318. The Order of Mincha and Maariv

Tefillah u’Birkas Kohanim 9:8

In mincha, the leader and the congregation recite Ashrei while seated, after which they rise for kaddish. Next, they all daven the silent Shemoneh Esrei. The leader repeats Shemoneh Esrei out loud until the end. Then, both the leader and the congregation “fall on their faces” and recite Tachanun. They raise their heads and recite a few more prayers while seated, the same as they do in shacharis. Finally, the leader rises and recites kaddish. The congregation responds as per usual, after which they depart and go about their business.

Tefillah u’Birkas Kohanim 9:9

At maariv, the congregation sits while the leader stands and recites V'Hu Rachum. He calls out “Barchu es Hashem haMevorach” (the call to prayer) and the congregation replies Baruch Hashem haMevorach l’olam vaed.” He recites Shema and its brachos out loud, followed by kaddish, after which everyone stands and recites the silent Shemoneh Esrei. When they have finished, the leader recites kaddish, after which everyone departs. There is no repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei at night since maariv was not originally instituted as obligatory. The leader does not recite these brachos at night because they would be said in vain – the point of the repetition is for the leader to fulfill others’ obligations but no one has an obligation for him to fulfill at this time.