Question:
After the prayer, I answered the phone to my wife, who wanted to tell me what to buy at the grocery store before I went home, and I talked to her about what to buy and what kind of thing here and there, and someone came to tell me that it’s forbidden to talk in the synagogue… But I was talking to the point, really, only what was needed, I wasn’t talking about football or politics. And I also showed him a sign that reads, “It is forbidden to speak in the synagogue during prayers and the reading of the Torah,” and we spoke after the prayer. But he insisted that it was forbidden to talk at all. What does the Rabbi say, is there really a problem with this? And if you study with a “cHavruta” in the beit midrash, is it also forbidden to speak anything other than the words of Torah? Even after studying?
Answer:
It is forbidden to speak in the synagogue in a conversation that is not necessary [1],, and not only this, but even to do a “small talk” (and we were talking about matters that are necessary for a person such as the need for a livelihood and the like, including “what to buy at the grocery store”, etc.) there is a big side to prohibit and it is very correct to do so not to speak at all [2]. And Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef z”l was very careful about this, and would also prove to others not to speak any profane speech in the synagogue[3].
And this is very serious, and some have written according to the Zohar that this is the reason for the delay of redemption [4].
And it is very correct not to speak small talk in a synagogue at any time, even when praying and reading the Torah[5].
And of course, one should not ignore the fact that your wife called, but there is also no need to answer her inside the synagogue, but rather “go outside – speak” (Psalm 41:7).
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