Q&A: Prayer Without Concentration
Prayer Without Concentration
Question
Hello Rabbi Michael Abraham.
Which parts of the prayer service are not obligatory, so that I can read and study other books during them? You can really lose yourself very easily during the service, especially during the reader’s repetition of the Amidah.
Thanks in advance!
Answer
Most of Pesukei DeZimra, the reader’s repetition of the Amidah. When there are liturgical poems, then of course. Between aliyot during the Torah reading (and with some pilpul maybe one could show that even during it, but this is not the place to go into it).
Discussion on Answer
To Noam: in the Shulchan Arukh, section 285 paragraph 5, it says that it is permitted.
That is indeed what is written there in the Shulchan Arukh.
However, the commentaries there bring that the medieval authorities disagreed about this. Therefore some explained that the intent is between aliyot (although the wording of the author certainly does not imply that). And one can analyze this at length. The reason brought there is that there must be ten who listen to the reader, but here there is room to be lenient if there are ten besides him. Others wrote that each individual must listen to the reader, but even about that one can argue, since if Torah reading is an obligation on the congregation, then it is enough that there are ten others. And perhaps from the standpoint of the categorical imperative one should obligate each person individually (for we are to do what we would want to become a general law). See my article here on the categorical imperative:
And one can also distinguish between Torah reading on the Sabbath, which is an ordinance of Moses, and Torah reading on weekdays—Monday and Thursday—which is an ordinance of Ezra. That can resolve everything written in section 146 paragraph 2, which seemingly contradicts what he writes here in section 285.
Bottom line: there is definitely reason not to do this except between aliyot, but it is difficult to outright forbid it.
Hello Rabbi, during the Torah reading I usually use the time to complete the weekly “twice Scripture and once translation,” since it’s about the reading itself… is that okay?