Hey! Do you think the President will dodge this one?” How about the investments this year?  Does the stock market have another good year left, or are you switching to real estate? “What d' ya say to what happened at the Olympics? ‘What’s going on with those Mets? Will they ever make a decent trade?”
    Does this sound familiar? Unfortunately, I’m not refer ring to the chatter around the swimming pool or even at the local tavern. These are the common conversation swirls found at your local shul!
    Why does this happen? How sinful is it? And how can we get out of the habit? Finding out why shmoozing is prevalent in shuls is easy. The yetzer hara concentrates on the crucial mitzvos of life. In fact, many people neglect Torah study simply because the yetzer hara works overtime just on this mitzvah. For similar reasons, there is a great deal of marital discord, for the evil one pulls out all the stops to disrupt things when the existence of the Shechina in the home is at stake (as is the case when there’s shalom bayis).
    Teflllah is one of the three pillars of the world [Avos 12], yet the yetzer hara has not succeeded in stopping people from going to shul. So how does he attempt to mess up this mitzvah? By throwing in the monkey wrench of talking in shul! And, in this, he has succeeded on a global scale! How sinful is talking in shul anyway? At first glance, it doesn’t appear to be so disastrous. “After all,” people say to themselves, “I work hard the whole week and yet I still spend the entire Shabbos morning in shul. I shlep myself out of bed and go for two to three hours of prayer before even eating breakfast. I even ‘suffer’ through the rabbi’s speech and the shul presidents message. So what if I chat a little and am friendly with my buddies who I see only once a week! If this is my only crime I think I can handle it!”
    Think again! It’s time for some heavy-duty re-evaluating! I Let’s just read a stitch of halachah from Shulchan Aruch [124:7]. Here, by the way, we’re not talking in terms of debatable minhagim. “Lo yasiach sichas chulin b'shaah sheshliach tzibur chozar hatefilah.  V'im sach, hu chotei v'gadol  avono minesoh. .“ In plain English, “Do not talk white the chazon is repeating the Shemoneh Esrei, If you do, you are a sinner, and the sin is too heavy to bear...  Why does the Shulchan Aruch emphasize that if you don’t obey, you are a sinner? To dispel the notion that this talking business is just a shtick. Therefore, the Shulchan Aruch states bluntly, “You’re a sinner” (Ouch’) Then, the Shulchan Aruch borrows the term, gadol avono minesoh. This phrase was used by Kayin (Cain) after he murdered Hevel (Abel) and was told of his impending punishment. This phrase is deliberately used so that we will recognize that we shouldn’t take the attitude, “If this is my only sin, I’ll sur vive “The Shulchan Aruch proclaims, “Wrong again! This sin is too heavy to bear’”
    Let's analyze for a moment the analogy to Kayin. Is the Shulchan Aruch comparing talking during davening to homocide! How can this be possible? We are well aware that if someone answers, “Amen, y'hei shmei rabbah,. “ with all his concentration, then Hashem tears up any evil decree written about him. (Hmm, Asher Chaim passed away from a massive heart attack.,,. or Chaim Yankel was in that skiing disaster! Perhaps they'd still be around, but their friends were always talking with them during Kaddish)
    “Don't be so melodramatic’” you may be thinking. But clearly The Gemara teaches us, “Kol ha'oneh amen—poschin lo sha'arei Gan Eden—Whoever habitually answers with a meaningful amen, the doors of Paradise will swing open for him” [Shabbos 119bj. So when Chatzkel gets to the next world and the doors seem to be jammed, he'll rue the days he let his buddies coax him into a friendly chat during davening! This may be why Rashi  [Brachos 5b] also equates on's tefillos to one's nefesh (as in the verse “I will pour my soul before Hashem” [Shmuel 1:1]. In a very substantive way when any one talks in shul and disturbs others, they are committing a type of homicide!
    During Krias HaTorah (the Torah reading), it is even more dangerous to act without thinking. The Gemara teaches that if anyone breezes out of shul during Krias HaTorah, one is putting oneself in grave danger. As it says, “Ozvei Hashem yich'lu—Those who forsake Hashem will be destroyed” j [Yeshaya 7L28j. This is interpreted by the Gemara in Brachos [8a] to refer to someone who walks out of shul while a Sefer Torah is open upon the bimah!
    Now, Imagine the fate of someone who opts to talk about the latest government or financial scandal or other such relative triviality during the reading of the parshah. Talking at this time indicates that one is flagrantly fulfilling the dreaded verse of, “D’var Hashem baza—Despising the words of Hashem” [Bamidbar 15:31], and demonstrating that he or she considers the conversation they are having more important or interesting than the parsha!
