Reply To: Talking During Davening — and My Failure.

I once had a similar situation, except it was in the shule where I grew up and was a regular. Another member (who incidentally had smicha) was a constant talker. At the time, I must have been in my late teens, and he was in his early 50s. It got to the point where I just couldn’t take his constant chatter anymore, so after davening one Shabbat morning I pulled him aside. I very respectfully asked him if he could stop talking during davening. He became confrontational and said, “Why are you asking me? I’m not the only one talking.” I said (again, very respectfully), “That’s true, but you know the halachot about talking during davening. You know better.” He harumphed and walked away, but at mincha that afternoon he came over to me, said I was right, and apologized for what he said earlier. He also said he would stop talking during davening – and he did.