עברית
Prayer and Blessings
Is it Permissible to Pray Amidst the Bus While Sitting?
Question
Hello, every day I leave home early in the morning and return only in the evening, sometimes even at night, making it difficult for me to pray Shacharit and Mincha. By the evening when I return, I am already tired and not really concentrated enough to pray. I wanted to know if it is permissible to pray at the bus station if men can pass through the area? And also, is there a problem praying on the bus itself, and what about the Amidah, which in this case will be seated? Additionally, if I’m praying on the bus, and I reach Gaal Yisrael, right after which the Amidah is supposed to start but I will be getting off the bus in a few minutes, is it better to take a break between the Gaal and the Amidah to say the Amidah standing rather than seated like on the bus, or is it preferable to connect the prayer to the blessing of Gaal and continue on the bus? Thank you very much in advance and Chag Sameach.
Answer
Hello and greetings
You may pray on the bus and not while waiting at the station, as the bus may arrive in the middle of your prayer.
You may pray while seated on the bus. If you have time to pray after you arrive at your workplace, it is certainly preferable to pray the Amidah standing and not on the bus.
If you are of Sephardic descent and do not recite the blessings of the Kriyat Shema with the name and kingship, you can take a break between Gaal Yisrael and the Amidah. If you are of Ashkenazic descent, it is preferable to stop without speaking before the end of the blessing with the words "Shirah Chadashah," and when you arrive at your workplace, you may continue from "Shirah Chadashah" and onwards.
I would be happy to clarify any further points as needed.
Best regards,
Benjamin Shmueli
