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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION

Siman ק״ב · Not disturbing one who prays

שלא להפסיק כנגד המתפלל — it is forbidden to sit within the ד׳ אמות of one who prays (in front, to the sides, behind), for the place where he stands is holy and the שכינה is before him; and it is forbidden to pass before him lest it disturb his כוונה; the exception of one who studies or prays; the weak; one already seated; and the ג׳ פסיעות
סימן ק״ב · ה׳ סעיפים
שלא להפסיק כנגד המתפלל
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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This siman teaches the honor due to one who prays (המתפלל): it is forbidden to sit within his ד׳ אמות — in front, to the sides, behind — unless one is עוסק בתורה or in the matters of תפילה; a חלוש sitting at his side is permitted; one who ישב כבר need not rise (בא בגבולו); it is forbidden to pass before him (לעבור כנגד המתפלל) within the ד׳ אמות; and he does not take his ג׳ פסיעות while one who prays behind him has not finished. Hebrew text, fluent English translation and explanation of the ה׳ seifim, with a section of practical cases.

Topic: Not disturbing one who prays — לישב בד׳ אמות, העוסק בתורה, בא בגבולו, לעבור כנגד המתפלל, ג׳ פסיעות
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן ק״ב · ה׳ סעיפים

Compiled by: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com

Our masters taught: המקום אשר המתפלל עומד עליו אדמת קדש הוא, הואיל ושכינה כנגדו — the place where one who prays stands is holy ground, since the שכינה is before him (see סימן צ״ז). From this stems the ban on sitting within his ד׳ אמות and on passing before him — lest it disturb his כוונה and out of respect for the place. We study here at the level of principle; for personal conduct, one refers to the custom and to the ruling of the Rav.

📑 Study outline

A. The ה׳ seifim — אסור לישב בד׳ אמות (séif 1), היושב חלוש (séif 2), ישב כבר ובא בגבולו (séif 3), אסור לעבור כנגד המתפלל (séif 4), ג׳ פסיעות (séif 5)
1. Practical case — sitting beside one who prays (forbidden; permitted if עוסק בתורה)
2. Practical case — passing before one who prays (forbidden in front, permitted to the side)
3. Practical case — taking the ג׳ פסיעות while another prays behind
+ Comprehension questions and going further

A. Not disturbing one who prays — the ה׳ seifim

שֶׁלֹּא לְהַפְסִיק כְּנֶגֶד הַמִּתְפַּלֵּל — not disturbing one who prays — two prohibitions govern this siman: not to sit (לישב) within the ד׳ אמות of one who prays, and not to pass (לעבור) before him. The foundation: the place where he stands is אדמת קדש — the שכינה is before him — and passing before him would disturb his כוונה. Hence the exemptions (עוסק בתורה, חלוש, בא בגבולו) and the particular cases (the side, the ג׳ פסיעות).

Séif 1 — אסור לישב בד׳ אמות: sitting near one who prays

אסור לישב בתוך ד׳ אמות של מתפלל, בין מלפניו בין מן הצדדין (בין מלאחריו), וצריך להרחיק ארבע אמות. ואם עוסק בדברים שהם מתקוני התפלות ואפילו בפרק איזהו מקומן אינו צריך להרחיק, ויש מתיר בעוסק בתורה אף על פי שאינו מתיקוני התפלות, ויש מי שאומר דהני מילי מן הצד אבל כנגדו אפילו כמלא עיניו אסור ואפילו עוסק בקריאת שמע.
Séif 1: it is forbidden to sit within the four cubits (ד׳ אמות) of one who prays, whether in front of him, to the sides (or behind him), and one must distance oneself four cubits. But if one is engaged in matters of prayer — even the chapter איזהו מקומן — one need not distance oneself; and there are those who permit one who studies the Torah, even though it is not related to prayer matters. And there is one who says that this applies to the side, but in front of him (כנגדו), even at the distance of one's eyesight (כמלא עיניו), it is forbidden, even if he is reciting the שמע.
One does not sit idly within the ד׳ אמות of one who prays — neither in front, nor to the sides, nor behind — for the place is holy. But one who is עוסק בדברים שהם מתקוני התפלות (the Korbanot, איזהו מקומן) — or, per one view, one who studies Torah — need not distance himself, for his holy occupation is no affront. Per the last view, these permissions apply only to the side; but in front of him, even from afar, sitting remains forbidden.

Séif 2 — היושב חלוש: the weak one seated at his side

ויש מי שאומר שאם היושב בצד המתפלל חלוש מותר.
Séif 2: and there is one who says that if the person sitting next to the one praying is weak (חלוש), it is permitted.
The reason for the ban is that sitting looks like an affront to the honor of the holy place. But when a person is חלוש (weak, unwell), his weakness shows that he sits out of necessity, not disdain — his sitting no longer has the appearance of an affront. Hence יש מי שאומר that one may rely on this when one cannot easily distance oneself four cubits and sit there.

