Leading the Congregation in Morning Blessings
This question and answer were automatically translated using our trained AI and have not yet been reviewed by a qualified rabbi. Please treat this translation with caution.
go to original →
Question
Hello, A person who slept half the night on Shavuot and came to the synagogue before sunrise, after dawn, if the congregation asks him to lead them in the blessing. It is clear that this is a great honor and will help the congregation. On the other hand, the person feels a bit embarrassed since most of the congregation studied all night and did not sleep, while he did. How should he decide between the feeling of embarrassment and the honor of leading the congregation? And should he not be concerned that this might attract the evil eye, as he will become the center of attention for a few minutes?
Answer
Hello,
As you wrote, this is a small embarrassment compared to a great honor, which benefits the entire congregation in the case of a doubtful obligation in the morning blessings.
Think to yourself, if you could earn a significant amount of money for a few minutes of discomfort, what would you do? It seems to me the answer is clear: a great profit is worth the effort.
But this is the answer only under the assumption that it is about embarrassment. The truth is that no one in the congregation sees it as something shameful. Think to yourself how you viewed the one blessing in other years when you were in the Beit Midrash, did you have a sense of embarrassment? Every adult understands that there are those who needed to sleep, or had other reasons for not staying awake at night. Often the embarrassment is imagination, and nothing more.
The Gemara says that a person who earned a lot of money and fears the evil eye should perform a mitzvah with his money. From here it is explained that the merit of the mitzvah will help him not to be affected by the evil eye.
Therefore, one who performs a mitzvah should not fear the evil eye.
Source
Eruvin 64.
One who holds the property of a convert, what should he do to keep it? Let him buy a Torah scroll with it.
Rashi: Let him buy a Torah scroll with part of it, and through this, the rest will be preserved for him.
The book "Mesilat Yesharim", Chapter 5
And let him think, if he could earn a lot of money, would he leave what he needs because of the mockery of his friends? All the more so, he would not want to lose his soul because of mockery.