[Avodah] Davening in a Large or Small Shul

[Prof. Levine via Avodah]

 From today's http://halachafortodaycom.blogspot.com/

1)It is a Mitzvah to daven in a Shul that has a large amount of 
people, as the Pasuk (Mishlei 14:28)  says "Brov Am Hadras Melech - 
with a large assemblage the glory of the King [Hashem] is 
multiplied." (See Mishna Berura Siman 90 S"K 28)

2)There are various exceptions to this rule, and certain times it is 
deemed Halachically superior to daven in a smaller place and forego 
the "Brov Am Hadras Melech".

A few examples of the many such exceptions:

a)Davening in a Bais HaMidrash or Yeshiva , where people learn Torah 
all [or a large part of the] day (even if you yourself do not learn 
there) is better than davening in a Shul (i.e. Bais Hakneses that is 
used only for Tefilah), even if there are more people in the Shul 
than in the Bais HaMidrash. (See Talmud Brachos 8a. See Chayei Adam 
Klal 17:1 and Mishna Berura Siman 90 S:K 55)

b)If one is on the way to a big Shul, and is stopped by someone and 
asked to be the tenth man [or any part of the 10] in their Minyan 
(either in a shiva house, or a smaller Shul whose members cannot go 
to the larger Shul due to their health or age, or any similar 
situation) he should stay  with them and not refuse based on "Brov Am 
Hadras Melech" (Psak of Maran Harav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv Zatzal, 
quoted in Sefer  Tefilah K'Hilchasa Perek 2 footnote 29,  who 
maintains that doing a Chesed is just as big a Mitzvah, if not 
bigger,  than  fulfilling "Brov Am Hadras Melech")

c) If one can concentrate and daven better in a smaller Shul he 
should daven there, rather than in a bigger Shul where he may not 
daven as well. (Mishna Berura Siman 90 S"K 28)

The Aruch Hashulchan (Siman 90:15) rules that if in the larger Shul 
there are people who talk and converse during the Tefilah (which is a 
terrible sin, as we have discussed many times, and  will iy"H discuss 
again more thoroughly in the near future), it is better to daven in a 
small Shul where it is quiet and the proper respect for Tefilah is 
exhibited. (The Sefer Tefilah K'Hilchasa Perek 2 footnote 28 writes 
that  Rav Shlomo Zalmen Auerbach Zatzal even went so far as to Pasken 
that if by leaving the Shul with the talking you will end up missing 
Krias HaTorah or having to leave davening early, one should still 
avoid the Shul with the talking!)

d) Naturally, if by davening in the larger Shul one will miss the 
proper time for davening (Zman Tefilah), he may daven in an earlier 
Minyan or Shul even if it is significantly smaller. (See Mishna 
Berura Siman 90 S"K 28)

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I think that today there is a move away from davening in large 
shuls.  This is certainly true here in Brooklyn where many of the 
larger shuls are at times struggling to maintain their 
congregants.  Part of it has to do with the fact that most large 
shuls daven Ashkenaz,  and this is not viewed favorably in Brooklyn.

I personally prefer to daven in a minyan consisting of between 20 and 
forty people.  It is much easier to maintain decorum in such a minyan 
than in a shul where 100 or more people are davening.  YL


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