that isn’t the reason for these mitzvot (commandments).
“Mipnei shemitzvot elu gezeirat hakatuv hen.” It’s a gezeirat hakatuv (Scriptural decree). The Ramban (Nachmanides) proves it: If it were about mercy, why allow shechitah (ritual slaughter) in the first place? Forget about slaughtering the father, mother, and child on the same day—why slaughter the child on any day? The fact that we can do shechitah shows that the issue isn’t mercy. What is it? It’s a gezeirat hakatuv. “She’ilu hayu mipnei rachamim, lo hayah matir lanu shechitah kol ikar.” The Rambam says this explicitly. He brought “modim modim meshatkin oto”; it’s the same Gemara.
“Vechen lo yarbeh bechinuyim shel shem.” Don’t add to the Amidah. “Veyomar ha’El hagadol hagibor vehanora veha’izuz veha’eshtan, ha’amitz, izuz, she’ein koach ba’adam lehagi’a besof shevachav.” It’s impossible for a person to reach all the praises, except for what Moshe Rabbeinu alav hashalom (Moses our teacher, peace be upon him) said in the Torah: “Hagadol, Hagibor, Vehanora.”
“Beminchah, omed sheli’ach tzibur Ashrei yoshvei veitecha techilah, Tehilah leDavid, vechol ha’am meyoshav.” The people should say Ashrei sitting. “Ve’omed sheli’ach tzibur ve’omer Kaddish, vehem omdim acharav ve’onim kedarkam, umitpalelim kulam belachash. Ve’achar kach chozer sheli’ach tzibur umitpalel bekol ram kederech she’asah beshacharit ad shemashlim kol hatefilah, venoflim al peneihem,” viduy (confession), “umitchanen, umagbi’ah rosho vehem, umitchanen me’at meyoshav kederech she’asah beshacharit.” So you see that the Rambam clearly mentions “le-David” and these things in Minchah (afternoon prayer) as well.
“Ve’omed ve’omer Kaddish, vechol ha’am onim kedarkam veniftarim lema’aseihem.” Aleinu leshabei’ach (It is our duty to praise Him), shir shel yom (the daily psalm), or ketoret (incense)—at least, at the end of the Rambam’s section or the beginning of his Minchah. He has the sheli’ach tzibur sitting for Ashrei here. And here he says, “ve’omed sheli’ach tzibur.” Correct, at Kaddish.
“Ba’erev”—now we get to Arvit (evening prayer)—“kol ha’am yoshvim vehu omed, ve’omer ‘Vehu rachum.’” Ashkenazim start with “Vehu rachum,” not “Hashem Tzeva’ot imanu.” “Ba’arichut Hashem yitbarach, uverchu et Hashem hamevorach le’olam va’ed, umatchel lifros al Shema.” It’s the same thing: He can say the berachot, and they answer amen, unless they know how to do it themselves. “Ve’omer Kaddish, ve’achar kach hakol omdim umitpalelim belachash. Uchshemashlimim omer Kaddish, vehem niftarin.” They go home. “Ve’eino chozer lehitpalel bekol ram.” There’s no chazarah in Arvit.
“Lefi she’ein tefilat Arvit chovah, lefichach lo yevarech berachot levatalah, she’ein kan adam shenitchayev bahem kedei lehotzi yedei chovato.” You don’t repeat the Amidah to be motzi (discharge another’s obligation), because there’s no one you have to be motzi; nobody is actually obligated.
“Uveleilei Shabbatot”—Friday night—“chozer sheli’ach tzibur achar shemitpalelin belachash im hatzibur umitpalel bekol ram. Aval eino mitpalel sheva ela berachah achat me’ein sheva” (a blessing resembling the seven). So, from the way the Rambam looks at me’ein sheva, it sounds like a chazarah. That’s why the Ben Ish Chai holds, and it sounds like Rabbeinu ha’Ari (Rabbi Isaac Luria) would hold, that even if you’re praying in a place where there’s no shul and so on, you have to say it. It’s a tikkun (rectification) of the chazarah. Bedyuk, bedyuk.
But at the end of the day, there’s a big machloket (dispute) about whether you should say me’ein sheva at the hotel minyanim when you’re traveling. Big machloket. Hacham Ben Tzion says that even though it’s mashma (indicated) from the Ari z”l that you should say it even in a place where there’s no Sefer Torah, since it isn’t meforash (explicit) in the Ari z”l, he hedges and says safek berachot lehakeil (be lenient in doubtful blessings). However, the minhag of Jerusalem is to say it. The Ben Ish Chai indicates that they would say it.
