Must people disrupt their professional or commercial activities in the afternoon to recite Minha with a Minyan? In many cases, the schedule in the store or office makes it very inconvenient to leave to attend a Minha service. Does Halacha require one to endure this inconvenience, or may he simply recite Minha privately at work?
The Mishna Berura (commentary by Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan, 1839-1933) addresses this issue in Siman 90 (Se’if Katan 29; listen to audio recording for precise citation). He cites a comment of the Eliyahu Rabba (work by Rav Eliyahu Shapiro of Prague) who, based on a responsum of the Bet Yosef, advocates imposing monetary fines upon those who refuse to interrupt their work or Torah learning in order to pray with a Minyan. In his view, there is no room to allow missing Minyan in order to avoid disrupting one’s work or study schedule. The Mishna Berura adds that wealthier individuals should be forced to pay an even heavier fine, because they certainly could afford to take some time from their work schedules to attend a Minyan.
Clearly, then, Halacha requires one to disrupt his work in order to pray with a Minyan.
The Mishna Berura relates a remarkable story told of Rav Zalman Milash, a Rabbi in Hamburg, who was once approached by a merchant as he entered the synagogue in the morning for the daily prayer service. The merchant offered to sell him precious stones for a discounted price, and invited the Rabbi to come to his home to see the stones and discuss the deal. The Rabbi agreed to see the stones, but only after the prayer service. In the meantime, however, the merchant sold the stones to somebody else, who later sold the merchandise for a substantial profit. Rav Zalman reportedly rejoiced over the fact that he forfeited monetary gain in order to fulfill the invaluable Misva of praying with a Minyan. This demonstrates the importance of praying with a Minyan, even if this entails forfeiting a profitable opportunity.
The exception to this rule, as the Mishna Berura writes, is when one would incur a loss by attending a Minyan. For example, if a shipment is arriving and one must supervise the delivery to protect against theft or mishandling, then, if necessary, he may pray privately instead of attending a Minyan. It must be emphasized, however, that this applies only to incurring a loss, but not to forfeiting a profit. One may miss the Minyan to protect assets he already owns, but not to enable him to earn greater profit.
It is worth noting in this context the remarks of the Hesed La’alafim (work by Rav Eliezer Papo, 1770-1828) regarding this topic. He writes, "Who is foolish enough to believe that one who lessens his service of his Creator and misses public prayer will earn greater profit? Shall the Judge of the entire earth not perform justice? [Rather,] this is the counsel of the evil inclination." The Hesed La’alafim emphasizes that God will certainly not punish a person who takes time away from his work to pray with a Minyan; to the contrary, he will be rewarded with success and prosperity.
The Ketab Sofer (Rabbi Abraham Sofer of Pressburg, 1815-1871), in Parashat Ekeb, infers this principle from the second paragraph of the daily Shema recitation, where it says, "…and to serve Him with all your heart – I shall then grant the rain of your land in its proper time…" (Debarim 11:13-14). Serving God "with all your heart" refers to prayer, specifically, praying with a Minyan. God promises that if one ensures to properly pray with a Minyan, then He will "grant the rain of your land in its proper time," He will bless him with a proper livelihood. It is therefore worthwhile to take some time away from one’s work schedule in order to pray with a Minyan.
In conclusion, it should be noted that if a person had planned to pray Minha, but as a result of his preoccupation with work he forgot to pray until after the final time, he has the opportunity to make up the missed prayer at Arbit. Whereas one who intentionally missed a Tefila is not given the opportunity to make it up, in the case described above, where one planned to pray but simply lost track of time, he can make up the prayer by reciting an extra Amida at Arbit.
Summary: Halacha requires a person to pray with a Minyan even if this will cause him to miss an opportunity to earn a profit. One may miss a Minyan, however, to avoid incurring a financial loss. More generally, one must realize that the reward for praying with a Minyan far exceeds whatever money he stands to lose as a result of taking out time for prayer.
