Dear Rabbi Simon
What is the “best practice” in a case where the 10th man in the minyan leaves after the Amidah at Maariv when Shabbos ends? Should the shaliach tzibur still say the kaddish which follows the Amidah (even though there are only 9 left in the room)? What about the further “complete” kaddish after the short additional prayers added on Motzai Shabbos? What about the mourner’s kaddish after the concluding Aleinu prayer?
We recently had this situation!
Gavi
Hi Gavi
Thank you for your slightly technical but practical question which affects the tzibur as a whole.
The Mishneh Berurah (55:22) rules that once the Amidah began with a minyan, the kaddish afterwards, as well as the Kaddish Shalem may (should) be recited, as they both relate to the Amidah itself. So even though on Motzai Shabbos theקדיש תתקבל is recited only after the addition of the סדר קדושה, the principal reference to “may our prayers be accepted” (תתקבל צלותהון) is still the Amidah, ie the presence of 10 for the Amidah means that both instances of Kaddish which follow should still be recited. While there may be dissenting views, for the sake of simplicity and consistency, and considering the authority of the Mishneh Berurah, I would recommend this approach on those occasions when the minyan dissipates before its time.
Best wishes
Rabbi Rashi Simon