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If you were a part of a small growing shul, and the daily minyan was not yet 100% solid (some days you only get 7 or 8 men to attend), is it better to stick with the minyan, daven without 10 in shul, and try to grow it into one that will thrive, or just tag out when you don't get to 10, and go to the bigger shul to ensure you have 9 other men to daven with? (assuming you do not have a chiyuv (obligation) for avelus (mourning))
I am curious to hear responses including what halachah may advise
I lived for many years in a town where this was the case at shul. Often not enough for a minyan. Then for months there would be full daily minyan
Then a bunch of people would make aliyah or move to areas with larger Jewish population. So the shul was really good at attracting and growing frum Jews. Who then left the area because there was only one orthodox shul in town. Which isn't the case where you live it sounds like you have a choice and can go to a different minyan
What i observed was they would try to get a minyan for certain weekdays. When they had that they would try to get a minyan each day. They had a phone list and they would call people from shul and ask them to come in when they were short. They also published this in the newsletter and asked people to be on the phone list.
My own response would be stay and grow the minyan. It will either grow on its own or dissipate. Hashem will take care of the outcome.
Another place I lived even smaller never had a minyan and the people who attended always davened with joy. Eventually they grew enough to get a minyan and a Torah scroll. Still working on the mikvah fund, using the ample bay till then. One fellow apologized to the rabbi that on certain days he had to be with a minyan and he traveled to a different town otherwise he was there too.
One other story comes to mind. I lived in a place where there were two towns about 70 miles apart. Each had one orthodox shul. It was not uncommon for people to attend both and be familiar with both rabbis. Tne man was a teacher with the young people and was really good at it and enjoyed it. Over time as happened often at both these shuls he found himself with a strong yearning and desire to move to Eeretz Israel and the way opened for him to do this and spend several years in full time study.
He did not know what to do. Move to Israel for his own study. Or stay in the boondocks where there weren't many Jews. It was a very difficult decision. He asked the one rabbi who advised go to the Holy Land. He asked the other rabbi telling him what the first rabbi advised. He wasn't just asking what should he do. He was asking what should he consider in making this decision. How does he know what Hashem wants him to do.
Now the person sharing this story was the second rabbi. He described the quandary he felt because it could put him in the position of disagreeing with the first rabbi. Which is what happened. The second rabbi asked the man (single guy late 20s) to look at each of the two scenarios and who would benefit and who would be served.
The young man said in Israel it would benefit mainly himself only for his own study. And for the glamor of being in Israel in yeshiva which has much more cachet than a small town with a small Jewish population that sometimes did not have enough for a minyan. Teaching kids often from families who were Baal Tshuva.
So after much thought and deliberation and study the rabbi said that teaching the kids was more important and touched more Jewish homes and Jewish lives than furthering his own study.
And the rabbi felt very uncomfortable coming to a different decision than the first rabbi. What I love about the approach is looking deeply and closely at our motives even when we are choosing between two mitzvot. Time and time again it seems to me in Judaism we are asked to choose in terms of what helps and serves the most Jews. Versus pleasing ourselves.
What's that about the fur coat Jew? In a snowstorm he puts on a fur coat and warms only himself. Instead of building a fire that will warm many people.
Always good to see your posts and threads tff.
Last edited by Tzaphkiel; 03-20-2018 at 10:22 AM..
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