Reply To: Tircha D’tzibbura (Long Davening)

I am not in any way saying we shouldn’t pour our hearts out to the RBSH, as Chazal say halevai sheyispallel odom kol hayom kulo. However, I once heard in the name of Rav Kook that any time a person asks the RBSH something, that is considered tefilah, it is not only in shul. For example, if one is in the supermarket and looks at the prices, and says, RBSH please give us parnasa, look how expensive everything is, and we need food on the table. That is a heartfelt tefilah, and you can be sure it was said with pure kavanah. However, davening for 8 hours would seem to be a tircha dtzibura, and very painful to some.

One should be sensitive to the kahal, and if they seem to be enjoying the niggunim and singing along, then that is fine. However, if they are staring off into space and looking very uncomfortable and having to stand on their feet while a chazan takes 20 minutes to say misod chachamim unevonim seems unreasonable. One can still have a very emotional, warm and melodious davening in much less than 8 hours. If one wants to stay late after davening is over and spend more time on kavanah or extra piyutim, than kol hakavod, but to force entire tzibbur including kids to stay for 8 hours seems to be stretching it.