Prayer and Blessings
Movement in the Middle of the Amidah
What to do when someone must pass during the Amidah
Question
Hello, Rabbi.
Sometimes I pray on the bus, while seated. Once the woman sitting next to me needed to get off, and I was still in the middle of the Amidah. I tried to make room for her without moving so that she would understand that she could simply pass over me, or while I was still seated, but she waited for me to move. So I quickly prayed in haste until the first Yehiyu leratzon before Elokai Netzor, but I was not able to finish even that section because she would have missed her stop. Then I moved my feet off the floor and moved as little as possible, but in a significant way, and let her pass. Did I act correctly? What should be done in such a situation? Of course, usually I plan my prayer so that I finish before I reach the stop, and I make an effort not to reach such a situation, but this time I prolonged my prayer. Thank you very much in advance.
Answer
To the questioner, Sorry for the delay in answering. You acted correctly. In the future, you should know that if there is a great need, it is permitted to move from your place after you have said the first Yehiyu leratzon, immediately after Sim Shalom, without interrupting with speech, and then afterward return to the place of prayer and finish the Amidah, as you did. And you did well to shorten the prayer in order to reach at least the first Yehiyu leratzon (Orach Chaim, siman 104, seif 2). In the middle of the Amidah itself, one should shorten it in order to reach the end of a blessing, and then it is permitted to move as above, even by walking, but without interrupting with words, if there is a situation of danger (Orach Chaim, siman 104, seif 1). And if there is a concern for desecration of Hashem in the eyes of others, as may be the case according to what you described in your letter, it seems to me that one may be lenient and move even if it is not for supplications, and like the law in a case of danger, in order to avoid desecration of Hashem. It is evident from section 3 there that even for a very great need that is not danger, such as removing a snake that is not harmful from his heel, walking is not considered an interruption.
With blessings, Rabbi Nachum
