Stopping the car to pray

Someone is riding in a private car, and now he has to recite the shmone-esre prayer. He can ask the driver to stop. Is he obligated to do so?

If he is in a hurry to get to his destination, he is allowed to pray in a moving car while sitting. He doesn’t have to stop and cause himself a delay in order to pray. But as far the first blessing of the shmone-esre, “Magen Avraam”, is concerned, one should stop the car, if this is feasible and safe, and recite that blessing while sitting inside the car. There is no obligation to step out of the car. (Of course, all this applies only to the passengers of the car. Under no circumstances is the driver allowed to pray while driving, even if, because of his prayer, he’ll arrive late at his destination.)

It states in the Talmud (Brachos 30a): “if he was riding on a donkey, and the time came for him to pray, if he has someone to hold the donkey, he should dismount and pray; if he doesn’t [have anyone to help him with the donkey], he should pray while sitting in his place. Rebi says: ’either way, he should pray while sitting in his place, since his thoughts are in disarray.’”

Early commentators disagree how to interpret Rebi’s words. Some hold that there is no obligation to dismount from the donkey, but one should stop it and recite his prayer while standing in one place, if this is possible. Others are of the opinion that it’s permissible to pray without stopping the donkey. Rashi, Tosaphot and Rosh (ibid.) hold that it’s not necessary to stop the donkey, since it’s burdensome for a person to experience a delay in his trip, so forcing him to stop will only ruin his concentration. But Rabeinu Yonah (commentary to AlFasi, folio 20b) explains that Rebi permitted one thing only: not to dismount from the donkey for prayer, since this can lead to the confusion of the mind. However, he did not permit to pray while the donkey is moving. One who wishes to pray has to stop the caravan in order to recite his prayer, since riding on a donkey is similar to walking, and during prayer, one has to stand in place and not walk. Only if there is absolutely no way to stop the caravan is one allowed to pray while riding, since riding isn’t completely identical to walking. It’s still easier to concentrate on a prayer while riding a donkey, that while walking, since walking requires a greater exertion.

This disagreement between authorities has implications in practical law. According to halacha, the first blessing of the shmone-esre, “Magen Avraham”, has to be recited with intention; one who wasn’t concentrating while saying it did not fulfill his obligation to pray. According to Rabeinu Yonah’s opinion, one has to stop the donkey to recite this blessing, even if the caravan continues to move forward. On the other hand, according to Rashi, Tosaphos and the Rosh, the reason one is permitted to pray while riding a donkey is avoidance of delays. Following this opinion, the Bet Yosef writes, that there is no obligation to stop even while saying the blessing “Magen Avraam”, since it’s the delay that is likely to ruin one’s concentration. The practical law (Shulchan Oruch, section Orach Chaim, ch. 94, §4) is established in accordance with Rashi, Tosaphos and the Rosh. If a delay is burdensome, one can recite the whole shmone-esre prayer while riding. Therefore, in your case, if you are riding in a car, and a delay is too much for you to bear, you can pray while the car is driving. There is no need to stop the car, even if it is possible, since a delay would ruin your concentration more that praying in a moving car.

However, the Shulchan Oruch does write that the blessing “Magen Avraham” should not be recited while moving. Someone who is riding in a wagon should stand up, while someone riding a donkey should stop the donkey (unless one is passing through a dangerous territory; if one is in a place of danger, he should continue moving). The reason for this ruling is as follows. Some authorities hold that intention in the first blessing is absolutely necessary, and without it, one does not fulfill the obligation to pray. According to this opinion, even Rashi and those who agree with him, will admit that it is necessary to stop for reciting this prayer, so as not to lose one’s concentration. However, the “Magen Avraham” commentary to the Shulchan Oruch (ibid. §7) writes that even in accordance with the more stringent opinion, one does not have to dismount from the donkey; it’s enough to stop. The reason is that this opinion follows the understanding of Rabeinu Yonah, who himself wrote, that it’s not necessary to dismount from the donkey and that dismounting and mounting the donkey will negatively affect one’s concentration on prayer. And this is the law that is brought in the Mishnah Berurah (ibid., §17).