Séif 3 — ישב כבר ובא בגבולו: one who was already seated

אם היושב ישב כבר ועמד זה בצדו אין צריך לקום שהרי זה בא בגבולו (ומכל מקום מדת חסידות הוא לקום אפילו בכהאי גוונא).
Séif 3: if the one sitting was already seated and this one stood to pray at his side, he need not rise, for this one came into his boundary (בא בגבולו); and nevertheless it is a pious trait (מדת חסידות) to rise even in such a case.
The ban falls on the one who comes to sit beside a person praying. But if one was already seated and another came and prayed at his side — it is he who entered your boundary (בא בגבולו); you are thus not obliged to rise before him. Nevertheless, the מדת חסידות — the conduct of the pious — is to rise even so, out of respect for the place of prayer.

Séif 4 — אסור לעבור כנגד המתפלל: passing before one who prays

אסור לעבור כנגד המתפללים בתוך ד׳ אמות, ודוקא לפניהם אבל בצדיהם מותר לעבור ולעמוד.
Séif 4: it is forbidden to pass before those who pray within four cubits, and specifically in front of them; but to their side it is permitted to pass and to stand.
Passing in front (לפניו) of one who prays, within his ד׳ אמות, is forbidden — it disturbs his כוונה and disrespects the place. But the ban applies only in front of him: to the sides (בצדיהם), it is permitted to pass and even to stand there. (Some are stricter and forbid the sides too within the ד׳ אמות; one follows one's Rav.)

Séif 5 — ג׳ פסיעות: the three steps when another prays behind

אם השלים תפלתו והיה אדם אחר מתפלל אחריו אסור לפסוע שלש פסיעות עד שיגמור מי שאחריו את תפלתו, שאם יעשה זה הרי הוא כעובר כנגד המתפלל. וצריך לדקדק בזה אפילו אם האחרון התחיל להתפלל אחריו מאחר שכבר התחיל.
Séif 5: if he completed his prayer and another person was praying behind him, it is forbidden to take the three steps until the one behind him finishes his prayer, for if he does so, he is like one who passes before a person who is praying. And one must be careful about this even if the latter began praying after him, once he has already begun.
At the end of the עמידה one steps back three steps. But if someone prays behind him, stepping back would amount to passing before one who prays (séif 4) — hence it is forbidden until he finishes. One waits in place. This care applies even if the second began after him: since he is already in the midst of his עמידה, one does not step back before him.
The siman in one sentence: out of respect for the שכינה before one who prays, it is forbidden to sit within his ד׳ אמות (except one עוסק בתורה, or חלוש, or one already seated — בא בגבולו) and to pass before him (but not to the side); and one does not take his ג׳ פסיעות while one who prays behind him has not finished.

Practical cases

Case 1 — Sitting beside one who prays

Situation: a person prays the עמידה; someone wishes to sit within his four cubits. Is it permitted?
Conduct: by default, אסור לישב within the ד׳ אמות — neither in front, nor to the sides, nor behind. But one who is עוסק בתורה or in the תיקוני התפלות (the Korbanot, איזהו מקומן) need not distance himself. For the application (how far the four cubits extend, the synagogue's custom), one follows one's Rav.

Case 2 — Passing before one who prays

Situation: he must move and a man is praying before him. May he pass?
Conduct: passing in front of one who prays, within his ד׳ אמות, is forbidden (it disturbs his כוונה). To the sides, however, it is permitted to pass and to stand. He will therefore wait, or go around by the side. For borderline cases (beyond the four cubits, the stricter view of the חכמי הזוהר), one follows one's Rav.

Case 3 — Taking the ג׳ פסיעות while another prays behind

Situation: he finished his עמידה, but someone prays right behind him. May he take the three steps?
Conduct: no — stepping back would amount to passing before one who prays. He waits in place until the one behind him finishes, then steps back. This applies even if the other began after him. For the practical details, one follows one's Rav.

Comprehension questions

Check your understanding:
  1. Why is it forbidden to sit within the ד׳ אמות of one who prays, and whence the respect for the place (séif 1)?
  2. Who may nevertheless sit near him — the עוסק בתורה and the עוסק בתיקוני התפלות — and why (séif 1)?
  3. Why is the חלוש permitted (séif 2), and what does בא בגבולו mean for one already seated (séif 3)?
  4. Where is it forbidden to pass before one who prays, and where is it permitted (séif 4)?
  5. Why does one not take the ג׳ פסיעות when another prays behind him (séif 5)?

Going further

If you wish to deepen this siman:
Continue to the next simanSiman 103 →
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DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה

סימן ק״ב · ה׳ סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
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