Pesukei Dezimra is the section of morning prayer that starts with Baruch Sheamar and ends with Yishtabach. It has a special rule: once you start it, you should not interrupt it with ordinary speech.
This matters in real life. Sometimes a person has no tallit or tefillin until the middle of Pesukei Dezimra. Sometimes a minyan only arrives in the middle of Pesukei Dezimra. Sometimes a person needs to bless Asher Yatzar. What should he do?
Here are the three cases, in brief.
The Basic Rule
The Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 51:4, says: be careful not to interrupt in speech from Baruch Sheamar until the end of Shemoneh Esreh.
The Rema adds: even for a mitzvah need, do not speak between Baruch Sheamar and Yishtabach.
Why? Baruch Sheamar and Yishtabach are like a frame around Pesukei Dezimra — the first blessing and the last blessing. Speaking between them breaks the frame.
Conclusion: If you spoke by mistake, do not repeat Baruch Sheamar. The question of repeating is a dispute, and in case of doubt about a blessing, we are lenient and do not repeat it.
Tallit and Tefillin
You only get your tallit and tefillin after Baruch Sheamar. Can you put them on and bless in the middle of Pesukei Dezimra?
The Strict View: No, not even between one psalm and the next. Wait until after Yishtabach, between Yishtabach and Yotzer. This is how Shulchan Aruch 53:3 is read by Kaf HaChaim and others.
The Lenient View: The Rambam, in his responsum Pe'er HaDor 147, allows putting them on and blessing between the psalms. Later authorities, including Yabia Omer and Aruch HaShulchan, explain that the strict rule applies mainly to the gap right before Yishtabach, so that Yishtabach stays close to the psalms.
There is also a reason to distinguish Pesukei Dezimra from Shema. In Shema, the Shulchan Aruch allows interrupting between chapters for tallit and tefillin, because there is no other place to do it, and because praying Shema without tefillin is like false testimony about yourself. In Pesukei Dezimra, there is another, easier place — right after Yishtabach.
Conclusion: The strict practice is to wait until after Yishtabach. But the lenient view has a strong basis to rely on between psalms.
The Minyan Arrives in the Middle of Pesukei Dezimra
There was no minyan before Hodu, so no Kaddish was said. Now, in the middle of Pesukei Dezimra, a minyan arrives. Can you stop and say that Kaddish?
Yes: The Chida allows it. Ideally, you should wait before Baruch Sheamar until there is a minyan, but if you already started, you may say it. Some add that certain verses should be said first, and only half-Kaddish.
No: Beit Oved, Kaf HaChaim, and the Beit El custom forbid it. That Kaddish is a custom, not a strict obligation. Since there was no minyan before Hodu, you never became obligated in it. Kaddish also belongs between one section of prayer and the next, not in the middle of a section.
Conclusion: Best practice is to wait for a minyan before Baruch Sheamar. If you already started, there is a basis to follow the lenient view — but do not argue about it in the synagogue.
Asher Yatzar
You went to the bathroom during Pesukei Dezimra and came back. Can you bless Asher Yatzar right away?
Ginat Veradim and Mishnah Berurah allow blessing it in Pesukei Dezimra, preferably between psalms, not in the middle of a psalm.
Tehillah LeDavid, Kaf HaChaim, and Kitzur Shulchan Aruch say to wait. Asher Yatzar has no fixed time limit, so you can bless it later, preferably between Yishtabach and Yotzer, or after prayer.
Conclusion: If you might forget, finish the psalm you are in and bless between psalms. If you will not forget, wait until after Yishtabach.
Therefore
Do not interrupt Pesukei Dezimra if you can avoid it — but for tallit and tefillin, for a minyan Kaddish, and for Asher Yatzar, the sources offer clear, practical ways to handle the common cases, and the best choice often depends on whether you can wait for the easier interval after Yishtabach.
Next Week: More examples coming next week.