Illustration Credit: Rivka Tsinman
Halakhah הֲלָכָה
Where to pray?
When Pharaoh begs Moshe to stop the plague of frogs, Moshe says he will pray to God for them to go away. But Moshe says he has to leave the city before he can pray (Shemot 9:29). A midrash explains that Moshe didn’t want to pray in the middle of the town because it was full of forbidden idols (Shemot Rabbah 12:5).
Turns out, you can’t just pray anywhere! One of the important things we are supposed to do before we pray is to look around and ask: Is this an ok place to pray to God? Yes, God is everywhere and can always hear us, but is the place where we are standing an appropriate place for speaking to God? Is it helping us feel close to God? A number of sources give some guidelines:
Just like Moshe in Egypt, you can’t pray in spaces that have idols or statues of things that people might worship. If you have no choice but to be in a space like that, you should find a room clear of those statues and images and face into the corner (Terumat Hadeshen, Responsum #6).
- We avoid praying in spaces with distracting pictures or designs (Mishnah Berurah OH 90:23, n. 70). Praying in an art gallery is probably not a great idea!
- We avoid praying in a space that has any sort of bad smell. If there is an object giving off a smell, then you should move far enough away that you can’t smell it, and then add an extra four amot (about six feet) of distance. And you should make sure to turn away from it so you don’t see it, even if you can’t smell it. If a bad odor is passing through, you should wait until it passes before beginning or continuing to pray. And we never pray in a bathroom (Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayyim 79).
