Rabbi Eliezer Papo (the Pele Yo’etz) was a Torah scholar, kabbalist and the rabbi of a small community of peasants in Silistra (now Silistaru), Bulgaria. From his writings we get a vivid portrait of his flock: they were simple folk, happy to go to synagogue but happier when hanging around outside it for a good chat. Their main vices, apart from wife-beating, were smoking and the excessive consumption of late-night coffee.
The Pele Yo’etz
knew his people well, which is why he went to great lengths to warn them not to
chat in the sacred space of the synagogue, even when prayers were not in
progress but especially when they were (see Sefer Pele Yo’etz, at Bet
Knesset). After all, there were plenty of places for them to enjoy their
conversations apart from the mikdash me’at—the miniature sanctuary set
aside to facilitate man’s encounter with God’s presence.
Another
great Torah scholar and kabbalist, Rabbi Chaim Volozhiner, also warned against
the dangers of casual conversation, this time in the bet midrash, the
house of study. On Avot 2:13 he notes Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai’s instruction
to his five leading talmidim: “Go out and see which is the good path for a
person to adhere to” and observes that, even where the subject of study is a
worthy one such as the identification of the proper path for a person to pursue
in life, anyone who wants to talk about it should “go out” and leave the bet
midrash. This is because of the ease with which a serious conversation concerning
best practice in one’s personal behaviour can slip into a comfortable chat on other,
probably non-Torah topics. The bet midrash should not be used in this
way. The Pele Yo’etz agrees (above, at Bet
Midrash), emphasising the importance of treating this space with awe and
deep respect: it is a place for learning and listening, not for street-corner
banter.
Putting the
guidance of these two eminent latter-day sages together, it is plain that one
should chat neither in a synagogue nor in a house of study. My personal experience is that many people,
perhaps the majority, do chat in both places. Much depends on the nature of the
conversation, the personalities of those who converse and the standards to
which those who frequent such places are expected to conform. I also have no
doubt that, in many instances, such conversation is either justifiable per
se or capable of being justified. Sometimes it is impossible to avoid
talking to others without appearing to be rude, standoffish or falsely pious. It
is also likely that, for many people, the chance to have a chat with friends or
familiar faces is an incentive to come to shul and support the minyan in
the first place, rather than daven at home. Nevertheless the fact
remains that there is far more talking in both places than there should be.
I am
troubled by this. We all know that we should not engage in social or idle
chatter in places set aside for relating to God or learning Torah, yet we do.
Even though we are sometimes disturbed or distracted by the conversation of
others, we struggle to appreciate that our own words might have the same
effect. Ultimately, the avoidance of casual talk in synagogue and in the bet
midrash affects both our relationship with God and our relationship with
our fellow humans. Bearing this in mind, I’m sure we could do this a bit
better.
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