Should One Make A Minyan On A Plane?

Halacha Moment
May 28
2 min read

The Daily Halacha Moment - Minyan On A Plane

״כל השונה הלכות בכל יום - מובטח לו שהוא בן העולם הבא״ (נידה עג ע״א, מגילה כח:)

“Anyone who studies Halachot every day is guaranteed that he is destined for the world-to-come” (Megilla 28b, Niddah 73a)

Question:

May one make a minyan on a plane?

Answer:

It is inappropriate to daven with a minyan on an airplane. While praying with a minyan is a cherished mitzvah, it must never come at the expense of chillul Hashem, a public desecration of God's Name. Sadly, the disruption and discomfort caused to fellow passengers when a group gathers in the aisle or galley to form a minyan often results in exactly that: people feeling disturbed, annoyed, or even unsafe. This negative impact completely undermines the very mitzvah that one is trying to fulfill. In such a setting, the right course of action is to remain seated and pray quietly in your seat.

Do not feel pressured to join a minyan even if you're told you're the “tenth man,” or if someone insists that “the flight attendant doesn’t mind.” The reality is that we can’t ever be sure how others truly feel, and even a single person’s discomfort, especially in such a confined and shared space, could be a source of significant chillul Hashem. If your tefillah disturbs others, causes logistical issues for the crew, or wakes up passengers who are resting, then it's not a mitzvah; it's the opposite.

Great poskim have taken this matter seriously. Chacham Ovadia Yosef, for example, would not pray with a minyan while flying, precisely because he was concerned about disturbing others and potentially causing chillul Hashem (see Yalkut Yosef, Sukkah, p. 71). Similarly, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ruled clearly that one should not attempt to form a minyan on a plane (see Halichot Shlomo, Tefillah, p. 96). Rav Yitzchak Berkovits also mentioned to me that one shouldn't make a minyan on a plane.

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