Tefillah 067

6:
It is intended that the Amidah should be repeated by the cantor at every service except the Evening Service. (The reason why the evening service is an exception is logical: it was originally held to be voluntary and thus there could be no one present who had not fulfilled their duty, because if the service was voluntary there was no duty to be fulfilled. It would have been unreasonable to delay the congregation for no legitimate purpose. Later, when "compulsory voluntariness" was instituted , the omission of the cantor's repetition was not corrected.)

7:
Thus it is that at all services except Arvit [the Evening Service] the Amidah is first recited by everyone personally and then repeated out loud by the cantor. It is strange, therefore, that in many contemporary congregations there seems to be a groundswell for ignoring the "Private Amidah" [Tefillah be-laĥash] and proceeding directly to the cantor's repetition. One would have expected that in our age people would be jealous of their personal right to recite the Amidah themselves, and not to have to resort to the services of the cantor to do so. If those scholars are correct who hold that the public recitation of the Amidah was the original mode and that the private recitation only came later, this development might be seen as a reversion to historical origins. But it would mean that everyone would have to give up their opportunity for personal prayer. Perhaps this is why in many instances we find a kind of hybrid solution called Heuche Kedushah.

8:
Heuche Kedushah is a device whereby the cantor begins reciting the Amidah out loud for the first three berakhot (including the expanded version of the third berakhah, Kedushah) but then ceases, and everyone (including the cantor) recites the Amidah privately. The term Heuche Kedushah is a Yiddish expression (though the phenomenon itself is recognized in all parts of Jewry) which means "[up to the] Kedushah out loud [and the rest silently]" From Geonic times [7th century CE] onwards we find this device being used when time is lacking. There are two ways, basically, in which this device may be executed. (There are five other systems known for executing this device, but they need not detain us here since they are virtually defunct.)

1. The worshippers recite the first three berakhot together with the cantor, word for word, including Kedushah (which we shall explain later on), and then continue privately, reciting the Amidah to its end.
2. The worshippers listen to the cantor's recitation of the Amidah (responding Amen to the berakhot) until after the Kedushah and then recite the whole of the Amidah from beginning to end privately.

On Shabbat morning, which is the service we are discussing at present, the second option is not available. In Tefillah 050 I explained that each person must join the last benediction of the Shema with the recitation of the Amidah.

9:
My own thinking is that resorting to this device should be discouraged as much as possible, as it effectively runs counter to the spirit of the decision of the Gemara. It should be used with care when time is lacking (when Minĥah must be completed before dark, for instance), but should be quietly discouraged when the only reason is the convenience of shortening the service. I am of the opinion that in our times and circumstances the Amidah should be heard out loud as often as possible, for educational reasons. The presence of a minyan requires a cantor who must repeat the Amidah (even if there is no need to do so). This is a rabbinic takkanah [law] and its etiology is understandable: I have already (Tefillah 066) suggested that

10:
A very good reason for not utilizing the Heuche Kedushah system is the fact that nowadays many worshippers are not fluent in their prayers. When the Amidah is recited more often privately than out loud it does not give such worshippers the opportunity for listening to the text as it is intoned out loud, and learning it. There are congregations where the Amidah is repeated by the cantor but many people do not pay attention. Not only is this to be deplored from the halakhic point of view but it is also counter-productive from the educational point of view. From the strictly halakhic point of view when the cantor repeats the Amidah out loud there should be at least nine other people paying proper attention and responding Amen to all the benedictions. If this is not the case they are making the cantor 'take God's name in vain' (because he – or she – is repeating it for them, not for himself).

11:
In those congregations where a considerable proportion of the worshippers are not fluent in their prayers it might be considered a good idea for the 'silent' Amidah to be recited out loud, in unison, by the whole congregation. This would, indeed, be of great educational benefit. However, there are drawbacks to such an innovation:

1. For the reasons already outlined above it would still be necessary for the cantor to repeat the Amidah, and this would certainly make the service considerably longer than it otherwise would be.
2. Such a procedure would deny the worshippers who are fluent in their prayers the opportunity to speak 'personally' to God; many such people cherish this opportunity.

Let us summarize the best procedure.

When the congregation has finished the recitation of the private Amidah the cantor should begin to recite the Amidah out loud. It is not necessary for him or her to wait until every member of the congregation has finished, because some worshippers might be taking an inordinately long time over their prayers. It is considered a mark of respect to wait for the rabbi to complete his or her recitation of the Amidah and then to begin the repetition. The cantor's repetition should include the verse from Psalms 51:17 and this verse should be receited out loud before the beginning of the first benediction. (See Tefillah 050 for an explanation.) The cantor recites the first two benedictions, word for word, observing all the ritual obeisances that we have already outlined (seeTefillah 063). After each of the benedictions the congregation must respond Amen.

However, upon completing the second benediction the cantor does not repeat the third benediction using the same text as was used in the private Amidah. Instead, an expanded version of this benediction is used, and this, God willing, will be the subject of our next shiur.