The rabbi Avraham Yosef sharply criticized the phenomenon of "late minyanim" on Shabbat in various synagogues across the country - and especially in the city of Bnei Brak.
In his program on Kol Chai radio, the rabbi, who previously served as the chief rabbi of the city of Holon and resigned following a police investigation, stated that praying at nine in the morning and later raises doubts about whether the worshippers are fulfilling their obligation to pray on time.
""This plague is mainly in the city of Bnei Brak," said Rabbi Yosef. He mentioned that his late brother, the great Rabbi Yaakov Yosef zt"l, abolished the late minyan at the Musiyof synagogue in Jerusalem, setting 8:30 as the latest minyan.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
According to the rabbi, the problem stems from the lack of rabbinical authority in the synagogues: "A city where there is no rabbi for each community is lost. It is precisely in Bnei Brak that these bad things happen.".
According to him, this practice is inappropriate and constitutes only a marginal solution to cases of rape, that is, to situations in which the worshiper avoids arriving at early prayer due to justified reasons beyond his control.
Rabbi Yosef directed special criticism at Chabad followers: "I am deeply saddened by the actions of Chabad followers, who knowingly stay up early in the morning and study Hasidism, but only pray at ten o'clock. This is a retrospective prayer that is hardly permissible for someone who was raped and was unable to pray on time.".
And why do Chabad people really pray late? A Chabad Hasid explains: "In short - in Chabad, we do not begin praying at ten o'clock. In Chabad, we pray only after we have properly prepared for prayer and studied Hasidism. Usually, these preparations take time, and that is why prayers in Chabad synagogues begin late. Many of the Hasids wish to follow the example of the Rebbe, zt"l, and therefore begin praying at 10:00, which was the time the Rebbe set for his prayer.".