    About this, the Gemara tells us that the fate is the loss of one’s afterlife, G~d forbid [Masechtas Sanhedrin 99a]! In the laws of Kaddish [56 1], the Mishnah Berurah cites a scary Gemara in Masechtas Derech Eretz. Rav Chama once saw Eliyahu leading thousands of donkeys laden with anger and wrath for those who speak during Kaddish and Kedushah! (Anger and wrath can be metaphoric expressions for cancer, divorce, diabetes, poverty, i.e., manifestations of Divine wrath— lo aleinu) Then the Gemara [ibid] declares, ‘Whoever speaks in these places, the posuk refers to them and says, ‘Lo osee karasa Yaakov” IYeshaya 4322]. indicating that one who behaves this way does not deserve the ancestry of Yaakov!
    As an aside, I believe that the first mention in the Shulchan Aruch of the prohibition of talking in shul is in siman 56. It is interesting that in Hebrew, this chapter [56j is “nun-wav” which phonetically can be pronounced, “noo.” Oddly this is exactly the way people in shul respond when they hear people talking during davening—by saying, “noo-noo” Perhaps this is the real source of this expression, and hints that people must remember what Shulchan Aruch teaches in siman “nuw-vav’!
    In addition to all of the above issues, there’s the problem that all of this conversing about politics, sports, money (not to mention loshon hara, rechilus, letzonos, etc.) is taking place in shul—our Mikdash Me’at, the palace of the Almighty. Shouldn’t we at least exercise the same respect in the synagogue as we do in public libraries, or the civilized respectful silence one gives while watching movies in public movie houses (so I’m told). Indeed the Aruch HaShulchan [Orach Chazm 124:12] laments that our behavior in shul is a source of chilul Hashem in the eyes of non-Jews many of whom are respectfully silent during their saying of prayers.  The Ramban teaches us that Sodom was punished horrifically not so much because of how they acted but because they had done so in Hashem's land.  Had they behaved this way elsewhere, the punishment would have been different. So too, if the Kohen Gadol ever deviated even slightly in the Holy of Holies, he would lose his life in a terrifying way - all because his actions were being performed in such a holy place - the Kodesh Kedoshim. Therefore, we must understand that the crime of talking is intensely magnified when it is done in our Sanctuary.
    Once we are convinced not to talk in shul how do we stop? First, after reviewing all the above, it's easy to acknowledge that we neither desire the title of sinner, nor do we want to lose the right to proudly carry Yaakov's name.  We also have no intention of committing a sin too heavy to bear nor of opening up ourselves to punishments of anger and wrath. We want the protections of “Amen y'hei shmei rabbah and the doors of Gan Eden to swing open for us!
    It may be a good idea to change from our habitual seats and sit in shul w th those people who share our desire to daven with respect. I once heard from Rabbi Avigdor Miller, shlit" a, that this is one of the reasons why Dovid HaMelech opens the book of Tehillim with the lesson of B’moshav leitzim lo yashav—Do not sit amongst the scoffers” [Tehillim 1:11], instead of with some other lofty concept such as tov l'hodos l’Hashem—it is good to praise Hashem” [Tehillim 92:2]. This demonstrates that the first step in a campaign of praising Hashem is to choose the right company!
    We reveal a great deal about ourselves when we talk during davening When do students talk and whisper during a Iecture? Only when it’s boring and they’re not interested. Or when they do not respect their teacher. Otherwise, they listen with rapt attention and are annoyed by anyone who rudely distracts them. Similarly when we talk during davening we disclose that we really aren't interested in our tefillos.
    Think about it. Make sure that you really believe that your davening makes a difference. (and if you don't, this can be the root of the problem!).  To daven with meaning signifies your conviction that all your amens after refo'aynu, baruch aleinu and shema koleinu, sim shalom, etc., will add up an inordinately upgrade the qualitity of your life. If you believe all of this - then why are you bothering with idle chatter?
    Before this inspires anyone to begin a crusade against others, let's remember that "hamalbim p'nei chavero b'rabim ein lo cheilek l'Olam Habah - One who embarrasses someone publicly loses his afterlife!" [Bava Metzia 59a].  Yes, the Shulchan Aruch does say "v'goarim bo -  we rebuke him" [Orach Chaim 14:7].  However, rebuking is a grave issue that should be handled with experience of the Moreh D'asra and with great care.  Rebuking is like walking on a tightrope.  It requires delicacy and skill.  Rather, let's commit ourselves to fulfilling the mitzvah of tochacha (admonishment) only on those who will graciously accept it from us and enlist the suport of our Moreh D'asra for the more difficult individuals.
    It is my fervent hope that we will all take a look at this issue from a different perspective.  May we overcome temptations and discover ever more profound delights in our davening and increased blessings in all our endeavors!

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