Search results for: ""kedushah""

Answering Kedusha If You Accepted Shabbat
Situation You have begun Shabbat early and you are at a minyan where they are saying kedusha for Friday.
What To Do Reply to kedusha.
Answering Kedusha If You Began the Jewish Festival Early
If you began the Jewish festival early and you are at a minyan where they are saying kedusha for mincha before the Jewish festival, you should reply to kedusha.
Say Minyan's Version of Kedusha
At a minyan with a custom different from yours, say their version of kedusha.
 
Amida Actions: Stepping Before Kedusha
You do not need to take three steps forward (or any steps at all!) before saying kedusha.
 
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 See Responding to Prayer Leader before 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.
Sheimot: Disposal
These holy writings (tashmishei kedusha) may not be thrown directly into the trash, but should ideally be buried with like items (sheimot):
  • Holy writings that contain God's name.
  • Parts of Tanach (24-book Jewish Bible).
  • Explanations of the Torah or commandments.
However, if a printed or written page (in contrast to parchment scrolls such as tefilin, Torahs, or mezuzas) contains God's name plus secular content, it must be double wrapped in plastic before being thrown in the trash.
Reason It would be a disgrace to bury Torah words with secular content.
Note You may find collection boxes (marked “sheimot/sheimos” or “geniza”) at a local Jewish school or synagogue into which you can deposit your sheimot items.
Note Tashmishei mitzva—items used to do a mitzva (such as talit or tzitzit)—must be wrapped in:
  • One layer of plastic if they will be thrown away in dry trash, or
  • Double layer of plastic if they will be thrown away into wet garbage.
Sheimot/Bury
Do not throw into trash, even if double wrapped:
  • Handwritten scrolls of Torah, tefilin, mezuza.
  • Printed Torah, Talmud, siddur, books of halacha, or Torah commentaries.
Rather, put them into a sheimot collection box or wrap in plastic and bury in a place where they will not be dug up. It does not need to be a cemetery.

Double Wrap and Throw into Trash
Double wrap and throw into trash:
  • Newspapers and flyers that have Torah psukim or Torah commentaries and also have non-Torah content.
    Reason Non-Torah material should not be buried as sheimot. 
  • Children's school handouts with psukim from the Torah or halachot that also contain non-Torah content (if they ONLY contain words of Torah, they should be buried as sheimot).
Single Wrap and Throw into Trash
For disposal of items used for mitzvot (tashmishei mitzva), you may wrap in one layer of plastic and throw it in normal garbage:
  • Lulav,
  • Etrog, or
  • Talit/tzitzit (but NOT tefilin!)
How To Pray: Actions: Stepping
See Amida Actions: Stepping Before Kedusha.
 
Kipot Have No Holiness
          Kipot (yarmelkas, skullcaps) do not have any holiness (kedusha).
Tzitzit: Garment Disposal
Garments for talit katan and talit gadol have no special holiness (kedusha).  But once used for a mitzva, the garments—like the tzitziyot themselves--must be wrapped before disposal, as above.
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.
Amida: Standing with Feet Together
Stand with your feet together to resemble the angels, who only have one leg, during the private amida and for kedusha.
Interrupting Your Amida To Say Amen
When saying the amida yourself, do not say amen or any other replies to the prayer leader's repetition. If he says kedusha or kaddish:
  • Pause in your own amida and listen without answering or saying anything.
  • Once the leader has finished kedusha or kaddish, resume your private amida.
Exception If you finish the final blessing of the amida (“...Ha'mevareich et amo yisrael ba'shalom”) as the leader starts to say the kedusha, and you want to respond along with the congregation:
  • Quickly say the line, “Yihiyu l'ratzon ....,”
  • Reply to the entire kedusha (kadosh, amen, and any other words that are said by the congregation) as if you had finished the amida.
  • Once the leader has said the final blessing of kedusha, say “elohai netzur….”

Talit Gadol: Mincha
When wearing a talit at mincha Torah reading--such as for an aliya, hagbaha, or glila--you do not need to wear it until after kedusha, but some people have that custom.
Replying during Your Private Amida
If you have finished the amida's yihiyu l'ratzon(but have not yet finished the segment from Elohai netzur through u'chshanim kadmoniyot), you may reply to:
  • Bar'chu,
  • Kedusha,
  • Amen to ha'el ha'kadosh,
  • Amen to shomei'a tefila,
  • Modim anachnu lach (just those 3 words),
  • Birkat cohanim, and
  • Kaddish.
However, you may not say anything else (such as other amens) until you have completed the entire amida (including the last word, kadmoniot).