In the last Passuk of this week’s Parsha the Torah writes, ‘Umikdoshi tira’u ani Hashem’ – ‘and my My Mikdash you must fear, I am Hashem.’ We all know that our Shuls and Batei Knesset are called Beis Hamikdash me’at – a mini Beis Hamikdash. Our Rabbis learn from here the importance of how we behave in Shul especially not talking during davening and during the reading from the Torah.
The Zohar, the Shulchan Aruch, The Sefer Chareidim and so many more all speak about the great sin and how terrible it is to talk in Shul, especially during davening. However, no matter how much we read about it, hear about it and know about it, so many of us have such a weakness in this area. Why?
The Zvehiller Rebbi, Rabbi Shlomo Goldman, known as Reb Shlomke Zvehiller lived in his later years in Yerushalaim. He used to daven in the Ungarisher Shul in Batei Ungarin, Meah Shearim. There was one table, which all the schmoozers (chatterboxes) would sit there and talk during prayers. It caused great disturbance to the other people trying to concentrate on their prayers. It was so degrading for a Shul that people spoke so freely.
One week Reb Shlomke decided to sit at their table, hoping that his presence would bring a little awareness and stop the talking. The next week everyone was hoping that Reb Shlomke would continue to sit in his new place. But he didn’t. After prayers he explained and said, “the Yetzer Hara of talking during davening is so big, that if I would have sat at that table again, I felt that I would begin to have the inclination to start talking during davening myself.”
The question is, why does the Yetzer Hara put so much effort into trying to make people talk in the middle of davening?
The answer is explained in the Zohar Hakadosh from Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, that when a person talks during davening he causes the Shechina – Hashem’s presence to go away. So much so that it stops all the other people’s prayers to go up to Heaven. In this way the Yetzer Hara has a great tact. He allows everyone to pray in Shul with great concentration. He then lures a few individuals to talk in Shul and through this he has ruined everyone’s prayers.
Recently a boy davened Maariv in Shul. After davening he saw an older man walk over to two young men. “Excuse me,” he said, “may I ask you for a favor?” “Sure,” they replied.
By Rabbi Dovid Caro
“My wife is very sick. Please can you both give me a blessing that she recovers.” The two young men looked at the man strangely and replied, “we’re just ordinary people, why are you coming to us for a blessing?” “Let me explain,” answered the elderly man. “My wife is very sick and needs a miracle to recover. I spent a long time tonight praying for her recovery. But then I noticed that you were talking and I realized that all my prayers were wasted. I am sure that you don’t want my wife to die. So since you ruined my prayers, I am sure that you must have the power to make up for it and give me a blessing instead.”
How often we may have spent so much time and effort in our Shemone Esrei crying for a salvation, for a Refuah Shleima, for Parnassa, for the safety and future of our children and someone at the back of Shul answers his cell phone, has a short chat on the phone, or starts chatting to his neighbor after quiet Shemone Esraei, or during Chazoras Hashatz, and managed to damage everyone’s prayers! And how many times are we that someone?!
There was a man who davened in the Beis Hamedrash of the Zuchke Rebbi, Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Rosenbaum, in Bnei Brak. This man couldn’t control himself and continuously spoke in Shul. No matter how many times he was reprimanded, he still continued. Once he became sick. His health deteriorated and his life was in danger. He couldn’t speak anymore and the Doctors didn’t give very long to survive.
The Rebbe who heard that he was deathly sick, came to visit him in hospital. The Rebbe asked him if he is willing to undertake to stop talking during davening. The man couldn’t even talk, he just winked in agreement. The Rebbe promised him that he would recover. The next Shabbos he was already back in Shul. The man kept control for a few months and never spoke. Once during Mincha on Shabbos he couldn’t control himself and spoke to his neighbor. The Rebbe noticed him talking and motioned to him with his hand. The man was offended, walked out of the Shul, slammed the door and commented why the Rebbe was reprimanding him. Sadly, by the next Shabbos the man wasn’t alive anymore.
The Rebbe commented and said, “people may imagine that because he behaved disrespectfully towards me and I was offended, that caused him to die. But that is not true. I had nothing against him. I saw that he had no merit to live so I asked him to promise that he wouldn’t talk during davening. In that merit he recovered. But when he didn’t keep to his word he lost his merit to live.
