Going to shul in the rain on Shabbos

Raincoats.

I got to try out my new rain pants last night.

Rain is one thing. Even heavy rain is not a deterrent. LIGHTNING, however, that is directly overhead, is another issue altogether. And what if you are elderly or in some other way very slow-moving and can NOT run for it safely or otherwise? Should you put yourself in a sakana to get to shul which may or may not be so close at hand?

The torah has a solution for everybody but its not a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Everybody does as they see fit to deal with their situation.

I always wondered why walking in the rain on shabbos isn’t a problem of ????. I guess it’s ??? ????? maybe.

Joseph, I have a waterproof raincoat and a waterproof rain hat. I’ll wear them to walk to shul.

After we die, when we are judged, they may ask, “How important was it for you to go to shul?” I don’t want to say, “It was more important that I stay dry!” I’d like to be able to say, “Important enough that I walked in the rain to make sure I got there!”

When it’s windy, the coat doesn’t always do the job. It only comes down to about my knees, so my pants legs can get soaked. When that happens, I’ll usually end up changing when I get home.

Buy a rain suit. coleman makes a good one you can get at walmart for less than $30. keeps you dry from head to feet.

I dont understand the question. You either use a raincoat or you don’t go. You understand your own commitment to yiddishkeit. Thats not for any of us to judge

Rain is a very indescript term, A drizzle is rain, but so is a downpour thats its impossible not to get drenched

So if there is a Blizzard, Thunderstorm, Tornado or Hurricane outside you are showing you disdain for Yiddishkeit and lack committment if you dont walk to shul

wear a Shayna coat and put on the windshield wipers full speed

There were times I didn’t go to shul because of bad weather. One Shabbos the temperature was very low, it was very windy, and it was snowing heavily. It had snowed earlier in the week, and many of the streets were still icy. I didn’t walk to shul, because it was dangerous. There was once a bad storm on a Shabbos, and there were big branches falling in my neighborhood. I didn’t walk to shul for Mincha or Maariv, for fear of a falling branch.

But I never missed going to shul just because of a fear of getting wet! I’ve walked to shul in downpours, in snowstorms, and temperatures in the single and triple digits.

I have a couple of Rain Suits bought at LL Bean. I keep one in a closet in Shul, where I also have a suit bag with a Shabbos Suit, shirt, Tie, socks, underwear and a pair of dress shoes.

If It’s pouring when I’m planning to leave for shul, I wear sweats under the rain suit and boots, when I get to shul I change. If it’s pouring when it’s time to leave shul, I take off my suit and put on the rain suit I keep there. The key thing is to remember to take the items back to shul during the week.

Twice in the past 10 years weather has been so bad that I have had to stay in shul overnight because of rain or snow. Here in our small town there are no sidewalks and I live about 2 miles from shul.

Plumber………………

If it’s really hot, I walk in shirtsleeves and slacks. If going to shul, there’s a suit waiting, if coming home, a closet full of clothes awaits me.

Both shul and home have central air conditioning…no window units on timers like in the city.

If I know on Thursday that Shabbos is supposed to be 95 degrees plus, I invite enough Shabbos guests to have a minyan at home and lunch is served by the pool (within an enclosed fence with door from the house so carrying is not a problem). Having a dozen Shabbos sleepover guests may not be easy in a city apartment, but is no problem in a 7 bedroom 5 bath house when all the kids are grown and no longer at home. Just holding on until we fill them with grandchildren on Shabbos and Yuntif…………..

I have a good raincoat and rain pants. Not an issue.

Stand under the awning and stick their hands out (palms up)

The slower you walk the dryer you stay.

Lefum Tzaarah Agra.

probably the same thing in-towners did.

@Joseph

We knew (via weather reports) Thursday night that the snow was expected early Shabbos morning and would continue all day.

So the board of the shul cancelled Shabbos services then. The phone squad went to work calling the regulars (after all the snow birds are in Florida) and we had more than a dozen guests including the rabbi for Shabbos in our home.

They carpooled Friday afternoon, so no cars were left outside to be shoveled out after Shabbos. We set up for davening in our sunroom where our sifrei torah are kept in an aron. The women guests plus my wife and youngest daughter davened in the den. It has a glass wall overlooking the sunken sun room and with the transoms open they could hear.

My wife prepared a couple of large cholents which went into clay baking vessels buried in the hearth. There was a huge kettle of soup simmering all night hanging on a tripod near the fire, as well as an old brass samovar of hot water. The main part of our home was built more than 200 years ago and there are 5 working fireplaces (which we use all winter), two of which are set for cooking. No need to chance a power outage in a blizzard.

It was still snowing at the end of Shabbos so we had a mini-melava malka. Some of the teens came by on snowmobiles or in 4 wheel drives. The storm tapered off about 8PM. We had about 15 inches. It took about 1/2 an hour to shovel the walks to out driveway and garage. By then out plow service had cleared the driveway and my 2nd son-in-law and I drove everyone home.

This type of a home Shabbos occurs once or twice each winter when a storm is expected, and once each February as a planned retreat for 5 local families including wives and children.

What about pikuach nefesh? You can get pneumonia from being out in the rain. That’s a life-threatening illness. Seriously no joke.

Or catching a cold is pretty easy from someone getting to shul in wet clothes and then being in the A/C for an hour. Also fungal infections from prolonged dampness.

Lightbrite – being out in the rain is not life-threatening for the vast majority of the population! (with the possible exception of people who are very elderly or ill). If it were, I would be dead 1,000 times. I don’t have a car, so I have to walk everywhere or wait at busstops for 15 minutes. It doesn’t bother me.

Even during the week, I almost never use an umbrella since I always lose or break them so I usually don’t bother.

Although once when I was walking in the rain in Lakewood, some avreich driving by had rachmanus on me and threw me an umbrella from his car window. It was really nice of him, but a bit embarrassing!