Reply To: Things that people do wrong – halachically

Sam2: One should not make any unusual gestures or noises during Sh’mona Esrei such as raising one’s head, eyes or hands up to the sky, or daven loudly which can be heard by others nearby. {“Those who raise their heads and eyes up towards the sky – the Mal’achim scorn them”}.

Shulchan Aruch with Mishna Berurah 95:2

See what it says in the Kav Hayashar about one who davens longer than the rest of the tzibbur.

L’chatchila, one should eat slightly more than an egg’s volume of bread by a Shabbos seuda, at least a kezayis of which should be eaten in no more than 3 minutes (l’chatchila).

By Pesach my rav told me explicitly that most frum people are not yotzi.

Re mayim achronim – The Chofetz Chaim says that it bothers him to see people dab a few drops of water on their fingernails, and although they intend to fulfill the mitzvah, they do not fulfill the mitzvah according to any opinion.

Shabbos & yom tov were given to us for Torah study, not for taking walks or talking lashon hara…. During the week people are busy, but on Shabbos & yom tov there are no excuses.

“There are people who have a minhag not to make brachos on dessert altogether.”

Do they make a bracha on the apple on R”H night, after they washed and made hamotzi?

Regarding repeating words in davening – there are several reasons to forbid this (hefsek, looks like you are addressing multiple deities c”v, or making fun of the davening) – but there are opinions that actually permit it, including Rav Elyashiv.

“Some will eat bread together with the dessert to remove any need for a bracha.”

I heard from my chavrusa, a talmid of the Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav S. Berenbaum zatzal, that said Rosh Yeshiva would eat ice cream together with pas to avoid shailas of making a bracha.

“Most yeshivish people take it as a given that one should not repeat words”

Actually, it is the yeshivish people who repeat words in krias shema and take forever to say it.