[Avodah] Chazan pacing the tzibur

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

I know that in many shuls the chazan does not begin until Yishtabach. But in many others he begins long before that, and his role is to say the last line of each paragraph out loud, to lead the shul, so that each member of the tzibur can pace themselves, so that they reach Yishtabach at the same time.

The same procedure carries through Birchos Krias Shema, Kabbalas Shabbos, and Hallel, in every shul I can ever remember being in. And as far as I can tell, it generally works pretty well, provided the chazan's voice carries well enough for people to hear him. Some might feel that the chazan is too fast or too slow, but at least everyone knows what he is up to, and won't be surprised when he gets to the last section.

My question concerns the long (Mon & Thur) Tachanun, and the many pages at the end of Selichos. I have almost never found a Chazan who raises his voice anywhere during these portions. (Ditto for certain piyutim.)

Why not?

I frequently find myself finishing these tefilos long after the rest of the tzibur has done so. Sometimes that's a good thing, but if going at one's own speed is good, then it would be good for Hallel and Kabalas Shabbos too. Besides, it can also happen that (for lack of a chazan to pace me) I finish long *before* everyone else, and that's a problem too.

Can anyone suggest why this difference is made? It's been a pet peeve of mine for years, even to the point where I sometimes (especially during selichos) walk up to the chazan to see what page he is on. The fact that this doesn't bother anyone else suggests that there's a good reason for the way everyone else acts, and that I'm just clueless about it. I'd love to know what the reason is. Thanks in advance.

(PS: I am aware that in shuls of the Edot Hamizrach, the chazan says pretty much everything out loud. So unless there are exceptions to that rule, this post does not apply there. I'm also aware that Yekkes (and maybe others) say Kabalas Shabbos in unison (or responsively), so that is another exception.)

Akiva Miller
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