JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Rabbi Avraham Yosef, the son of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ztsl, criticized worshippers who drink coffee inside the shul during Shacharit.
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In his remarks, he responded to someone who asked whether a tired person is permitted to sip coffee during the Korbanot section before “Baruch She’amar.”
“It’s unthinkable,” he said on Kol Chai radio. “If you want to drink coffee, you can do it outside the synagogue walls, not inside. A synagogue is not a coffee shop.”
The rabbi warned that this has become a widespread phenomenon. “This affliction has spread in quite a few communities,” and he recommended that anyone who needs coffee should “drink it outside. Open a window and listen to the prayer from outside.”
He emphasized the sanctity of the synagogue: “The place is holy. We refer to it as a ‘miniature Temple.’ One must not use it as a shortcut. Idle chatter is forbidden. It’s prohibited to wander around inside.”
He was especially critical of this behavior when a worshipper is wearing a tallit and tefillin. “With tefillin on, you’re behaving as if you’re at home?”
The rabbi clarified that there is only one exception allowing food or drink inside the synagogue: “For the sake of Torah study, in order to prevent Bittul Torah—but not during prayer.”
A bit more context & clarification needed. Would it make a difference between a BM (Bais Medrash where drink is permissible which most are designated as) vs Shul/Bet kenesset? Druing a minyan in BM for kavod hatzibur: A person who already prayed and now learning or will pray in next minyan?
How about you yourself don’t drink coffee when learning and dress up in your finery for a weekday mincha, but leave the rest of us to concentrate on our kavona during davening without your obsessive compulsive shtick.
According to halacha, one is allowed to drink coffee in beis medrash during learning, and there is no requirement of hat and jacket during davening. If you are looking for a cause, pick a real halachic one — like stopping talk during davening and encouraging a shliach tzibur not to swallow words during chazoras hashatz.
The heliga Berdechiver would tell der eibshter look at your holy people even when drinking coffee they Daven unlike the goyim that waste time at coffee shops. And the deeper point is yes more people come to shul when it has those warm relaxed vibes. Better they come to shul. On a personal level yes you shouldn’t do it. But we must also realize that those that do are at least serving a purpose to
Love the guys who regularly come into Shul an hour late holding a coffee. They can’t find a seat so they schmooze elsewhere in the building..as if that was the plan all along.
Good idea. Now, why are collectors permitted to come in during davening, sometimes 3 at a time, one group after another ? Even asking the shliach tzibbur for donation.
I agree; not only coffee, but also water should be prohibited being consumed during davening. Also, another thing which irks me, are those selfish individuals, who can’t live without their cell phones being turned on, while they are allegedly davening. All communication devices should be turned off in Shul. Some Shul’s will fine congregants, for those devices going off during services.
Vaping. Next
The Rabbi is absolutely correct.
Finally! Finally! Finally!
I just saw a bunch of שחורים dressed in their fineries on their way to their tifluh. They looked like they were going to a wedding. Why do some of אונזערע come to Shul, to בית ה in baseball caps and sometimes even in sports shorts? Is it because we feel at home when we’re in Shul? Shouldn’t we feel that we’re in the בית המקדש?