[Avodah] Rabbi Herschel Schacter on Davening on Airplanes

[Yitzchok Levine]

 From http://www.torahweb.org/torah/special/2010/rsch_airplanes.html


Davening on Airplanes

Several times a year I visit Eretz Yisroel. When 
I take a night flight I notice that many men 
sleep for five to six hours, and then recite 
Shema and daven Shacharis after waking up, as if 
they were at a seven o’clock minyan back in the 
United States. However, because the airplane is 
flying from West to East and traversing several 
time zones, the zman Krias Shema keeps getting 
earlier and earlier, following the zman Krias 
Shema on the ground over which the airplanes is 
flying[1]. Often, by the time many of the 
passengers wake up and get ready to start 
shacharis, the zman on the ground below is 
already after chatzos and well into the zman of mincha.

Another common mistake people make is regarding 
davening with a minyan. The Talmud emphasizes the 
importance of tefillah btzibur; and one who 
davens with a minyan stands a much better chance 
of having his prayers answered than one who lacks 
a minyan. However, it is highly improper for the 
chazzan of a minyan on an airplane to shout at 
the top of his lungs to enable the other 
mispalelim to hear him over the airplane noise, 
and thereby wake up all the passengers around 
him. It is true that there is a halachic 
principle of kofin al hamitzvos, i.e. that beis 
din has an obligation to force people to observe 
the mitzvos even when they’re not interested in 
doing so, but this only applies when pressuring 
an individual will result in his becoming 
observant. However, when Orthodox Jews disturb 
non-observant Jewish passengers with their 
davening, the non-observant passengers still 
remain non-observant and now just have another 
point about which to be upset with the Orthodox. 
The practice of the Orthodox passengers under 
such circumstances appears simply as an act of 
harassment. Rather than having accomplished the 
hidur mitzvah of davening tefillah btzibur, they 
have violated lifnei iver by causing the 
non-observant passengers to become more 
antagonistic towards shemiras hamitzvos. The 
shouting tone of voice employed by the shaliach 
tzibbur to overcome the noise on the airplane 
clearly does not constitute a kavod hatefillah.

The halacha states that when traveling, if it is 
too difficult to stand for shemoneh esrei even 
the “amidah” may be recited while seated. On a 
short flight of an hour and a half to Canada, it 
is more correct to daven the entire tefillah 
while still buckled in, in a sitting position. On 
the long flight to Eretz Yisroel it is healthier 
not to sit the entire time; walking about 
somewhat helps the blood circulation in one’s 
legs. As such, there is nothing wrong with 
standing for shemoneh esrei, provided that 
there’s no turbulence at that time. However, it 
is still not proper to gather a minyan together 
near the washrooms, disturbing all the other 
passengers and the stewardesses. As much as 
various Torah giants of our generation have 
expressed their opposition to such minyanim on 
airplanes[2], their message has not yet been 
accepted. We wish everyone a chag kasher 
v’sameach, and all those traveling to Eretz 
Yisroel should have a safe trip, but keep in mind 
– these minyanim are shelo b’ratzon chachamim!

[1] Editor’s note: 
<http://www.chaitables.com>Chaitables.com 
calculates the zemanei tefillah for your flight 
given your departure and arrival locations and times

[2] Rav Shlomo Wahrman ( She’eiris Yosef  vol. 7, 
siman 3) quotes Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach 
(Halichos Shlomo, page 75), Rav Moshe Feinstein 
(Igros Moshe Orach Chaim vol. 4 siman 20), Rav 
Ovadiah Yosef, and Rav Shmuel Wosner all 
objecting to minyanim on airplanes that disturb other passengers
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