If one is honored with opening the aron hakodesh at the beginning of chazoras hashatz, is he allowed to walk in front of someone who is in the middle of his private Shemonah Esrei? Similarly, if one is honored with opening the aron hakodesh for one of the piyutim in the middle of chazoras hashatz, is he allowed to walk in front of someone who is in the middle of his private Shemonah Esrei?
Walking In Front of Someone Who Is Davening for a Mitzvah Purpose
Is there room for leniency to walk in front of someone who is davening if one is doing so for a mitzvah purpose? And is opening the aron hakodesh considered a mitzvah?
The Eishel Avraham of Butchatch (102, d.h. loi roisi) is lenient even if one is going to answer kaddish or amen, he writes that walking in front of one davening is only a doubt if it will confuse him, whereas answering kaddish or amen is definitely a mitzvah, and when there is a definite mitzvah vs. a doubtful mitzvah, the definite mitzvah wins. However, the Mishnah Berurah (69:9) brings from the Magen Avraham that it is forbidden to walk in front of someone who is davening, in order to go and answer “borchu”.
The Maharsham in Da’as Torah (102:4) quotes the Shu”t Yad Eliyohu (siman 6) who writes that one may walk in front of someone who is in the middle of Shemonah Esrei, if he is doing so to make up a minyan (so paskens the Shu”t Shevet HaLevi 7:20). Similarly, the poskim say that if a kohen needs to ascend the duchen [platform] for birchas kohanim, if there is no other way to get there, he may walk in front of someone davening (Toras Chaim 102:10; Shu”t Minchas Yitzchak 8:10; Da’as Noteh Vol. 1, pg. 382 in the name of the Chazon Ish, and Halichos Shlomah, Tefillah 10:10).
The Status of the “Mitzvah” of Opening Up the Aron HaKodesh for Piyutim During Chazoras HaShatz
Now that we have seen that in certain cases, for the purpose of a mitzvah one is allowed to walk in front of someone davening, what is the with the “mitzvah” of opening up the aron hakodesh during chazoras hashatz on Yomim Noraim, especially at the beginning of chazoras hashatz when many people are still davening their private Shemonah Esrei?
From the Levush (584:1 and 592:1) it is clear that they wouldn’t open the aron hakodesh at the beginning of chazoras hashatz, as he mentions the places when it gets opened and he omits the beginning of chazoras hashatz. This is also apparent from the Mateh Ephraim (592:1). On the other hand, the Maharil (Tefillas Rosh Hashanah, ois 5, pg. 282) writes that the minhag is to open the aron hakodesh when the chazon starts chazoras hashatz. The reason for doing this writes the Shu”t Tzemach Tzedek (HaKodmon, siman 50) is because it helps arouse kavonah [concentration], and the tefillos are more pleasing and more easily accepted because of the Sifrei Torah inside the aron hakodesh. The Eleph HaMagen on the Mateh Ephraim (592:1) brings from seforim, that: “It helps arouse Heavenly mercy, and to serve as a merit that the gates of Heaven should be open to our tefillos”.
The Person Opening the Aron HaKodesh Before Chazoras HaShatz Should Be Someone Who Doesn’t Need to Walk in Front of Someone
Based on the above, since opening the aron hakodesh is nothing more than a minhag, whereas walking in front of someone in the middle of Shemonah Esrei is an issur [prohibition], one should be careful to give the honor of opening the aron hakodesh at the beginning of chazoras hashatz to someone who doesn’t need to walk in front of someone who is in the middle of Shemonah Esrei. If one only needs to walk on the side of someone davening, there is room for leniency.
Ensuring the Amud of the Chazon Is Tall Enough to Act as a Mechitzah [Partition]
If the amud of the chazon is directly opposite the aron hakodesh, one should be careful to ensure that the amud is higher than the head of the chazon so that the person opening up the aron hakodesh doesn’t run into problems of walking in front of someone davening.
