Soc.Culture.Jewish Newsgroups Frequently Asked Questions and Answers URL: www.scjfaq.org/faq/09-21.html

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Question 9.21:
Are extremely observant men permitted to pray at home?

Yes. It's common for a man to pray at home on a day off if the schedule of the day's activities can't be reworked to fit it. However, there are a few other factors that come into play.

Monday and Thursday have Torah reading. Many Orthodox men will work harder to fit congregational prayer ("minyan") into the schedule on those days. This is even more true on the first day of the Jewish month (and the thirtieth of the previous month, when there is one), which has both a special Torah reading /and/ additional prayers. Similar concerns would apply on the minor holidays (limiting to days where work is permitted), such as Hannuka and the intermediate days of Sukkot and Passover. Additionally, when someone is in mourning (for example, the first eleven months after one has lost a parent), there is strong motive to attend every service due to the custom of saying kaddish for the deceased.

The FAQ is a collection of documents that is an attempt to answer questions that are continually asked on the soc.culture.jewish family of newsgroups. It was written by cooperating laypeople from the various Judaic movements. You should not make any assumption as to accuracy and/or authoritativeness of the answers provided herein. In all cases, it is always best to consult a competent authority--your local rabbi is a good place to start.

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