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I would like to alert the coffeeroom members to a halacha that’s little-known and often disregarded, even among people who otherwise know what they’re doing.
I noticed that when finishing the Amidah, many people take three steps back, and then bow left, right and center. This practice is clearly incorrect. See the passage below.
(Parentheses mine. CAPITAL LETTERS MINE OBVIOUSLY.)
The Shulchan Aruch, O.C. 123:1, says “One should bow (first), and (then) step three steps back, in ONE BOW. After he steps three steps back, WHILE STILL BOWING, BEFORE HE STRAIGHTENS UP, when he says “oseh shalom bimromav,” he should turn his face to his left side, and when he says, “hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu,” he should turn his head to his right side. And after that, he should bow in front, like a servant who is leaving his master.”
The Rama doesn’t argue. Neither does the Mishna Berura.
As a side point, I want to mention that there is NO MEKOR for the “minhag” to bounce after taking three steps forward. If you find one, let me know, but every rabbi who I have spoken to regarding this has confirmed it.
you misseed out to get a bit lower each direction, but still make sure not to be bent over by the time you finish oseh shalom.
There is nothing incorrect with what you described, as long as you bow while going back.
Your second point was once discussed here, I think. As you say, nobody has a Mekor. I haven’t seen any Talmid Chacham do it, either.
OVKTD: There are different Minhagim. The Shulchan Aruch is based mainly off the Sefer Chassidim that there are 5 bows in the Amidah, with the final one being before the three steps back. Enough people don’t do the fifth (and haven’t for many years) that there probably is some decent Halachic reationale behind it. But yes, it is proper to bow for that too.
About the bouncing thing. There is no source. I have always figured that it stems from the fact that in theory, when you take your three steps forward it is supposed to be right into the Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh of Kedusha, especially in the communities where the Tzibbor doesn’t say Nekadesh/Nakdishcha.
i dont believe there is a mekor for the 3 bounces but there is a good svorah
after standing in one position for so long you need to bounce the kinks out of your legs.
sam- th episkei tshuvos aka the chassidishe milaket makes up a mekor from psukim. if i recall correctly he takes a posuk that talks about angels jumping over mountains (?mashehu kozeh) and says that could be a mekor. ba humbug.
Three bounces during Kedusha?
We were taught in Cheder to do the three bounces after S”E,
are you calling our Rabbeim Ame Haaretz? 😉
bein hasdorim: If there is no Mekor in Halacha for it then it doesnt’t matter who teaches it – it’s incorrect. With the greatest respect for their Avodas Hakodesh, since when are Cheder Rebbes to be treated as Poskim?
oy vey ktd; I was just covering for some people. 😉
otb, AKA Off Track Betting; They hopefully should be proper Mechanchim and treated as such.
oy vey- this is for sure the right way for every1? i was taught the one u described incorrect, and noone has told me that it’s wrong 🙁
Moderator 80 LOL 🙂
Besides is there any harm in “bouncing”? 🙂
OVKTD: My rebbi once said the ‘mekor’ for bouncing after the three steps forward is very simple. Really, you’re supposed stay where you stepped back to until kedusha when you step forward and bounce at the appropriate points. Somehow it got into people’s heads that it has something to do with stepping forward.
Sam2: Whether the sefer chasidim says it or not, I’m pretty sure the mekor is the RaMBaM. The shulchan aruch generally doesn’t bring the sefer Chasidim.
The reason it is important to stay bent the whole time is because “oseh shalom” is the fifth bow of shmoneh esrei (which the rambam says should be at the end of sim shalom, but we push it till after the “techinos” of elokai n’tzor) and if you get up in the middle you are bowing too many times, which the gemara calls yuhara.
oy vey- ok thnx 🙂 i’ll let u know b”H
What about the common mistake that people make when backing up. The Halacha is to take three steps back. So many people do four five or six. The mechaber says it is yehoirah to do more than 3. ( the chazon ish held that you take a fourth half of step to straighten your feet). And ovktd I am also basically done with the cr for a while. I am going to bees madrash tomorrow afternoon, and pashtus I won’t be back until after yon kippur.
I think the Mekor for bouncing 3 times is a Hechsher Mitzvah,
in practicing for kedusha. Make sure you get it right. 3 times, not four. It’s addictive, and if you don’t have practice it very easy to belt out like 5 or 6 before being able to stop.
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