[Avodah] shatz saying things out loud a.k.a silent ga'al

[D&E-H Bannett]

Re: RKM's adding of Oseh shalom bimromav to self amens  and 
question << It seems to me that if someone chose to include 
Oseh Shalom in these prayers, they could just as easily have 
ended it at "v'al kol Yisrael", leaving off the "v'imru 
amen". I wonder why they didn't.  >>

But they did!

Early versions of Elohai n'tzor do not have the Oseh shalom 
sentence at the end.  Later versions that have it end with 
v'al kol Yisrael.  Some add the word Amen without the v'imru 
which might make it eligible as a self amen ending.  Then 
comes the v'imru which, as it is asking for agreement, takes 
it out of the self amen category.

This was discussed on the list In the past and it was 
suggested that the v'imru amen is simply a carry-over or 
copycatting from the end of Kaddish.  A reverse copycatting 
can be seen in the stepping back three steps.  At the 
beginning of shmoneh esrei, after praising HKB"H, one steps 
up closer to Him to quietly make his requests. At the end, 
one doesn't turn around abruptly and leave. Good manners 
require that one step back and wait a decent interval before 
leaving.  In saying kaddish, one does not step forward to 
approach HKB"H, so why step back?

Shalom is a very important thing and adding a request for it 
in the tahanunim at the end of shomoneh esrei, at the end of 
davening after kaddish, or after any prayer is 
understandable.

Stepping back after shmoneh esrei makes sense, but the newer 
versions I've seen where the backstepper returns forward 
immediately and then bounces a few times is difficult to 
justify.  The bounces might also be copycatting. If one has 
need to return to his usual place for kedusha he will then 
bounce like an angel for Kadosh-kadosh-kadosh. 
Justification:  Z'rizim makdimim.


David