heicha kedusha

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Pronunciations

heicha kedusha (HEY-khuh ku-DOY-shuh) listen

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Definitions

Example Sentences

  • "One day I attended a minchah minyan of a kollel (in Eretz Yisroel), and was quite shocked to see that they did a heicha kedusha." (source)

  • "Because it is a strongly encouraged Rabbinic practice to join "ge'ulah" (redemption, the last blessing after Shema) to "tefillah" (the Amidah) -- during Shacharit, if there is a heyche kedushah, the individual should not pause but quietly chant the first 3 blessings along with the shatz, then continue the whispered Amidah with the fourth blessing; but during Mincha, when there is no Shema section, the individual can simply participate in call and response with the shatz for the first 3 blessings, then when continuing with the whispered Amidah should start back at the beginning of the 1st blessing. (During ma'ariv there is only a whispered Amidah.)"

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Aramaic
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • הויכע קדושה - Kedusha prayer said aloud. Yiddish hoykh-e (high, aloud), pronounced in the Lithuanian way, heykhe, and Hebrew/Aramaic kedusha, the name of a prayer in the Shmoneh Esreh.

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • None

      Alternative Spellings

      heicha kiddusha, hechi kedusha, hecha kedusha, haicha kedushah, heykha kedusha, hoiche kedusha, hoykhe kedushe, heycha kedusha

Notes

  • This refers to the tradition of the congregation saying parts of the prayer aloud with the prayer leader, when normally they would say them silently.

    The shaliach tzibur (shatz) starts saying the Amidah aloud immediately as opposed to waiting for people the daven silently and then repeat. Then the shatz takes them straight through the Kedusha and then the rest is done silently. Some congregants say the whole thing from the beginning quietly word for word along with the shatz, and others wait silently through Kedusha then begin their silent Amidah.

    Some people incorrectly interpret the phrase as "half kedusha" because it is an abbreviated liturgical practice, and some pronounce it "hechi kedusha," perhaps due to the similarity to "chatzi kaddish," the half kaddish prayer. More details about the practice: "When time is running short or the members of the minyan are unable to remain assembled for a prolonged period of time, many congregations implement an abridged form of the repetition, known as the heicha kedusha. When the heicha kedusha form of repetition is used it is generally only the first three blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei that are recited out loud. This abbreviated form of the repetition is generally only used at Mincha time, but is occasionally employed when needed at Shacharit, as well." (source)

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