[Avodah] Chillul HaShem and Davening on Airplanes

[Chana Luntz]

RJR writes:

> However I have been on ContinentaL (United) flights which have the
> galley in the rear where the flight attendants have allowed for a
> minyan out of the other passengers way as long as it doesn't interfere
> with meal times. There have been cases though that in that situation
> the captain has turned on the seat belt sign due to turbulence and I
> encouraged the other minyanairres to go back to their seats due to the
> chillul hashem issue. (majority ignored me :-))

Yes, but here again we have a situation where underlying the chillul HaShem
there is a basic averah - in this case ignoring pikuach nefesh, which
includes even safek pikuach nefesh or even reasonably remote safek pikuach
nefesh.  The captain doesn't turn on the seatbelt sign for the fun of it,
but  because there are serious risks if a person gets thrown around due to
turbulence.  There is no question, once people frame it that way, that
everybody would agree that if the choice is between making up a minyan and
safek pikuach nefesh, one does not make, and indeed breaks, the minyan.  The
problem is that people do not take safek pikuach nefesh - not to mention
care for other's property, kovod habriyos and various other of these bein
adam l'chavero mitzvos seriously enough, thereby inappropriately and wrongly
prioritising the bein adam l'makom mitzvos.  But making the wrong call when
faced with eg davening versus pikuach nefesh (or some of the other cases
where it may be less stark and harder to do) is still wrong- and doing so
publically and wilfully thus still constitutes a chillul HaShem. 


> KT
> Joel Rich

Regards

Chana