My minhag now is to say it even in house minyanim, because that was the minhag of Jerusalem. Hacham Baruch said that we have—yes, because once during COVID we did a shi’ur on this from the Ari z”l, and Tzitz Eliezer also sounds like you should say it; there are a lot of poskim (halachic authorities). Although Hacham Ben Tzion says it isn’t explicit that you shouldn’t say it. I once asked Hacham Baruch alav hashalom, and he said the minhag of Jerusalem was to say it, like the Ben Ish Chai. I asked Hacham Baruch once because they were doing it in Deal; they had these minyanim in the house. I asked him, and he said, “Minhag Yerushalayim.” Right, the minhag of Jerusalem. They didn’t have a Sefer Torah, so it was a quick Friday-night minyan. Nonetheless, there’s what to rely on if you say it, and never mind if you don’t.
“Ve’omer: ‘Baruch atah Hashem Elokeinu ve’Elokei avoteinu, Elokei Avraham, Elokei Yitzchak, ve’Elokei Ya’akov, Ha’El hagadol, hagibor, vehanora, El elyon, koneih shamayim va’aretz, Magen avot bidvaro, mechayeih meitim bema’amaro, Ha’El hakadosh she’ein kamohu, hamani’ach le’amo beyom hamani’ach le’amo beShabbat kodsho, ki vam ratzah lehani’ach lahem, lefanav na’avod beyir’ah vafachad, venodeh lishmo bechol yom tamid me’ein haberachot, El hahoda’ot, Adon hashalom, mekadesh haShabbat umevarech shevi’i, umani’ach bikdushah le’am medushnei oneg, zeicher lema’aseih vereishit. Elokeinu ve’Elokei avoteinu, retzeih vimnuchateinu. Baruch atah Hashem, Mekadesh haShabbat.’” “Ve’omer Kaddish, veniftarin kol ha’am.”
Why did the Sages institute this? The Rambam says the Gemara explains: “Mipnei sherov ha’am ba’im lehitpalel Arvit beleilei Shabbatot.” Most people would pray Arvit in shul on Friday nights. “Veyeish sham mi shenit’acher lavo velo hishlim tefilato.” One person might take a long time to pray the Amidah, and everyone else would leave; he’d be alone. “Veyisha’er levado beveit hakneset, veyavo lidei sakanah,” because the large shuls used to be in the fields, and they didn’t want people walking home alone because of the mazikin (harmful spirits). So they delayed the prayer. And those who didn’t have Yigdal (He shall be exalted)…
Therefore, they had to make me’ein sheva, so it would stretch things out. I mean, again, it seems clear that there was more to this. If you’re looking for a stalling tactic, could the rabbi give a five-minute divrei Torah (words of Torah) to stall? Sing two pizmonim (liturgical poems)? I don’t know. There are easy ways: tell two people to wait for the person. You have to wait for him. Or see who has to—ela, you see, there must have been other reasons for establishing a berachah with shem u’malchut (God’s name and kingship) just because there might be—by the way, there might be. And what if there’s no one, like today? Ela, because a takanah (rabbinic enactment) is a takanah. The Sages knew going in that they might not even come to that situation, and they still established it with the name of Hashem. Like Nathan said, there must be other reasons the Sages established this berachah, because of the tikkun of tefilah, like the Ari z”l; therefore, we do it.
“Lefichach chozer sheliach tzibur umitpalel kedei sheyit’akevu kol ha’am,” so he repeats the prayer so the people will be delayed a little, “kedei she ad sheyashlimu hamit’acher veyetzei imahem.” That assumes the person who’s late needs an extra two minutes. What do you do if he’s really late? Sorry, we can’t fix that person. You see, it’s two minutes. They’re assuming those two minutes will solve all the problems, which is interesting, unless—yeah.
“Lefichach yom tov shechal liheyot beShabbat”—a yom tov (festival) that falls on Shabbat—“o Yom HaKipurim o Rosh Chodesh, ein sheliach tzibur yored over lifnei hateivah mazkir inyano bivrachah zo aval chotem bah mekadesh haShabbat.” You don’t say “mekadesh Yisrael veRashei Chodashim”; you just say “mekadesh haShabbat,” because it was established for Shabbat, not for Rosh Chodesh, “milvad lefi shelo nitchayev hayom bivrachah zo.”
