[Avodah] Should One Go To Shul Today?

[Akiva Miller]

Personally, I did not go to shul for maariv last night, precisely because
of the weather and safety issues. However, I was very conflicted about
this, because I did drive home from work last night and again at to work
this morning. If anyone would like to write about the relative values of
missing work and missing minyan, I would be interested.

On the issue of going to shul in dangerous weather, I am very proud to
relate the following story, which happened in my town a few years ago. A
major storm was approaching, and expected to arrive on Shabbos day. (Sorry,
I've forgotten which year, or which storm. I think it was either a year or
a month before Superstorm Sandy.)

Friday afternoon the mayor called our rav, to inform him that he was
planning to close the roads at 4:00 Shabbos afternoon. The roads would be
closed, he said, not only for cars, but pedestrians would be asked to stay
inside. And so, he asked the rav to do what he could to insure the safety
of the Jewish community. (I don't recall many other times when the
government asked even pedestrians to stay off the streets.)

Maybe that's not exactly what happened,  but that's the way I remember the
announcement that was made in shul both on Friday night and again on
Shabbos morning, that therefore, the regular Shabbos mincha-maariv was
canceled, and replaced with a 2 PM mincha-only. Shul would be closed for
maariv; we were all on our own.

Akiva Miller
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