Why is it Forbidden to Talk in the Synagogue?

Anyone who has ever visited a synagogue is certainly familiar with the classic sign - "Please do not talk during prayer and Torah reading". In other cases, there are more sophisticated messages, such as "If you came to the synagogue to talk - where will you go to pray?". In traditional sources, there are even severe warnings for those who chat in this place: the Zohar states that one who talks in the synagogue has no portion in the God of Israel, our Sages say that one of the things that prolongs the exile is people who speak idle words during prayer, and so on.

 

"The synagogue is a holy place," explains Rabbi Eli Amar. "Take for example a person who comes to court because he wants to be present at a hearing, and he is watching from the side. If his mobile phone rings by mistake, he could at best be fined 500 shekels, and at worst receive up to a year in prison for contempt of court. That's how it is, a person needs to behave appropriately in the place where he is."In the synagogue, it's not just about rules made by humans, but about showing respect to Hashem. There are people who, instead of praying, talk about soccer, politics, and secular matters, turning the synagogue into a social meeting place. Of course, one should only open their mouth for matters of holiness. This is called reverence for the sanctuary. If you come to the house of Hashem and engage in idle conversation with your friends - why did you come at all? The halachic title is 'fear my sanctuary' from the word fear. The Shulchan Aruch rules that even for a Torah scholar who spends all day in the synagogue, it is forbidden to speak idle words. Even when you just called me for this article, I was in the synagogue and stepped outside to talk, despite it being about Torah matters".

 

"Definitely. Sometimes a person has all kinds of requests from Hashem, but as they say - even a righteous person has some sins that accuse him. When a person tries to restrain his speech, Hashem says he wants to talk but prevents himself - so the attribute of judgment cannot accuse and speak against him. Hashem acts measure for measure. If you spit at the mirror - you've spit at yourself, and if you treated it properly - so will be the reflection."

 

Rabbi Yitzchak Gabay adds and reminds us that the Temple was called "the House of Hashem". "Speaking in the synagogue is a breach of respect. The honor of Hashem does not allow secular talk in the synagogue, it's very logical. Since the destruction of the Temple, synagogues have replaced it, being called 'minor sanctuaries.' The places where the Divine Presence dwells today are synagogues with at least ten men, meaning a minyan. Furthermore, a person's power of speech is his sacred tool. When a person is in the synagogue and speaks holy words appropriately, a connection is made between the holiness of the place and the holiness of the person. But when he speaks secular words - besides disrespecting the place, there is also a short circuit between the person's sacred tool - speech - and the holiness of the place. In other words, he used it in the opposite way."