22 Aug DETOURS FOR DAVENING: WHEN MINYAN AND MAPS COLLIDE

During this time of
year, when families
and individuals find
themselves with a
break between camp
and school, it’s
common to plan trips to various destinations.
However, traveling raises important
questions about the spiritual atmosphere of
such places.
Choosing kosher Accommodations:
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, (Halichos
Shlomo, Mo’adim, page 174), delved into
the question of whether it is advisable
to embark on vacations and trips. He
emphasized that such trips are sometimes
indeed recommended, provided they don’t
result in neglecting Torah study, failing to
fulfill mitzvot, or weakening one’s devotion
to avodat Hashem.
Responding to criticisms that sought to
belittle the value of such trips, Rabbi Shlomo
Zalman recounted his own experiences as a
student at the respected yeshiva, Etz Chaim.
He shared that during his youth, they
undertook trips under the guidance of the
institution’s leaders, who were themselves
accomplished Torah scholars. Notably, that
traveling has been embraced by esteemed
scholars across generations. However,
it’s crucial to exercise discernment when
choosing the intended destination, as it
may present spiritual challenges for both
individuals and their families. Rabbi
Nissim Karelits (Chut Shani, Shabbat,
volume 3, page 70) offers a word of caution
against vacation spots and resorts that are
disconnected from a sense of Torah and
kdusha.
Choosing Accommodations Near a
Minyan:
When selecting a vacation destination,
it’s important to consider proximity to a
synagogue or a minyan. Opting for a place
distant from the possibility of praying with
a minyan should be avoided. Unfortunately,
often accommodations in such locations are
expensive and come with a high price tag,
making them inaccessible to many people.
Consequently, individuals are compelled to
choose more distant spots for their vacations.
Numerous poskim have emphasized the
importance of refraining from leisure travel
to areas without a minyan, unless there’s a
genuine need for the vacation, such as the
requirement to de-stress and rejuvenate
after a challenging year or for health-related
purposes.
In our contemporary era, the situation has

evolved, and staying home with children
during the interval between camp and school
could be construed as a necessary form of
travel. This perspective emerges because
children often contend with profound
boredom during this period, which might,
in the best scenario, lead to conflicts among
siblings and frustrate parents. In a less
desirable scenario, it might even lead them
to engage in activities that run contrary to
our parental aspirations.
In order to understand when it is permissible
to forgo praying with a minyan, one must
first understand the importance of the
communal prayer obligation. While there is
no explicit mandate found in the words of
our sages in the Talmud, there are several
statements highlighting its significance.
By comprehending the depth of this
importance, one can better gauge how much
care should be exercised in this matter. The
Talmud teaches (Brachot 6a) that the Divine
Presence rests upon ten men who pray
together, as it is stated, ‘Hashem stands in
the congregation of the mighty. Similarly, in
Tehilim (69:14), it says, “But I, my prayer
is to You, Hashem, at a time of favor.” Our
sages ask: When is this time of favor? And
answer when the congregation prays. Rabbi
Yitzhak bar Rabi Hanina quoted another
pasuk (Isaiah 49:8), “So said Hashem: In a
favorable time I have answered you.”
Maimonides also ruled (tfila 8:1): “The
prayer of the congregation is always
accepted, and even if sinners are among
them, Hashem does not despise the prayer
of the multitude. Therefore, a person should
involve himself with the congregation and
not pray alone whenever he can pray with
the congregation.”
Understanding the Level of Obligation to
Pray with a Minyan.
Regarding the level of obligation to pray in
a congregation, we find several opinions.
Some, like Rabbi Yaakov Yair, believed
that there is not such a strong obligation.
The Eshel Avraham, saw it as a rabbinic
obligation. Others took it a step further,
considering it even greater than a biblical
obligation, as in the opinion of the Shulchan
Aruch HaRav, given the many “Amens”
recited and the fulfillment of the mitzvot of
Kadish and Kdusha.
The Shulchan Aruch states (Orach
Chaim 90:19): “A person should make an
effort to pray in the synagogue with the
congregation.” The phrasing of “should
make an effort” has led to debates among the
halachic authorities. In Yed Eliyahu (Siman
Yud) and in Or L’Tziyon (Volume 2, Page

