Kaddish by a Minor Orphan
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Question
Can a minor orphan under the age of Bar Mitzvah recite Kaddish for his father?
Answer
A minor orphan should recite Kaddish for his father. However, he should not lead the prayer as a chazan and should not recite the Kaddishes that are part of the prayer, such as the Kaddish after Tachanun and Kaddish Titkabel.
Source
The Rema writes in Siman 376, paragraph 4: "One who knows how to pray should pray, and it is more beneficial than the orphan's Kaddish, which was only instituted for minors; and one who does not know how to pray the entire prayer." This proves that a minor who cannot pray says Kaddish.
In Mishnah Berurah, Siman 55, Subparagraph 4, it states: "See Pri Chadash, Siman 69, who criticizes places where it is customary for a minor to say Kaddish and Barchu, and the congregation responds after him, that they are acting improperly, even if there are ten adult men besides him. See also Pri Megadim there, who also leans towards being stringent in this matter initially."
It should be noted that the Mishnah Berurah's criticism pertains to Barchu or Kaddish from the order of prayer, but the Kaddish after Aleinu was instituted for minors who cannot pray, as the Rema writes.
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