Praying with others

There is a teaching: Abba Benjamin said : A man's prayer is only heard [by God] when offered in a Synagogue ; as it is said, "To hearken unto the song and to the prayer" (I Kings viii. 28) — where there is song, let there be prayer.

Rabin b. Adda said in the name of R. Isaac : Whence is it that the Holy One, blessed be He, is found in the Synagogue ? As it is said, "God standeth in the godly congregation " (Ps. Ixxxii. 1).

And whence is it that when ten assemble for prayer, the Shekinah is in their midst ? As it is said, "God standeth in the godly congregation."

And whence is it that when three sit and judge, the Shekinah is in their midst? As it is said, "In the midst of the judges He judgeth" (ibid.).

And whence is it that when two sit and occupy themselves with Torah, the Shekinah is in their midst ? As it is said, "Then they that feared the Lord spoke one with another; and the Lord hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon His name" (Mal. iii. 16).

What means "and that thought upon His name"? Rab Assi said : If a man contemplated fulfilling a commandment, and through compulsion did not perform it, the verse ascribes it to him as though he had done it.

And whence is it that even if an individual sits and occupies himself with Torah, the Shekinah is with him ? As it is said, "In every place where I cause My name to be remembered I will come unto thee and will bless thee" (Exod. xx. 24).

Since [the Shekinah is] even with one, why mention two ? With two, their words are written in the book of remembrance, but the words of an individual are not so recorded. Since [the Shekinah is] even with two, why mention three? Thou mightest argue that since the act of judging is merely for the sake of peace, the Shekinah does not come [in their midst], therefore he informs us that the administration of justice is equal to being occupied with Torah. Since [the Shekinah is] even with three, why mention ten ? With ten, the Shekinah precedes them ; with three, it waits until they are seated [to try cases].

A man's prayer is only heard [by God] when offered in a Synagogue ; as it is said, "To hearken unto the song and to the prayer" (I Kings viii. 28) — where there is song, let there be prayer.

Rabin b. Adda said in the name of R. Isaac : Whence is it that the Holy One, blessed be He, is found in the Synagogue ? As it is said, "God standeth in the godly congregation " (Ps. Ixxxii. 1 ).

And whence is it that when ten assemble for prayer, the Shekinah is in their midst ? As it is said, "God standeth in the godly congregation."

Rabin b. Rab Adda said in the name of R. Isaac: If one is accustomed to attend the Synagogue regularly and absents himself one day, the Holy One, blessed be He, inquires about him; as it says, "Who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness and has no light?" (Is. 1. 10).

If [his absence is because] he went to perform a religious duty, he will have light ; but if he went to attend to some secular business, he will have no light. "Let him trust in the name of the Lord" (ibid.). For what reason [is the light denied him] ? Because he should have trusted in the name of the Lord, but did not.

R. Johanan said : When the Holy One, blessed be He, enters a Synagogue and does not find there ten. He is immediately filled with wrath ; as it is said, "Wherefore, when I came, was there no man ? When I called, was there none to answer ?" (ibid. v. 2).

(1) Communal prayer is always heard, even if there are sinners in their midst, the Holy One does not reject the prayer of the many, therefore a person needs to join himself with the congregation and not pray as an individual whenever one is able to pray with the community.

And a person should always be at the synagogue in the early morning and in the evening because his prayer will not be heard at all times except in the synagogue.

And every person that has a synagogue in his city and does not pray there with the community is called a bad neighbor.

It happened that a disciple who descended before the Ark in the presence of R. Eliezer unduly prolonged [the prayers]. His disciples said to him, "Our master, what a prolonger he is!" He replied, "Did he prolong more than Moses, our teacher, of whom it is written, 'The forty days and forty nights that I fell down'" (Deut. ix. 25)?

It again happened that a disciple who descended before the Ark in the presence of R. Eliezer unduly shortened [the prayers]. His disciples said to him, "What a shortener he is!" He replied, "Did he shorten more than Moses, our teacher ; for it is written, 'Heal her now, O God, I beseech Thee'" (Num. xii. 13)?