63), it’s understood straightforwardly that
there isn’t an absolute obligation to pray in
a congregation, but rather an obligation of
exertion
This understanding stands in contrast to
the opinion of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
(Igrot Moshe, O.H. 2, Siman 27), who
wrote that the responsibility to pray with
the congregation is an absolute obligation.
He interpreted the wording of the Shulchan
Aruch to mean that there is only an
obligation of exertion in places where there
was generally exemption. For instance,
according to Rabbi Feinstein, a person
must make the effort to travel only up to a
distance of a mil (approximately 18 minutes)
in order to pray with a congregation. But
beyond that, he is not obligated to exert
effort. However, Rabbi Feinstein explained
that even though it’s not obligatory, one
should still exert more effort than what the
obligation requires. This is the intention
of the Shulchan Aruch’s wording “should
make an effort.”
Rabbi Yitzhak Weiss also wrote that praying
with a congregation is an obligation.
The wording “should make an effort” is
understood by him as emphasizing the
exertion specifically to pray in a synagogue.
This signifies that while it’s permissible to
gather ten people for prayer in one’s hotel
room or bungalow, it’s advisable to put in
the effort to attend a synagogue for prayer.
If the time for prayer arrives while someone
is traveling and there is a group of ten men
praying somewhere in the proximity of the
traveler, even if it’s not along the path he
intended to take, it’s obligated to backtrack
or take a detour for a maximum of 18
minutes to join the minyan.
However, if the minyan is actually on the
same road he’s traveling, he should keep
going and not pause for the next 72 minutes
until he reaches the minyan. The reason
we are more particular in this situation is
because the person isn’t losing travel time,
as the minyan is conveniently located along
their route.
Accordingly, if someone is in their room,
they should travel for about 18 minutes
to join a minyan of ten people for prayer.
But if the minyan is more than 18 minutes
away from where they are, they can pray
alone in their room. While there isn’t a strict
obligation to travel beyond an 18-minute
distance to join a minyan for prayer, it’s
commendable to put in the extra effort and
travel a longer distance to do so.
As mentioned earlier, Rabbi Moshe
Feinstein’s perspective aligns with the belief

that the Shulchan Aruch’s recommendation
to strive for praying with a minyan pertains
to situations like this. He proposes that
this effort should go beyond times of strict
obligation, as in this specific scenario.
Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg (Halichot
Shlomo, Tfila page 358) supported the
viewpoint that while it is advisable not to
travel to a location without a minyan, it is
not explicitly prohibited.
The Obligation to Travel to a Minyan
When It’s Dangerous.
When visiting locations where attending
a minyan at night could potentially pose
risks, such as passing through unsafe
neighborhoods or navigating mountainous
roads with limited visibility, especially
during rainy conditions, an individual might
be excused from the obligation to pray with
a minyan.
Indeed, in several instances, we have found
that there are situations where a person is
exempt from praying with a minyan if there’s
a genuine concern for their well-being. In
Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Chapter 90, 17), it
is stated: “One who lives in a town where ten
people pray together in a minyan must go
every morning and evening to pray with the
minyan.” Ketzot HaShulchan (Chapter 13,
64) explains that this directive specifically
applies to the afternoon prayer (Mincha) and
not the evening prayer (Maariv), as it can
be dangerous to travel at night. Similarly,
Mishnah Berurah (Chapter 90, 72) states:
“One should go every morning to pray with
a minyan, but not in the evening, because
there’s no need to travel at night for the sake
of a minyan.” Kaf HaChaim (Chapter 90,
77) also states that a scholar of Torah and
a person who fears God finds himself in a
location devoid of other Jewish individuals,

and there exists a village nearby, a half-
hour’s journey away, where a quorum of ten

men gather for the morning prayer at dawn,
it is forbidden for him to jeopardize his
safety by departing from his home half an
hour before daybreak to arrive at that village
and join them in prayer.