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Question
AS a follow up to this answer, if one is a steady at a minyan while the others just came toi the minyan because they are chiyuvim. Does the one who has been always davened at that minyan have kedima?
Answer
Shalom, Thank you for your question. In questions like this there are many factors to be taken into account. Before answering may I stress two points - Firstly – one issues of synagogue practice it is an absolute obligation to seek and follow the ruling of the local Rabbi. No matter what private rulings congregants my receive from their own Rabbis, the local Rabbi is the ruling authority in any shule, and his opinion is the final halachic voice. Secondly – as you can see from the previous answers – keeping the peace in the community is immensely more important that being the chazan. The greatest merit one can give the deceased is to forgo being the chazan for the sake of peace. So, even if the halacha grants a person the rights to be the chazan, if doing so will cause strife, they should give up the position for the sake of peace. Now to your question – as I said there is no one clear ruling. If the shule has by-laws about who gets to lead the service, those rules have halachic force. So, in many places they have rules only letting paying members be the chazan – or only letting the regular paid chazan lead the service. In such a case, the synagogue by laws should be followed. Also, if those “who just came to the minyan because they are chiyuvim” are none the less paying members of the shule, they also have rights. On the other hand, if they are not paying members, and also not regular in the minyan, their rights are generally less than regular and paying memebers. So, in general a regular at a minyan does have precedence, but there are other factors (such as shule membership and local practice) that can affect this. Blessings.
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