Should one stand during chazarat hashatz (repetition of Shemoneh Esrei)? I see that most people do not stand, but some people do. Is there a right or wrong on the matter, or is it just a matter of one’s personal style?
We will probably have to find wording that is somewhere between “should” and “personal style,” as will be clearer after we discuss the matter based on the sources.
The Darchei Moshe (Orach Chayim 124:1) cites an
opinion (Hagahot U’minhagim) that everyone should stand during chazarat hashatz.
[When one leans, if the level of his leaning is such that he would fall if the
object were quickly removed, he is not considered standing (Ishei Yisrael
24:(66), based on Mishna Berura 94:22-3).] In the Rama (OC 124:4) he cites this
idea, on one hand, as an opinion but, on the other hand, does not cite those who
argue. The language is of something that people are expected to do, but it is
not clear that it is an absolute requirement, as standing is during Shemoneh
Esrei itself. The Mishna Berura (124:20) explains that the reason it is the
right thing to do is that since one should listen and listening is like
speaking, one should stand as he does during Shemoneh Esrei. Extending the logic
further, one might conclude that one must keep his feet together, but the major
poskim do not mention this and very few practice it. Indeed, one can prove from
many sources that chazarat hashatz is not a duplicate of Shemoneh Esrei.
At
first glance, the Rambam (Tefilla 9:3) says that during chazarat hashatz “all
are standing (omdim) and listening.” However, Yechave Da’at (V, 11) points out
that from the fact that the Rama and others did not bring this as a source, it
is apparent that one can understand the Rambam as referring, not to the position
of the body, but to stopping activity.
The opinions behind the following
summary of the consensus of poskim vary, but the primary thrust is as follows.
The historically normative, preferred practice is to stand during chazarat
hashatz unless there is good reason not to. Clearly there were times and places
where very respectable people and communities did not stand. Also, the matter
should not be seen as an outright obligation (see Yechave Da’at, ibid.).
Let
us mention some cases where the straightforward advice is not to stand. If one
is weak or sick (even when the same person can and will push himself to stand
for Shemoneh Esrei), he can feel free to sit (Ben Ish Chai, I, Terumah 10). If,
by people standing, it encourages them to roam around and detract from their own
and/or others’ ability to concentrate on chazarat hashatz, it is better to sit
and follow along in a focused manner (based on Yaskil Avdi II, OC 2).
The
case you speak of, a congregation where a clear majority sits is a tricky
situation. Is it yohara (haughtiness) and thus undesirable to stand? It appears
that there are two related concepts. Classic yohara is where one does something
that is a clear stringency in a context that can be construed as haughtiness.
Despite the lack of urgency to the halachic preference of standing, it is hard
to consider one who stands in accordance with the Rama and many others’
suggestion under that category. The other factor is al yeshane mipnei
hamachloket (do not act differently than others because it can cause conflict).
The gemara applies this idea, not only to cases where one is more lenient than
his surroundings, but sometimes even where he is more strict than his
surroundings (see Pesachim 51b). If you are in a community where there is not a
sizable minority of people who stand and it is the type of community that is
(overly?) sensitive to matters of possible yohara, we would discourage being a
trailblazer by standing.
We point out that even if one sits, he should not do so until after the beracha of Hakel Hakadosh, following Kedusha, and that he should stand during Modim D’rabbanan, when he is supposed to be bowing (Yechave Da’at, ibid.).
[Machon Eretz Chemdah]
It is well known that Briskers hold that you must stand still the entire time [based on the Rambam] and so was the practice of Rav Soloveitchik. A nice YU chumra:-).
