After the cabinet on Sunday, 15 Tammuz 5773 approved the recommendation to extend daylight savings time, the Keter Institute released a position paper recommending permitting employees to daven in the workplace.
Institute leader Rabbi Shlomo Eshin feels that the new reality that will exist with the extended daylight savings time until the end of October, davening shachris before heading to work will be more difficult for many. “Halacha permits one to daven before sunrise, 50 minutes before under certain circumstances, but not earlier than this” the rabbi explains.
The rav states that based on this one will not be permitted to begin davening shachris until after 6am in the second half of October as a result of the extended daylight savings time. On Mondays and Thursday, with Torah reading, it will be more difficult to daven before heading out to work the rabbi explains.
As such, the rabbi feels that with the decision to extend daylight savings time, there should be a provision taking into consideration one’s travel time to work and the possibility of permitting employees to daven at work without penalizing their salaries.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
In the United States, the right of employees to daven is so well established under American law that it isn’t an issue. What the goyim in America consider to be “reasonable accomodation” is what Israel’s ruling elite refer to as “religious coercion.”
Anyone can daven at work. And in some places you even daven on company time. But if it is the law, then those who chose not to daven should get some free time too.
BTW, how much time should you get to daven. SOme people need more time than others. So if you need less time do you have to get back to work sooner? Or can you go for a smoke and coffee?
I don’t understand the last sentence. What does “the possibility of permitting employees to daven at work without penalizing their salaries” mean? Are they asking to daven on company time? Why not just allow them to daven AT work, but before the workday begins?
I daven at work – there are a dozen minyanim here, as there were at the last place i worked – its part of israeli life – never ever heard of any employer complaining!