“BeShabbatot veyamim tovim keshegomer sheliach tzibur tefilat Shacharit bekol ram”—after he finishes the Shacharit Amidah on yom tov—“omer Kaddish ve’achar kach tehilah leDavid.” The Sefer Torah is somewhere in there, but he’s saying you say Ashrei at that point, before the Sefer Torah. “Ve’omer Kaddish umitpalelim Musaf belachash ve’achar kach mitpalel Musaf bekol ram kederech she’asah beShacharit ve’omer Kaddish achar tefilat Musaf veha’am niftarin.” Okay, where exactly is the Sefer Torah? We haven’t seen it yet.
“Ve’ein omerim kedushah vetachanunim achar tefilat Shacharit bishe’ar hayamim”—there’s no “ana,” no viduy on these days here; “ela omer otah kodem tefilat haminchah.” Interesting. “Ve’ein omerim kedushah vetachanunim achar tefilat Shacharit bishe’ar hayamim.” What are we talking about? Kedushah de’sidra (order of holiness), meaning Uva Letziyon, he says. There’s no Uva Letziyon on Shabbat, and there’s no Uva Letziyon on these days. We do it at Minchah; that’s what he means. We come back at Minchah and say Uva Letziyon.
“Keitzad kodem tehilah leDavid omer seder hayom ubederech divrei tachanunim ve’omer Kaddish umitpalelim minchah vechozer umashmia tefilat minchah bekol ram ve’omer Kaddish.” So the order of Minchah prayer would be Ashrei, sidra dekedushah (the section of holiness), which is Uva Letziyon, some of the tachanunim, like “baruch Eloheinu sheberanu lichvodo,” which we say afterward, and then we’re done. He didn’t mention the Sefer Torah. Maybe he’s going to mention the Sefer Torah in its own section. This is the order of prayer.
“BeRashei Chodashim uvecholo shel mo’ed omer seder kedushah kodem tefilat Musaf,” which we do. We say Uva Letziyon on Chol HaMo’ed and on Rosh Chodesh before Musaf. “Bemotza’ei Shabbat omer seder hayom gam achar tefilat ha’erev”—“ve’atah kadosh,” which is true; we do that on Saturday nights. “Ve’omerim Kaddish ve’achar kach mavdil.” Then we make havdalah (separation ceremony) in order to be motzi (discharge another’s obligation).
What, they don’t have Aleinu? The Moroccans actually say it before Aleinu. Yeah, they do it so people don’t leave. So they do it before. And from here, from the Rambam, it was definitely before Aleinu, because there was no Aleinu. So that’s that.
There’s one point in the back of the book. He says here—aha. “Ha’im ha’am tzarich la’amod bekaddish?” Do the people have to stand for Kaddish? Good question, kuf mem zayin. “Ve’omed sheliach tzibur ve’omer Kaddish vehem omedim acharav ve’onim kedarkan.” Aha, look at the Rambam again in tet. This was halachah chet. Let’s read Rambam tet chet again: “Ve’omed sheliach tzibur ve’omer Kaddish vehem omedim acharav ve’onim kedarkan.” So does “omedim” mean standing, or does it mean “shotkim” again? “Acharav” sounds like they’re standing with him. So from the Rambam, it sounds like you might stand for Kaddish, but then again, maybe you’re standing because you’re going to stand for the Amidah.
“Uve’inyan shel, umilshon ha-Rambam mashma she-hatzibbur ya’amdu techilah ve’achar kach ya’anu. Ve-hainu lechikhorah mishum shetzarich lomar amen yehe shemeh rabba ba’amidah.” Look at that. “Ach le’idach katav behemshech halachah umitchanen me’at veyoshev ve’omed ve’omer Kaddish.” “Ve’omed ve’omer Kaddish” sounds like only the chazan stands for Kaddish, while everyone else remains seated. So we have a contradiction here.
“Umashma sherak hachazzan omed velo hatzibbur, vechen dikdek bemah shekatav ha-Rambam lehalan halachah tet, umatchil lifros al Shema ve’omer Kaddish, ve’achar kach hakol omdim umitpalelim belachash.” It seems they don’t stand until the Amidah: “hakol omdim umitpalelim belachash.” It implies that they stand after Kaddish, not during Kaddish. Earlier, he also wrote, “ve’achar kach omed sheliach tzibur levado ve’omer Kaddish pa’am sheniyah.” That implies the congregation doesn’t have to stand during Kaddish. Apparently, he contradicts himself.
He writes that apparently one could distinguish between the cases. At the end of this halachah, the Rambam is discussing Minchah, and since they have to stand immediately afterward to pray anyway, as I said, the person is getting up to pray the Amidah. So the Rambam is saying, “Stand up; you’re standing anyway.” What, are you waiting until the last minute to stand for the Amidah? Are you being a stickler? Stand up now. Don’t be like that. “Lachen miyom tov al tehi ra.” If you’re standing up anyway, you have to stand at the beginning, before Kaddish. But earlier, where the Rambam is talking about the Kaddish before kedushah de’sidra, what are you going to tell the person? You’re already seated. Now you’re going to tell him to go out of his way to stand—what for?
