minyan - How "with" the congregation do you have to be in order to say the 13 Divine Attributes (middos)?

According to the view that the 13 Divine Attributes ("Hashem, Hashem, Keil Rachum...") are considered a davar shebikedushah and therefore require a minyan for their recital, an individual doesn't recite them if he's praying alone (unless he says them as if reading from the Torah, i.e., with cantillation).

What happens if one is indeed praying as part of a minyan, but is a little behind? (And is there any difference in this regard between the various prayers in which the Attributes are recited - tachanun, selichos, etc.)?

Answer

Sefer Ishei Yisrael (the counterpart to Shemirat Shabbat Kehalichata on tefila) on page 273 deals with this issue.

In the main text the instruction is that if one has already started the the vidui   or "El Erech Apayim" it is considered that he has started the yud gimmel midot and can continue as usual.

In the footnote however a machloket achronim is brought down with these three opinions:

1. Skip to the yud gimmel midot.


2. Skip to the yud gimmel midot, but then continue from where you left off (this is the opinion of Rav Eliyashiv shlita concerning slichot, I don't know if it is relevant to regular tachanun.)


3. Continue at your own pace and say the yud gimmel midot without cantillation (even with slichot).

As you can see there is no opinion that you can say the yud gimmel midot without cantillation for merely being at a shul with a minyan.