Is it a good idea to try to daven at a minyan that has birchas kohanim every day?
ANSWER:
That depends on where you come from and who you are. However I want to make a different remark.
The tzadikim who daven vasikin, up very early. Excellent! But I must make one remark. You daven Shabbos also vasikin, and miss the opportunity however to hear a little bit yiras shomayim from somebody who's speaking. They come together in a minyan, they daven fast, and go home. If you daven in a place where there's a Rav, sometimes he speaks a few words of divrei mussar, it's a valuable opportunity, and it's more important than vasikin.
Asei lecha Rav, means always be in a place where there's a Rav. Somebody who'll tell you something-don't think you know everything, there is no end to the information that we require to know the derech Hashem. But those people who go Shabbos morning to vasikin, they're so proud and happy, they come out early-and they come out without any kind of lesson-they're not better than they were last week! Nobody will tell them anything wrong about themselves! They are walking in blindness all their lives, so many faults people have! Somebody has to criticize you. You need some kind of instruction, you have to hear the truth, it's a world of darkness. Ki henei hachoshech yechase aretz, the world is covered in darkness-only because somebody is teaching you, you have to have somebody to tell you.
Nobody has to tell them, in vasikin. I don't think it's the very best thing to daven vasikin.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures. To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
Important Numbers
