Juxtaposing Geulah to Tefillah
The Gemara56 states that one who is careful to juxtapose Geulah to Tefillah, meaning, to recite the berachah of Ga’al Yisrael immediately contiguous with Shemoneh Esrei, is considered a ben Olam Haba, a member of the World to Come. (This is referred to as semichus geulah letefillah.) In explanation, Rabbeinu Yonah57 writes, based on Bava Kama 92b, that davening to Hashem is an act of service before Him. Thus, davening immediately after acknowledging Hashem’s kindness of taking us out of Mitzrayim demonstrates that the consequence of His redeeming us can only be our serving Him, for yetzias Mitzrayim made us into his slaves and subjects, as the verse (Vayikra 25:42) states כִּי עֲבָדַי הֵם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם – “For they are My subjects, whom I brought out of the land of Mitzrayim.” One who lives with this perspective, concludes Rabbeinu Yonah, is a ben Olam Haba.
In order to achieve semichus geulah letefillah a person must begin Shemoneh Esrei immediately after reciting the words of Ga’al Yisrael, without interruption.58 It is also appropriate to not pause, even without verbal interruption, for longer than the time that it takes to say the three-word phrase of shalom alecha rebbi.59 One who wishes to fulfill this mitzvah in the ideal manner will conclude the berachah and begin Shemoneh Esrei in one breath.60
Types of Interruptions
Pauses or verbal statements that are necessary for the recitation of Shemoneh Esrei are permitted between Geulah and Tefillah. These include:
- One who did not have tefillin and obtains them only after finishing the berachah of Ga’al Yisrael should put them on at that point, for one must, whenever possible, wear tefillin when reciting Shemoneh Esrei.61 The berachos on the tefillin, however, are not said until after Shemoneh Esrei.62 Wearing a tallis, however, is not something that is necessary for Shemoneh Esrei; one may not put on a tallis when between Geulah and Tefillah.63
- One takes three steps forward before beginning Shemoneh Esrei,64 and it is customary to first take three steps backwards.65 When one reaches the words Tehillah LeKel Elyon he should step backwards, and upon completing the berachah (that is, after having recited the words Ga’al Yisrael) he should walk the three steps forward.66 These three steps forward are necessary for Shemoneh Esrei and are thus not considered an interruption between Geulah and Tefillah.67
- The need to juxtapose Geulah to Tefillah at Ma’ariv is not as fundamental as it is at Shacharis. This is because Chazal classified Ma’ariv as a reshus,68 meaning, non-obligatory.69 One who is between the Birchos Kerias Shema and Shemoneh Esrei at Ma’ariv may therefore verbally remind others to remember to say relevant additions to Shemoneh Esrei,70 for example the seasonal additions of Ya’aleh Veyavo, Vesein Tal U’matar, and Al Hanissim.71 At Shacharis, however, these announcements may not be made by one who is between Ga’al Yisrael and Shemoneh Esrei.72
Other types of interruptions, for example one’s responding to Kaddish, Kedushah,73 Barchu,74 or Modim75 may not be said between Geulah and Tefillah. Furthermore, the berachah of Ga’al Yisrael should ideally be recited together with its closing phrase, meaning, the end of the passage from the words Shirah Chadashah.76 Thus, as a rule, one who is holding towards the end of the final berachah of Birchos Kerias Shema, and sees that the chazzan will soon recite one of these devarim shebekudashah (while he will be either between Geulah and Tefillah or in the middle of Shemoneh Esrei and thus unable to answer), should pause before beginning Shirah Chadashah to allow him to respond without interrupting the flow of Geulah to Tefillah. Note, though, that one need only do this to allow himself to respond to Kedushah and Barchu if he has not yet responded to these devarim shebekudashah that day77 and does not anticipate that over the course of the day he will have an opportunity to do so.78 The Poskim79 disagree whether this is the case regarding Kaddish as well, or whether one must pause before beginning Shirah Chadashah to allow himself to answer any Kaddish that he anticipates hearing.80
Some Poskim hold that one should not even pause between Geulah and Tefillah to listen to Kaddish or Kedushah silently.81 Others hold that the need to avoid interruption between Geulah and Tefillah is not more stringent than the restriction on interrupting while in the middle of reciting Shemoneh Esrei. Since during Shemoneh Esrei one should pause when hearing Kaddish or Kedushah to listen silently,82 the same also holds true when between Geulah and Tefillah.83
One may not recite any berachah while between Geulah and Tefillah, even one that is time-sensitive, such as the berachos recited over thunder and lighting.84
56 Berachos 4b. This Gemara (see Rashi, s.v. zeh hasomech) refers to one who is somech geulah letefillah at Shacharis or Ma’ariv.
57 Berachos 2b (Rif folio), s.v. aizehu.
58 Shulchan Aruch 66:8 and 111:1.
59 Mishnah Berurah 111:2, with Ishei Yisrael 17:23. Cf. Tehillah LeDavid 111:3; Tzlach, Berachos 9b, s.v. heichi. Middos V’shiurei Torah 20:7 gives this timespan as two or three seconds.
60 Mekor Chaim 111:1.
61 Shulchan Aruch 66:8 and Mishnah Berurah 46.
62 The person will recite the berachos upon the tefillin when he finishes Shemoneh Esrei, after first fingering them (ibid., with Mishnah Berurah 43).
63 Shulchan Aruch 66:8 with Mishnah Berurah 42.
64 Rema 95:1.
65 Mishnah Berurah 95:3.
66 Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 18:2.
67 Tehillah LeDavid 111:1.
68 Tosafos, Berachos 26a, s.v. ta’ah, discusses the nature of this expression.
69 Rema 69:1; Sha’ar Hatziyun 236:4.
70 Shulchan Aruch 236:2.
71 Mishnah Berurah 236:7.
72 Mishnah Berurah 236:9, based on Rema 69:1.
73 Shulchan Aruch 66:9 and 111:1.
74 Mishnah Berurah 66:49.
75 Mishnah Berurah loc cit. For Modim one should time the bow with which he begins Shemoneh Esrei to coincide with the tzibbur’s bowing by Modim (ibid.).
76 Shulchan Aruch 66:9. See, however, Mishnah Berurah 52.
77 Mishnah Berurah 66:51.
78 Mishnah Berurah 109:5.
79 Cited in Mishnah Berurah ibid.
80 Chayei Adam 19:8 raises a third possibility, that one must only wait to respond to a Kaddish when he did not and will not hear this specific Kaddish (for example the Kaddish Tiskabel following Uva LeTziyon), but not for a Kaddish in a different place in the tefillah.
81 Sha’arei Teshuvah 66:13.
82 Shulchan Aruch 104:7.
83 Tehillah LeDavid 111:1.
84 Based on Sha’arei Teshuvah 66:15.