Perfect Prayer or Torah Study
Question
Hello, I wake up every day around 8:40. In the study hall where I study, there is a rule that the right to a place is until 9:30, and anyone who enters afterwards loses his place. On the day I lose my place, I do not study with my learning partner (as reality shows) and if I am late, many times it will endanger our joint study. (I will note that I enjoy learning with my study partner, and I do not have a substitute for studying with him.) It should also be noted that I tried hundreds (!) of times to get up earlier in all sorts of ways, and it did not work for me. What should I do? Am I allowed to pray quickly, and thus miss parts of the public prayer, or perhaps I am obligated to stay until the end of the prayer anyway, whatever the results may be? I look forward to your answer.
Answer
Dear …!
In the case you describe, it seems that you should skip some of the prayers and come to learn. Since the completing the public prayer will cause a major spiritual loss for you. The case is no worse than a case of a merchant who stands to lose a lot of money. He is allowed to shorten and sometimes even completely forego public prayer for his business.
Of course, one should not learn from this to be lenient and skip public prayer regularly, in cases where there is any possibility to fulfill both (to pray and to learn).
Source
See Shulchan Aruch, section Orach Chaim, chapter 90 and Mishnah Berurah subparagraph 29.