Talking in Synagogue --The Silent Blessings Killer MUST HEAR (8 Minutes)

1:08Like to have nice conversations with your friends, with the Rabbi, with the kehillah, with all these people. We like to talk to them in the beit knesset. Shulchan Aruch says the sin is too great for any individual to bear. Meaning it's such a huge sin to talk in the beit knesset; you have no idea what you're doing. And the reason why? It is because of Tosafot Yom Tov. Says that this one person, we're not talking about the whole kehillah talking or sometimes the Rabbi himself talking. We're not talking about that. We're talking about one guy talking. One guy decides, "Hey, what do you think of the basketball? What do you think of baseball? What do you think of this? What do you think of that? What do you think of business? What do you think of the stock market?" Whatever it is, in the middle of the Chazarat HaShatz. You're going back on nusach. Let's go nicely, Dayenu, you do better do it again. Everybody thinks it's like a free lunch. You don't do anything. You know, you already did the Amidah. Now the Chazan goes over it again. Every once in a while, everyone says Amen. Every once in a while, everyone says, you know, Baruch Hu u’varuch Shemo, meaning "Blessed is Hashem's name." Once in a while, you do something. When it's the Kedusha, or the Kaddish D'Rabbanan, every once in a while, you have to do something. But in reality, if you look around the shul, that's the perfect time to have a nice conversation.

2:29Everyone talks, the rabbi talks, sometimes the people talk, sometimes this one talks, that one talks, and everyone feels perfectly okay about it. Sometimes the conversation is so interesting to people, they forget the Chazzan is even praying. They forget the Chazzan is praying because when he says, "Oh, you finished? We just finished Amidah," they need to go back, rewind, and understand what happened. Rewind, Rabotai. Shulchan Aruch says this sin of talking in the Knesset is too much for you to handle. Not for the whole kehillah, for you, you yourself. It's too much for you to handle. Why? Someone that talks in shul is considered a machti et harabim. Someone that talks in shul is considered someone that causes other people to sin, which the Rambam says in Hilchot Teshuvah. One of the four conditions of why Hashem does not let people do teshuvah. The four types of people Hashem says your punishment is not just losing money. It's not just receiving a punishment of shame. Worse punishment: I'm not going to allow you to do teshuvah. I'm not going to allow you to do teshuvah because you caused other people to sin. Go fix that first.

3:51Worst possible sin, the Rambam says, worst possible punishment. Why? Because you're causing other people to sin when you talk in shul. Even more so, the Tosafot for Yom Tov says that when you talk in shul, you're causing the tefillah of the entire shul not to be heard or accepted by Hashem. Your little measly conversation about the stock market or about this or about that causes the Shechinah to leave. Hashem does not go to a moshav leitzim, a place of clowns or jokesters. Your Beit Knesset is a place of worship. It's the house of Hashem, whether big or small. If you want to make it a moshav leitzim, that's not where Hashem is going to be. So that conversation, that innocent conversation, the Sefer Chassidim, Derech Moshe says, that little conversation causes Hashem not to even listen to everyone's prayers, not just yours, everyone. Everyone suffers. The Chida in Sefer Petach Einayim,

5:09The Chida says that if someone knows for sure he is going to talk in shul, he cannot hold back, and he cannot contain himself. He just has to talk to somebody because he is one of those people who feels the need to talk. Some might claim they have the gift of gab, but out of respect for the sanctity of the place, if someone knows they cannot refrain from talking during services, it is better that they do not attend shul. The Hida emphasizes that such behavior should be avoided, as idle talk in shul is disrespectful and detracts from the sanctity of the service. Ever stay home. Don't go to shul if the sins are too much for you to handle. The sins are too much for you to handle. And you should know this is not a minhag, this is not a chumra, this is not chassidut. This is a halacha mefurash in the Shulchan Aruch 124:7. Even more so, the Magen Avraham in Siman 151 says that there have been shuls that have been destroyed over the years and some even gotten to the point of being turned into churches. If you ever asked why Hashem allows this to happen, according to Magen Avraham, it's because people talk in shul. People talking in shul can lead Hashem to say, "Oh, let's just turn into a place of idol worship instead—it might as well be."

6:39Someone that talks in shul during the drashot—The Drashot Chatam Sofer in Volume Two, drashah for the seventh, says that someone who talks during the tefillah—some people like to talk so much that even if you're praying, they don't care—it says that their mouth becomes tamei. How to me what's the degree of tumah? What's the degree of impurity? It's the same thing as if they were an idol worshiper, and they're praying to Hashem. Now, do you think Hashem is going to listen to you? The point being, there's more and more. I mean, I could talk about this for another hour, but the point is you get the point. When Hashem says it's too much for you, we understand. I But he's telling us also, it's too much for you. You want to talk in shul? Don't go. Why? Because then you're going to go home and cry: Why doesn't Hashem answer my prayers? Why is this sickness happening? Why is that happening? Why am I losing money? Why are all these bad things happening to me? If you can't keep quiet in shul, would you expect any of your prayers to be accepted? I...