[Avodah] Repeating during davening

[allan.engel at mail.gmail.com]

On Tue, 30 Nov 2021 at 06:30, Akiva Miller via Avodah wrote:
> I would like to learn more about the halachos of repeating words, phrases,
> etc, during davening. I get mixed signals from different situations, and
> I'm searching for some clarity.

Correct me if I'm wrong (and that's not an infrequent occurrence) but there
are two reasons to be concerned about repetition.

a) Where the words repeated are the problem, and the concern is the
suspicion (or the actuality) of Avoda Zara.or Shituf (eg Modim Modim).

b) In a part of davening where repetition would be considered a Hafsakah.

> At one extreme, I have been told many times over the decades that I am
> wrong to double the refrain "Lecha Dodi" between the stanzas. ...

I can't see that there's any problem with repetition during Lecha Dodi,
Eitz Chayim, Avinu Malkeinu etc, because neither of the issues above are
contravened. Also, although we colloquially refer to everything printed in
the siddur as 'Tefilla' (regardless of how recently it appeared there, or
whether it in fact has any proper place there) that term strictly refers
only to the Amidah, which leads people to sometimes be misled by sources
which refer to 'Tefilla'.

This would be why R' Moshe's teshuva refers specifically to Chazaras
Hashatz and Birchos Krias Shema.

> At the other extreme, Tehillim 118 was written by David Hamelech and
> became part of Hallel. At some point prior to the writing of the Mishna,
> some adopted the practice of repeating certain parts of this Tehillim...

As to the Hallel issue, had the Gemara not mandated the repetitions, they
would surely be a problem for the reasons you state, ie reason (b) above.
It would seem obvious that if anyone would repeat other parts of Hallel
where Chazal did not require it, it would indeed be wrong. And as to the
repetition of part of a passuk (Ana H' etc), I've asked that question on
Avodah and elsewhere before, and have never received a satisfactory
response.

ADE