Skipping to Keep Pace with the Minyan

Richard B. Aiken

What To Skip To Catch Up in Shacharit

If you arrive late for a shacharit minyan, or if you are lagging behind the leader, you may skip all of psukei d'zimra to catch up--except for:

Baruch she'amar,
Ashrei, and
Yishtabach.

You may also not skip any parts from yishtabach to the amida.

Note: After you have said the amida, you do not need to return to say the rest of psukei d'zimra.

Note: This should not be done routinely. It is better to pray alone or to say the amida along with the leader during the reader's repetition of the amida in order to allow yourself time to say the psukei d'zimra.

If You Arrive Late on Shabbat or Jewish Festival Morning

If you are late to minyan on Shabbat (or Jewish festival) morning, say:

Shacharit while the minyan is saying the musaf amida (as long as it is not yet too late to say shacharit), and then say
Musaf while the reader is repeating the amida.

Finishing Amida before Leader Says Kedusha

If you arrive late for any minyan (except ma'ariv) that is about to start the amida, try to finish saying your amida before the leader gets to kedusha, if you can.

If you know you will not be able to finish your amida in time to say kedusha with the minyan:

Wait for the leader to start the repetition of the amida.
Say the repetition of the amida word for word with the leader, including kedusha, until the end of the third blessing (ha'el ha'kadosh).
Once you and he have both finished saying the third blessing, you may continue at your own pace regardless of whether you will finish before or after him.

If for any reason you have not yet finished saying your amida by the time the leader begins saying the reader's repetition, do not say amen or any other replies to the prayer leader's repetition. However, when he begins to say kedusha or kaddish:

Pause in your own amida and listen without answering or saying anything.
Once the leader has finished kedusha (that is, he has said baruch kevod adonai mi'mkomo) or kaddish (that is, he has said da'amiran be'alma v'imru amen), resume your private amida.

Exception:

SITUATION: You have finished saying the final amida blessing “...ha'mevareich et amo Yisrael ba'shalom,” but you have not yet said Elohai neztur.... You now need to respond to the prayer leader when he says kaddish, kedusha, blessings, or modim.

WHAT TO DO: Quickly say the line “Yihiyu l'ratzon imrei phi....” and then you may reply to all parts of the public prayer, except that you may not say “Baruch hu u'varuch shemo.” Then you may say Elohai netzur.

NOTE: If you need to say the mourner's kaddish, say the entire line of Yihiyu l'ratzon imrei phi and then say mourner's kaddish. You may step back at Oseh shalom in kaddish and then, after completing saying kaddish, you may say Elohai netzur.

Note: For ma'ariv, if you arrive late and the minyan is about to start the amida, do not say shema and the other prayers that precede the amida but start immediately so you say your amida with the minyan and then return to say the parts you skipped.

When To Pause or Join Minyan: Regular Shacharit

Shema

When the minyan reaches the shema in shacharit:

If you are between bar'chu and end of amida, simply:
- Cover your eyes like everyone else, but don't say the shema line.
If you are anywhere else:
- Pause and, with everyone else, say the first two lines of the shema (Shema, Yisrael… and Baruch shem…), and then
- Resume where you were.

Reason: You may not interrupt your prayer between bar'chu and end of amida.

Amida

Situation: You are saying your amida in a minyan and it is close to the end of the fourth hour of the day.

What To Do: Do not pause, even if the leader says kaddish or kedusha, if doing so will delay you past the fourth hour.

When To Pause or Join Minyan: Shabbat/Jewish Festival Shacharit

If the leader gets to kedusha on Shabbat or Jewish festival morning and you are saying the amida, you must:

Pause until the leader has finished the blessing after kedusha (ha'el—or ha'melech—ha'kadosh), and then

Resume your amida.

During birkat cohanim, you must:

Pause in your amida until the end of birkat cohanim.

EXCEPTION: Do not pause, even if the leader says kaddish or kedusha, if doing so will delay you past the fourth hour.

When To Pause or Join Minyan: Mincha

During mincha, don't pause at all (such as for kedusha or kaddish) if, by pausing, you will not finish saying your amida before sunset.

When To Pause or Join Minyan: Ma'ariv

If the ma'ariv minyan says shema, you must join them for the first two sentences (“Shema, Yisrael…” and “Baruch shem…”), unless you are saying the amida.

When To Pause or Join Minyan: General Prayer Services

Here is when to pause or join the minyan during general prayer services:

Ashrei

You do not need to interrupt your prayers to join the minyan for ashrei.

Torah Reading

If you are saying the amida, pause only during the actual Torah reading, not during the blessings.

Kaddish

During kaddish, you must pause in your amida until the prayer leader finishes the line of da'amiran b'alma....

Alenu

If the minyan says alenu and you are at a part of the prayer service at which you are permitted to interrupt, you may join them.

Note: It is a proper practice to say alenu with the congregation, even if you have already finished that prayer service.

Reason: If you don't, it seems as if you are not accepting ol malchut shamayim.