Flying can pose all sorts of challenges, none more so than for those who are meticulous about saying their prayers at the right time of day.
A Manchester rabbi reportedly told a meeting this week that it is better to pray in your seat rather than risk a disruption by standing in the aisle.
He was unavailable for comment …because he was flying when the JC tried to contact him.
But a member of his audience said that he had been concerned about the impression made on potential passengers, especially if Jews simply got up and tried to pray in a minyan.
One rabbi who could be reached, Yitzchak Shochet, the chairman of the United Synagogue’s Rabbinical Council, believed it had become more difficult to pray in a group on board.
“The airlines don’t like people congregating in the back of the plane any more,” he said. “People have become more sensitive about it since 9/11.”
But he added that recently: “My son was flying back from New York to London and he wanted to get a minyan for ma’ariv (the evening service). Initially, they were reluctant but he said ‘We’ll be quick’, and they let him go ahead.”
One senior rabbinic figure, Dayan Yitzchak Berger of the Manchester Beth Din, took the view that if you want to hold an on-board minyan, permission is needed, not only from the crew, but also from neighbouring passengers.
“If anyone objects, then you sit and daven in your seat,” he said. “One has got to think not only of oneself and one’s religious observances, but one has got to think of others.”
A few weeks ago, Dayan Berger was waiting for a flight from Tel Aviv to the UK when a man wanted a minyan to say kaddish. The problem was that passengers to London would still have time for the morning service on arrival, but the requisite hour would have passed for those going on to Manchester.
The dayan’s solution was an abbreviated service at the departure gate.
EasyJet, which recently started flying to Israel, said that it would permit a
minyan after the cabin crew’s in-flight service, “although this has not happened on our flights yet”, a spokeswoman said.
this is absurd, we have to daven with a minyan every time every place tfilas horabim aino nimeses hen kel kabir lo yimos
and besides you know the gret nachas hashem has from answering yehei shmai rabbah and besides passangers are happy to see jews praying.
I happen to live in israel [and am very aware of whats going on other where including on flights!] and am aware of daily issues raised by so called “chreidim” and the like which intimidate the public with all sorts of halachic issues and chumros which much is based on plain ignorance. i hope you appreciate my frustration.
hope the flowers smell well!
As a baal tshuvah, I appreciate the Manchester Rav sharing his input and thoughtfulness on the matter. For everyone else, a little refresher never hurt . Why kvetch about a teaching/reteaching for derek eretz/something positive? Shavua tov.
Have u got something against a rabbi from Manchester?! It’s all very well for u to sit (probably in CH) and dissrespect the opinion of someone in Manchester who lives with every day filth!
could you have said that in a more positive tone/way?
good shabbos
i hope you are bringing your wife flowers before shabbos..:)
(and helping to clear the table or dishes)
Didt badatz in isreal say this a few years ago?
Some people never daven with a minyan, but as soon as they board a plane, have some uncontrolable urge to make as much of a niusance and a chillul hashem as possible. Minyan, Shabbos food, parading up and down the aisles…
Rabonnim should aser minyanim on planes. Imagine: a person comes out of the lavatory to see a group of men bowing in their direction BORCHU ES HASHEM HAMEVORACH!!
nothing new one doesnt need to be a rabbi from manchester to convey some obvious halacha in kitzur shulchan aruch! why all the hot air? it suites the litvaks.