A burning issue that has arisen since we moved into the new shul— but one that affects our other davening locations as well— is which way to face while praying in a shul where the Aron Kodesh is not along the eastern wall. The gemara already sets up the general principle that we should always pray to God facing the location of the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount. Since we live to the west of Erets Yisrael, therefore, our preference is to daven towards the east.

Actually, just for an interesting historical aside, the Rema mentions that we should not place the Aron exactly east, since then we would be davening towards the rising sun, an unacceptable non-Jewish practice. This was taken so seriously that earlier in this century, R. Kook was asked whether a shul could place an Aron in a spot where the architect had calculated that on certain days of the year, the people would be directly facing the rising sun. He ruled permissively, but the question shows the seriousness of the issue.

The preference for davening towards the east led to the general preference, when possible, to place the Aron Kodesh along the eastern wall, so that people would both be facing east and the Aron at the same time. What to do, however, when the Aron cannot be so placed? Here, the basic answer is that we should try to face both ways, as shown by a parallel discussion of direction in prayer. The gemara mentions that one who wants to become rich should face south; one who wants to become wise should face north during their prayers. [A third opinion says that both should face north, since wisdom also leads to wealth.]

Since these recommendations apparently contradicted the general interest in facing the ruins of the Temple during prayers, halakhah formulated the notion of being metsaded, of facing primarily one way, but leaning slightly in another direction. On the basis of that, Netsiv (R. Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, the last head of the Volozhin Yeshivah, famed for many halakhic writings, but also for closing down Volozhin rather than allowing the Russian government to completely dictate the educational curriculum of the yeshiva) suggested a similar solution for shuls where the Aron and east are not in the same direction. He believes the primary direction of prayer should be east, while perhaps tilting towards the Aron.

In our main sanctuary, the Aron is along the eastern wall, so that which side of the Aron one sits affects the direction that person should face. For the women, facing towards the Aron Kodesh is at the same time facing east, so that they should clearly do so. For the men who face the Aron directly (and the women who avail themselves of the balcony), facing straight ahead, while not due east, is probably close enough to east that they should face that way (particularly since it is more southeast, which may actually be a more accurate pointing towards Israel). Men who sit facing the Aron from the side are actually pointing more southward than eastward. Those men would probably be better off facing the wall (meaning standing sideways in the pews, rather than facing the pew in front of them). In this way, they would be facing closer to true east, while still facing the Aron in some way. If one wanted to be particularly stringent about the issue of respect for the Aron, one could stand facing the wall while turning one’s head slightly toward the Aron Kodesh.

In this whole issue, the most important point is the one made about a person whom circumstances compel to daven either without knowledge of where east is, or in a moving vehicle, so that east constantly shifts. In such situations, the gemara says, one should focus one’s heart on the Temple Mount (by way of which Shlomo haMelekh explicitly requested that all our prayers head towards God) and on one’s Father in Heaven. In all situations— whether or not one can face east— directing one’s heart in the right direction is certainly the most essential element in effective, uplifting, and successful prayer. Ve-Shome`a Tefillot yishma kol tefillatenu le-tovah; may the One Who Hears Prayers fulfill our prayers in their most positive meanings, and bring those to complete fruition.

Since I have a little more room, I’ll mention an issue that someone raised overYom Tov, looking at the kohanim when they are blessing the Jewish people during mussaf. In the times of the Temple, the kohanim knew and used the shem hameforash, the special Name of God (the one in response to which people used to bow down on the floor on Yom Kippur), and tradition had it that the Shekhinah was at their fingertips. In addition, however, Rambam and others mention not looking at the kohanim so as to avoid heseah hada`at, distraction, during the course of the berakhah. (Distraction is also the reason that a kohen with certain kinds of disfigurements is not allowed to recite birkat kohanim, unless the members of his community are sufficiently comfortable with how he looks that it will not constitute a distraction).

Daf Yomi