[Avodah] DELAYING THE CONGREGATION THROUGH PROLONGED PERSONAL PRAYER

[Joel Rich]

From the RCA Koren:
DELAYING THE CONGREGATION THROUGH PROLONGED PERSONAL PRAYER
A recurring principle in the laws of the synagogue is the need to avoid unnecessary 
burdening of the congregation, primarily through delays of the service
when a good portion of the congregation will be forced to stand idle. As
such, when the congregation is awaiting the beginning of the repetition of
the Shemoneh Esren, there is the concern that there will be a significant lag
between the point at which most of the congregation completes their silent
prayer and the Shaliah Tzibbur beginning. While the pace of prayer need not be
dictated by the fastest Shemoneh Esreh of the congregation, those individuals
who might cause a delay at this point should be mindful to not overburden
the congregation by praying significantly longer that the average member. 
These individuals might include (a) the Shaliah Tzibbur himself; (b) the rabbi,
or any person for whom the Shaliah Tzibbur waits before starting; (c) one who
is part of an exact minyan of ten, and thus must be ready to answer before the
Shaliah Tzibbur can start the repetition.

Kt
Joel rich