Part II
The first part discussed some of the basic advantages of
tefilloh betzibbur, noting that there are many parts
of the normal prayer service that may not be said without a
minyan. Gedolei Yisroel such as the Aderes testified,
"I always imagined in my mind that were I to pray alone,
without a minyon, it would be as if I hadn't prayed at
all!" Interestingly, this is something that applies only to
Jews. While the legitimate tefillos of non-Jews are
answered by Heaven, as we see from Shlomo Hamelech, the idea
of a tzibbur only applies to Jews. Only they can make
a minyan.
Expending Large Sums in Order to Pray with the
Congregation
Another example of the importance of praying with the
community can be learned from a story told by HaRav Yehuda
Tzadka zt'l, rosh yeshivas Porat Yosef, about his
uncle, the famous tzaddik R' Tzadka Chutzin
zt'l, one of the Iraqi sages.
This particular mitzvah was beloved by R' Tzadka, so much so
that he never missed praying with a minyon. No effort
was too great or too difficult. He exhibited especial self
sacrifice during the riots of 5689(1929).
A curfew was declared by the British and the streets of
Jerusalem were emptied of passersby. It was dangerous to
leave one's house and very difficult to collect the required
ten men for a minyon. But R' Tzadka was not one to
forgo this mitzvah. He rented a building on Rechov Chabakuk
and brought ten people there. He saw to all of their needs,
at his expense, throughout the period of the curfew, so that
he would be able to say all of the prayers with a
minyon.
He did the same during the period of shelling in 1948. Then
he gathered a number of people to his beis medrash on
Rechov Chagai, Shemesh Tzedokoh, and made sure that
there would always be a minyon there, three times a
day (Vezos LiYehuda).
Gedolei Yisroel Sacrificed their Lives and Money for
Tefilloh Betzibbur
We see throughout that gedolei Torah put a special
emphasis on prayer with a minyon. They spared no
effort, money, or even their precious time.
It is told of Maran the Steipler zt'l that even when
he was advanced in age and walking was extremely difficult
for him, he was very punctilious about going to the beis
knesses every single day. Only towards his final days,
when he was so debilitated that he could not even walk four
cubits without extreme effort, did he permit himself to pray
at home. But neither was he willing to trouble others on his
behalf and therefore, he did not permit a minyon to be
formed in his house, and preferred instead to pray at home,
alone.
Most punctilious in this area was the Chevron Rosh Yeshiva,
HaRav Aharon Cohen zt'l, who defied his natural
weakness and insisted on saying all of his prayers
betzibbur. He was staying in Bat Yam one time and came
late for the regular daily minyon. There was no other
minyon in Bat Yam and none could be organized for him,
but not to pray with one was simply unthinkable. When R'
Aharon saw that there was no solution to his problem, he
simply picked himself up and traveled all the way to Tel Aviv
where he figured there would surely be a choice of
minyonim.
Forgoing a Lucrative Transaction for the Sake of Prayer
with the Public
Praying with the tzibbur also takes precedence when
there is a question of monetary loss, that is, losing the
chance of a lucrative deal. A person is not actually required
to expend or lose money for the sake of praying with the
public. And if there is truly a question of a substantial
loss, he is permitted to pray in solitude. But he must not
forgo praying betzibbur where there is a possibility
of losing a potential profit. We find in the Mishnoh
Berurah the story of the rabbi of Hamburg, HaRav Zalman
Mirl's, who once turned down the opportunity of a great
profit since it would have meant his losing out on prayer
with the congregation.
This all took place one day when the rabbi of Hamburg was
walking along the street, enveloped in his tallis and
crowned in his tefillin, on his way to the synagogue.
As he was walking along, he met a diamond merchant who wanted
to offer an excellent deal with a sure profit, a very
substantial sum. On the other hand, it meant that he would
have to sidetrack and go to the salesman's home instead of to
the shul, and subsequently pray by himself. At this
point, the rabbi decided to ask the agent to wait for him
while he went to pray and so he went off.
The salesman did not wait, however. When the rabbi returned
to him the gems had already been sold and the buyer had
gained thousands of rubles. The story goes that the rabbi was
overjoyed to hear this, for he realized that he had lost a
huge sum — but gained the priceless mitzvah of prayer
with the community (Mishnoh Berurah, siman 90:29).
"And to Serve Him With all Your Heart" — Prayer with
a Minyon
The lust for acquisition and the desire for money provide a
tremendous stumbling block before the man who would really
like to keep the commandment of his Creator to go and pray
with the congregation. This is especially important with
regard to tefillas minchah. This service is timed at
the very center of the day, the fulcrum when man is at the
peak of his activities, and stopping to find a minyon
may cause considerable loss in tempting business deals. The
work Reishis Chochmoh has dealt with this already:
"When the time for mincha comes, a person should sever
himself from all of his activities and recite it properly,
even if he sees that he might incur a great loss of money.
Surely, his Employer is trustworthy to pay him his real and
just wages. In fact, Hashem can find ways to repay him
double, but he must be willing to risk it and must have full
faith in Him. For if he is afraid that he will lose out, it
means that he relies more on his gold and silver than upon
Hashem, and this is a form of idolatry. The main idolatrous
service of ancient times was believing that by praying to
their gods, people would be blessed with gold and silver and
great profits. And whoever abandons the service of his
Creator because of profit and money is just like those
idolaters."
A pleasing hint to this weakness and the promise that comes
with it was found by the Ksav Sofer in Vehoyo im
shomoa. We are commanded in the plural to "serve Him with
all your hearts," and Rashi asks in the name of Chazal, "But
did the Torah not already command us to love Hashem with our
whole heart, in the singular?" The answer is that here it is
a warning to the public.
Why, asked the Ksav Sofer rabbi of Pressburg, did the Torah
find it necessary to write a special warning to the
tzibbur? We do not find this style by any other
commandment.
It is from this verse in the plural form that we learn of the
obligation for prayer, that is, G-dly service, in public. For
what is that "service of the heart"? Prayer. And prayer must
be said with a congregation. This is why the Torah uses the
plural form, "Your hearts and your souls." The Torah is
addressing the congregation which is praying together.
Tefilloh betzibbur can stand in the way of a person's
business dealings, for if he prays when it was convenient for
him, in his home, he can choose to do so at any time. But if
he is praying with the congregation, he must adapt himself to
their schedule and may lose out because of it.
This is why the Torah promises: "And I shall give the rain of
your land in its specified time." Agriculture will flourish
and there will be no financial loss as a result of people
praying together at set times (Ksav Sofer, Devorim,
Eikev).
A Very Positive Balance
The Chofetz Chaim writes:
"Let us understand the reckoning. If a person examines the
extra effort which he must expend in this matter, to keep up
a schedule of praying betzibbur daily, he will see the
spiritual gain very readily. From shacharis and
minchah he gains thirty-eight omeins from the
nineteen blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei, eight
Yehei Shemei Rabboh, another sixteen omeins
from the kaddish, two times kedushah and once
borechu.
"And all this is just from one day. If so, figure out how
many he will have accumulated from one week, one month
— from an entire year. Who can calculate all the merits
that accumulate to a person's credit by the habit of praying
with the public" (Shemiras Haloshon).
The great `financier' of the Jewish people, the Chofetz
Chaim, promises an account replete with fat profits to
whoever is willing to invest.
And in this investment, there is room for everyone.
