Growing up, my family hosted a weekly Friday night minyan in our apartment. Years have passed, people have moved away and the minyan is no more. It is like the Bronx which once boasted about 400 shuls and now is down to about one [excluding a few in Riverdale]. People move away and minyanim die. When people die, the minyanim CERTAINLY die. Sad. There are countless people I davened with as a child who are no longer in this world.
The halachic question is - Is it better to daven in shul or is it just the same to daven in a home as long as there is a minyan?
In this book, there are 2 articles about this [from page 99], each presenting a different side of the argument.
My opinion is that unless there are extenuating circumstances it is definitely better to daven in shul. A home doesn't have kedushas beis haknesses. There is a machlokes haposkim if the Ezras Nashim [where there is no minyan and no dvarim shebikdusha may be said without one] has the same level of kedusha as the Ezras Anoshim. CERTAINLY a home lacks the sanctity of a shul.
Another issue is that the atmosphere in a home minyan is usually much more chilled than the more serious atmosphere of the shul. People walk around look at all of the family pictures [50 percent of whom are female...], artwork, relax on the couch etc. etc. A shul is far more conducive to davening. [This point was made in one of the articles].
There are other very interesting articles in this publication. I am glad to see that the Torah is alive and well in L.A. even among the Baalei Batim who are able to write high level articles in halacha and machshava. They should continue and others who aren't practicing rabbis should be inspired to raise their learning levels a few notches and to even publish articles lihagdil Torah uliha'adira!!
