Daven Shacharis With a Minyan Now!

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman (a joint VINNEWS and 5TJT.com project)

for a refuah shleimah for Avrohom HaLevi Ben Mindel

Many of us are painfully missing the fact that we should not be davening with a minyan anymore.  So here is, perhaps, an innovative way of doing it

Rav Aharon haKohen, the son-in-law of the Chofetz Chaim wrote a sefer called, “Avodas HaKorbanos.”  The Chofetz Chaim himself had requested him to write it.  In his preface to the sefer, the Chofetz Chaim cites the Gemorah in Menachos 110a and in Bava Metziah 114b that learning the halachos of the Korbanos is likened to having actually brought them.

In these difficult times of the Coronavirus Pandemic, our Gedolim have told us not to have minyanim.  Based upon the above – perhaps learning two halachos a day about each Tefillah and the halachos of Tefillah b’tzibbur should make it count as if we have davened b’minyan.  The goal is to have at least two halachos posted daily about the topic for each of the three daily Tefilos.  Please check back with us for each tefilah time.

1. Someone who davened Shacharis on Rosh Chodesh and forgot to say Yaaleh v’yavoh – either at home or in shul – even if he remembered after Mussaf must go back and daven the Shmoneh Esreh once again.  He should, however, do so with a tnai – a condition, that if he is not required to repeat it, it will count as a tefilas nedavah. The Tefillin must be put on once again (if he took it off) with a bracha.
2. A shliach tzibbur who davened the silent Shmoneh Esreh but forgot yaaleh v’yavoh should not repeat his shmoneh esreh, because he can be motzi himself in the repetition of the shmoneh esreh (SA OC 126:4).  It would be considered tircha d’tziburrah for him to recite the entire shmoneh esreh again.
3. If he merely forgot Yaaleh v’yavo while he was still in the shmoneh esreh – going back to retzai is not that much of a tircha detziburah and is what should be done.
4. As an interesting aside, Rav Moshe Feinstein holds that the shliach tzibbur was never to be yotzeh the shmoneh esreh with the silent one in the first place because it is just practice for him.  There is a halachic debate between Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt’l, author of the Igros Moshe, and Rav Ovadia Yosef, zt’l, author of Yabia Omer, and other poskim as well, in the following scenario:
5. Your family minhag is Nusach Ashkenaz. The shul’s minhag is Nusach Sefard, and you are davening from the amud. Which Shemoneh Esrei should you recite during the silent Shemoneh Esrei?
6. Rav Ovadia is of the opinion that you daven in accordance with your family minhag. This is the Shemoneh Esrei that you are davening to fulfill your obligation of tefillah. Do it in the custom of your fathers. The repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei is to help others who are not fluent in the prayer to fulfill the mitzvah of prayer later, after you have fulfilled your obligation.
7. Rav Moshe Feinstein is of an entirely different opinion. According to his view, the first silent Shemoneh Esrei is a means of practice for the Shemoneh Esrei. It is so that the repetition will be without error. The ba’al tefillah only fulfills his obligation of prayer with the second Shemoneh Esrei, the one he recites out loud.

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