If you have multiple shuls in your neighborhood, are you permitted to walk passed one of them to pray in a further shul, or is that a problem of אין מעבירין על המצוות, “don’t pass over a mitzvah”?

Question: If you have multiple shuls in your neighborhood, are you permitted to walk passed one of them to pray in a further shul, or is that a problem of אין מעבירין על המצוות, “don’t pass over a mitzvah”?

Answer:

The Talmud (Sotah 22a) recounts a story of a widow who despite living near one shul, would go each day to pray in the Beit Medrash of Rebbi Yochanan. He asked her why she would go through all the trouble to travel further and not pray in the shul close to her home? She responded that she assumed she would get שכר פסיעות, extra reward for traveling further to perform the mitzvah of tefilla. Base on this episode, the Magen Avraham rules that it is actually preferable and a mitzvah to travel to the further shul to get this reward for extra travel. Rav Ovadia quotes a number of other poskim who agree with this approach. It would seem that this group of poskim are not concerned with the issue of אין מעבירין על המצוות.

The Talmud (Yoma 70a) says that one who sees the Kohen Gadol reading the Torah does not see the bull and goat that are burned, and vice vera. However, the Talmud explains that this is just a practical incapability as they are both performed at the exact same time. But it would not be a violation of אין מעבירין על המצוות since you are not actually an active participant in one mitzvah so it would not be considered passing over the mitzvah. Rav Ovadia suggests the same is true when passing one shul to go to another; since you are not actively engaged in tefilla at the first shul, passing it is not a violation of אין מעבירין על המצוות.

Rav Ovadia suggests that if the shul closer to you does not have a minyan, then you would have to pray there so that the entire minyan is not undone.

Rav Moshe Pardo suggests another reason why there is no concern of אין מעבירין על המצוות in our situation. Although tefilla is a daily obligation, praying in a minyan is not an absolute obligation. Therefore, אין מעבירין על המצוות would not be applicable to this mitzvah at all.

The שו׳׳ת ישכיל עבדי concurs that there is no issue here and he concludes that it is well known in the old city of Yerushalayim that there are numerous shuls on the same block and people pass one to go to another. Clearly there is no issue of אין מעבירין על המצוות.

However, Rav Shimon Greenfield takes issue with the Magen Avraham and claims there is no שכר פסיעות, reward for extra travel here. He says that would only apply if the further shul has more congregants so the concept of ברוב עם הדרת מלך would apply (there is more glory for Hashem when we are in the multitudes), or if they learn Torah in that Shul. Rav Ovadia says this is not the opinion we follow.

Rav Ovadia mentions other considerations that would allow you to pray in the shul that is further from your home:

1.      One has an established מקום קבוע in his shul and, therefore, he need not forgo that to pray in the closer shul.

2.     If you are choosing the other shul because the Chazan is a bigger יראי שמים then that is ok as well.

Summary: It is permissible to travel to a shul further from your home and one need not be concerned with אין מעבירין על המצוות.