Question
I am a Baalat-Tshuva and follow the directions of my cherished Artscroll-Siddur.
It states that you have to bow twice in the first Bracha of the Shmone-Esre (at the beginning and at the end of the first Bracha). But when I look around, women seem to bow only once in the first Bracha.
Am I doing anything wrong?
Answer
Your Siddur, and you, are correct in bowing at the beginning and end of the first Bracha. I am not sure how to explain the behavior of the other women in your shul:
1. Maybe you shouldn’t be looking around.
2. Maybe there is a woman you feel close enough to to ask.
