I feel bad for them. However, there need to be rules that are followed here, and, as a yochid, I can’t be the one to do it. Collecting tzedakah does not permit anyone to disturb the tefilos of another, regardless of the form of need (health costs, huge debt, hachnosas kallah, etc.) or the magnitude of it – all of which affect the collector greatly. The responsibility falls on the shul, whether the rebbe, rov, or gabbai, to set the guidelines. There are certain shuls where this panhandling is completely banned. It can only be done in the corridor outside the beis hamedrash. Bothering a baal tefiloh is completely prohibited. The Mishna Berura is emphatic that it cannot be done during kriyas haTorah, and anywhere that one may not be mafsik to speak, one may not be approached about tzedokoh. Our shuls have been denigrated to other purposes besides tefiloh, and the result of our tefilos becoming lower priority in our lives is noticeable. We must retake control over our shuls, make them into the makom tefiloh they should be, all without decreasing the tzedokoh and chesed. But we need to make rules for each shul, and there are those who should be empowered to set these rules. Ye, these limitations need to include strict guidelines about cell phones. If you are willing to leave your cell ringer on, even on vibrate, then you are compromising how much of your concentration is available for davening – let the collectors distract you, as you’re not trying to daven anyway.
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