[Avodah] chezi kaddish before mussaf

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Ben Waxman asked:
> Yet on Rosh Chodesh, we say Ashrei and U'ba L'zion, the STZ says
> kaddish, everyone takes off their teffilin and then some people
> start and some wait for the STZ.

I have not noticed any significant number of people who start right after they've removed their tefillin. If anyone does, I presume it is because they daven slowly and want to make sure that they'll finish their silent musaf in time for kedushah. But the vast majority wait for the gabbai to bangon the bimah so that everyone can begin in unison for Tefilah Betzibur.

> Why doesn't the STZ just wait to say chezi kaddish as we do on
> Shabbat?

My understanding is that in EVERY case, Kaddish (of every variety) marks the END of something. If so, it must come immediately after something is concluded. Thus, on Shabbat it is said right after the rabbi's speech, which was not idle conversation but presumably contained Divrei Torah. And on a weekday Rosh Chodesh, the kaddish follows Uva L'Tzion. But to say kaddish after we remove the tefillin makes no sense to me.

> This order makes sense especially if you look at chezi kaddish
> as Rav YBS saw it, as the vehicle which joins individuals into
> a minyan.

I have not heard of this before. Can you give other examples? I've always perceived the chatzi kaddish after Ashrei at Mincha, and after Birchos Krias Shema at Maariv, as concluding the introductory portion of the service. Are you saying that RYBS saw it instead as an introduction to Shemoneh Esreh? Interesting...  But what would he have said about the chatzi kaddish after Torah Reading on Monday and Thursday?

Akiva Miller

____________________________________________________________
Groupon&#8482 Official Site
1 ridiculously huge coupon a day. Get 50-90% off your city's best!
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3131/4d7a2a4b3c55b6f304st05vuc