Rav Avraham Yosef Issues Sharp Rebuke: “A Shul Is Not a Café”

Rav Avraham Yosef publicly criticized the growing practice of drinking coffee inside shuls during Shacharis, calling the phenomenon deeply inappropriate and widespread in many communities.

Speaking on Kol Chai Radio, Rav Yosef addressed a listener’s question regarding whether a tired individual may drink coffee during the zemiros section before Baruch She’amar. His response was unequivocal: “It’s unthinkable,” he said. “If someone wants to drink coffee, they can do so outside the shul—not inside. A shul is not a coffee shop.”

The rov expressed concern over what he called “a spreading affliction,” lamenting that the practice has taken root in too many kehillos. “This blight has spread through numerous communities,” he said, adding that those who feel the need for coffee should step outside: “Drink outside. Open a window and listen to the davening from there.”

Rav Yosef emphasized the sanctity of a shul, reminding listeners that “the place is holy. We call it a mikdash me’at. It’s forbidden to use it as a shortcut. Idle chatter is not allowed there. You may not stroll back and forth inside it.”

He was especially critical of those who engage in such behavior while wearing a tallis and tefillin. “Is it appropriate to behave like you’re in your own living room while wearing tefillin?” he asked rhetorically.

Rav Yosef clarified that there is only one legitimate reason to eat or drink in a shul: “For the sake of Torah study, to prevent bittul Torah. But not during tefillah.”

{Matzav.com Israel}