21 Oct PARSHAS NOACH: DAVENING IN FRONT OF A WINDOW

“Tzohar Ta’aseh
La’teivah”
Make a tzohar for the
ark.
Rashi
“Yesh Omrim Chalon”
There are those who say it is a window.
Bereishis 6:16
Many wonderful shuls are blessed to be in
scenic locations, and often have large
windows that allow the mispalelim to take
in the natural beauty of their surroundings.
In some ways, these views can be inspiring
and may even enhance one’s davening, but
they can also become a source of
distraction, pulling one’s focus away from
the tefillah. What is the halacha concerning
davening in front of a window?
The Source, Various Reasons, and Their
Applications
The Gemara in Berachos (31a) records the
teaching:
Rabbi Chiya bar Abba said: One should
always pray in a house with windows, as it
is stated regarding Daniel: “there were
open windows etc.”
While the Gemara explicitly recommends
that a person daven near windows, it does
not provide the reason for this, and the
rishonim debate the possible reasons.
Rashi (Berachos 34b s.v. chalonos)
explains that windows enhance davening
because when one looks outside and sees
the heavens, a sense of humility is aroused,
which helps someone daven properly.
Rabbeinu Yonah (Rif 24b s.v. BeBayis)
writes that when one is near a window, he
will benefit from the natural light, which
will help calm him, allowing for greater
concentration. Moreover, he writes that
since one is supposed to daven facing
Yerushalayim, being able to see outside
will aid his concentration in directing his
prayers toward that spiritual destination.
The Rambam (Hil. Tefillah 5:6) codified
this halacha that one should daven in front
of a window “that faces Yerushalayim,” in
accordance with the second suggestion of
Rabbeinu Yonah. In turn, this wording is
quoted verbatim in Shulchan Aruch (O.C.
90:4).
There are numerous potential differences,
nafka minas, between the different
suggested reasons for davening near a
window. If the purpose is to benefit from
natural light, a skylight above or a window
on a side wall would suffice, but if the

purpose of the window is to aid a person’s
focus towards Yerushalayim, the window
would need to be in the wall that the person
faces in that direction. Similarly, if a shul
does not face the proper direction toward
Yerushalayim, a window in front of the
person davening would provide natural
light and would also help arouse humility
in the person, as Rashi explains, but it
would not fulfill the purpose of focusing on
Yerushalayim, as the Rambam understands.
The Aruch HaShulchan (O.C. 90:6) notes
that while Rashi doesn’t explicitly link the
benefit of a window to facing Yerushalayim
during davening, instead emphasizing the
inspiration drawn from gazing at the
heavens, it’s possible that Rashi also agrees
that the combination of looking heavenward
in the direction of Yerushalayim fosters the
humility necessary for proper davening. As
such, it is possible that even Rashi would
agree that the window should face
Yerushalayim.
A Contradictory Halacha
The Beis Yosef (95 s.v. V’Tzarich) points
out that this halacha seems to be
contradicted by a different Gemara
(Yevamos 105b), which states that one is
supposed to look down while davening.
The Gemara arrives at this conclusion by
presenting a contradiction between one
pasuk (Melachim 9:3) that indicates that
one should look downward when davening,
while another pasuk (Eicha 3:41) states
that we should raise our hearts up to the
heavens. The Gemara resolves the two
contradictory sources that when one
davens, his eyes should be looking
downwards while his heart should rise up
to the heavens. The Shulchan Aruch (95:2)
rules accordingly that one should bow his
head slightly and lower his eyes when
davening and have kavanah in his heart
toward the heavens.
The Beis Yosef, quoting the Mahari
Abuhav, clarifies that according to
Rabbeinu Yonah, who explained that
windows are beneficial in that they provide
light to aid in one’s davening, there is no
contradiction. One can look downward
while still benefiting from the natural light
that enters the room from the windows.
Similarly, the Machatzis HaShekel (90:4)
says that according to the reason that
windows should be open because we have
to daven facing Yerushalayim, one could
suggest that it is not necessary to actually
look toward the windows. Simply having
windows open toward Yerushalayim is
enough to reinforce the kavanah that our
tefillos head in the direction of

Yerushalayim. However,
according to Rashi, who
ruled that windows are
helpful because they
allow one to look toward
Shamayim and arouse
feelings of humility, the
two halachos seemingly
stand in contradiction. Is
a person supposed to
look downward or
upward?
To answer this question,
the Beis Yosef writes
that while Rashi agrees
that one should daven
with his eyes facing
downward most of the
time, nevertheless, from time to time, when
a person needs to strengthen his kavanah,
he should look up and out the windows
toward the heavens to increase his focus.
This answer is quoted by both the Magen
Avraham (90:4) and the Mishna Berura
(90:8). Additionally, the Mishna Berura
(95:8) quotes from the Bach that a person
should look downward throughout
davening, but a person should briefly look
up and out the window at the beginning of
davening in order to focus his kavanah.
Additional Practical Details
The Shulchan Aruch (90:23) writes that
one should preferably not daven directly in
front of colorful tapestries, and if he finds
himself in that position, he should close his
eyes so as not to be distracted by their
design. Based on this, the Mishna Berura
(ibid.) writes that when decorating a shul,
artwork should be placed above the normal
field of vision to avoid distracting
congregants. Similarly, it seems that
windows ideally should be positioned
above eye level, allowing people to look up
toward them without becoming distracted
during davening.
The Beis Yosef (90) quotes the Zohar
(Parshas Pekudei) based on kabbalah, that
a shul should have twelve windows, and
codifies this practice in Shulchan Aruch
(90:4). The Pri Megadim (E.A. 4) adds that
it is only necessary to have one window
facing Yerushalayim, as the Shulchan
Aruch rules, and all other windows can be
placed anywhere in the building.
Interestingly, Rav Ovadiah Yosef (Yabia
Omer 7:11) rules that it is permissible to
turn a bathhouse into a shul if something is
done to show clearly that it is now a shul.
He explains that this is easily achieved if
one builds twelve windows into the walls,
since this is such a well-known sign of a

beis haknesses.
The Kesef Mishneh (Hilchos Tefillah 5:6)
quotes a teshuvah of the Rambam where he
rules that davening in front of a window is
only necessary when one is davening
without a minyan. However, when
davening with a minyan, the merit of the
tzibbur is enough that one’s tefillah will be
accepted regardless of the presence of any
windows. However, this view is not quoted
in the Shulchan Aruch, nor in any of its
primary commentaries. Indeed, the Levush
(O.C. 90) writes that one must open
windows in a beis haknesses, implying that
it is necessary to do so even when davening
with a minyan in a shul.
Nevertheless, the Mishna Berura (90:8
based on Pri Megadim) writes that although
the enhancement of having windows also
applies to one davening in a shul, it is
especially important for one who davens at
home to do so. This is indicated by the fact
that the Gemara speaks of someone
davening in a house that has windows.
Additionally, the Mishna Berura (90:71)
writes that one should not daven in front of
a mirror, even with his eyes closed, as it
appears that he is bowing to his own
reflection. This leads some poskim to
conclude that one should not daven in front
of a window at night when it creates a
reflection like a mirror. However, Rav
Shmuel Wosner (Shevet HaLevi 9:21)
writes that while one should not daven in
front of a mirror, there is no minhag to
refrain from davening in front of a window
at night. Additionally, Rav Bentzion Abba
Shaul (Ohr LeTzion 2, Hil. Tefillah 11)
permits davening in front of a mirror if
one’s eyes are closed, since he understands
that there is only a problem if one sees
himself bowing to his own reflection, and
we are not concerned with the perception
of others.