When is it okay to walk into the sanctuary during Shabbat morning services?
There are a few times during the Shabbat services when it s best to wait outside the sanctuary rather than enter immediately during the silent Amidah* of Shacharit and Musaf. We wait quietly outside the sanctuary for the congregation to finish so we don t disturb the intense concentration and devotion our tradition tells us are needed for these prayers. Besides, as a practical matter, it s traditional to stand with our feet together in parallel fashion, without moving them at all, during the recitation of these prayers. If you ve ever seen someone attempt to keep their feet together, parallel and motionless while someone inches around them in the pew, you already understand the physical difficulty it presents. It s a little bit like playing the game Twister. Trying to maintain concentration and devotion during this kind of exercise is probably impossible. In fact, you ve probably noticed that some people step into the aisle for these prayers just in case another person enters the sanct
