78. Running to Shul

12:11 It is a mitzvah to run to shul, the beis medrash, or to perform other mitzvos based upon such verses as Hosea 6:3 (“Let us run to know God”) and Psalms 119:32 (“I will run the way of Your mitzvos”). Even on Shabbos, when we do not run in general, we may do so for the sake of a mitzvah. (Mishnah Brurah 90:40 informs us that the best place to run is the part of the trip closest to shul, so it’s clear that he's hurrying there.) Inside a shul or a beis medrash, however, one is not permitted to run, so one should pause briefly before entering the shul so as not to burst in suddenly. Upon entering, one should recite Psalms 5:8, “I, through Your great kindness, enter Your house…,” which is tantamount to requesting permission. He should then enter with proper awe and decorum, as one would do when entering to see a king. In communities where Jews have their own streets, it is a mitzvah to put on the tallis and tefillin at home and wear them to shul. If one would walk have to use public streets, or if he would have to pass through unclean alleys, then he should put on his tallis and tefillin in the shul lobby, as it is a great thing to enter shul already adorned with his garments of prayer.

12:12 If circumstances beyond one's control keep a person from attending a minyan in shul or elsewhere, he should try to make a minyan in his home. If that’s not possible, he should at least daven at the same time as the minyan prays since this is considered “an auspicious time,” as we said in 12:7. Similarly, a person who doesn’t live near a minyan should try to daven at the same time as the minyan in the closest city. However, if waiting will keep a person from studying Torah or conducting important business, he may pray earlier.