“She’enam tzrichim la’amod achar Kaddish, harei keivan shebelav hachi chovat amidah bekaddish lo ya’amdu, en tzrichim la’amod avur ha-Kaddish.” So that’s a chiddush (novel point). According to this, if there’s a time when you’re about to stand, and there’s a Kaddish right before it, like before the Amidah, you should stand for that Kaddish, because it’s good to stand for Kaddish. And by Arvit, for example, you’re already standing from me’ein sheva. So maybe that’s where we get the idea: if Kaddish finds you standing, you should remain standing.
What does “amidah” mean? We can also apply the rule that if Kaddish finds you already standing, you’re already standing before the Amidah, so don’t be like that. Stand two seconds early so you catch the Kaddish while standing. That’s telling you to get up. So certainly, if you were already up, would you deliberately go sit down?
“Ulam chilluk zeh lo yo’il leyashev divreh ha-Rambam lehalan, sheharei gam sham gam ya’amdu lehitpalel Arvit achar Kaddish, velammah lo ya’amdu kodem ha-Kaddish?” In the section about Arvit, it doesn’t say that. Arvit says you stand up after Kaddish and pray the Amidah, so that’s a difficult answer.
“Besefer Ha-chayyim teretz, sheho’il utfilat arvit reshuto.” So Kaddish is also, whatever, lighter, because Arvit is optional. So what does that answer here? My question—and I’m makpid (careful) about this—is that on Friday night, after me’ein sheva, I see everybody rush to sit. I don’t sit. I stay standing, because I believe that Kaddish didn’t find you standing only if you weren’t standing when it began. But you are standing. There’s no reason to go out of your way to sit down. You’re standing; you’re standing. After yashmia rabba, you can sit.
Mah she’en ken (unlike that), later, if there was a pause in between or something was being said, okay, sit down and say two pesukim. But when it’s a direct transition from me’ein sheva to Kaddish, sometimes the chazan waits to give people a chance to sit down. When I’m chazan, I don’t give them a chance. I start right away. Why give them a chance? What am I giving a chance for? Stay standing. Why are you rushing to sit? You’re standing. Bedyuk.
No, but they’ll argue that it didn’t find you standing because the chazan is waiting, stalling for you. Well, here you know that you’re standing, and you know Kaddish is coming and you’re going to stand for the Amidah, so stand from now. And here you’re already standing. When you’re already standing, are you going to say that it’s harder than for someone who is sitting to stand up? You’re not allowed to? You’re allowed to sit before chatzi Kaddish (half Kaddish). After you hear—after you hear yehei shemeh rabba, you’re allowed.
Yes, you’re allowed. The Rambam sounds like you’re allowed to sit during Kaddish, but from these answers they’re giving me here, it sounds like if you were already standing, they don’t want you to sit. But if you were sitting, you don’t have to stand. The chazan was waiting—not for the halachah, but for people who don’t know and are in the middle. No, for sure! That’s for sure. They yell at you, “Hey, give us a chance! Give us a chance!” No, but they don’t know that—that’s… Yeah, but personally, I don’t rush to sit after me’ein sheva. The Ben Ish Chai says the same thing. You’re already standing. Though it found you standing. Does me’ein sheva not count as standing? Right, you’re already standing. I agree, I agree.
And why do Ashkenazim stand for every Kaddish, no matter what? Because they hold that “yehei shemeh rabba mevarach” is praise of Hashem, and that’s the reason. So you shouldn’t have to get up? Do they have a rule? Well, the Rambam goes both ways, but yes, from the Rambam it sounds like you can sit. No, for sure there are Kaddishim where you can sit. Yes, yes, yes. But the Ashkenazim are machmir (stringent), and they have a different source.
Is that why the rabbi sometimes stands up for it once a day? I stand up for Kaddish, usually in Minchah; I like to stand up for it. I think Hacham Ovadia used to do that. Yeah. I like to stand up for it in Minchah before the Amidah. I think you should stand up early to catch a Kaddish me’omed. For the opinions that hold that—yes, exactly. I think Hacham Ovadia said that once a day you should do it in order to—I mean, I do it anyway because I’m chazan most of the time. Okay, let’s stop here. “Baruch Hashem le’olam” (Blessed is Hashem forever), amen ve’amen (amen and amen). Amen ve’amen.