As I sit in my shul on Shabbos morning and look up at the majestic 30-foot ceiling, I am overcome with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I marvel at the splendor of the building, thinking about all the fine workmanship that went into creating the palatial structure. On the other hand, I look at the empty pews and realize we may be nearing the end of an era – the era of the big shul.
My hometown of Brooklyn, New York, features a number of shuls as large as the one I attend, each one astonishingly breathtaking. Although at one time most of them were packed, these days, in many of them, the empty seats outnumber the occupied ones.
One reason for declining membership is the proliferation of shtieblach, or small, homey shuls. Although shtieblach have existed in chassidic neighborhoods for decades, they have made their way into the non-chassidic parts of Brooklyn as well as other communities.
One explanation for why shtieblach have become popular with today’s generation is what my father likes to call the “macher theory.” He says the millennials want a greater level of participation in shul. In a shul of 300, a member might receive an aliyah once every few months or lead the davening a couple times a year. In a shul of 20, however, one can get these honors much more often. Ten shulsalso mean ten presidents, ten vice presidents, and ten gabbaim. Thus, the desire to be a macher is more easily fulfilled with a plethora of small shuls as opposed to one or two big ones.
Perhaps another factor can be attributed to how millennials perceive davening. Big shuls often have longer services that feature a sermon and a slower davening. The younger generation may lack the patience to sit through long services when quicker ones are available. This impatience may also explain why many large shuls have multiple minyanim, sometimes simultaneously. (In some instances, a side minyan can have more mispallilim than the main minyan!)
Yet there are several reasons – aside from the aesthetics – why big shuls should continue to exist.
One reason is that the davening in a big shul tends to be nicer. One can hardly compare a shul that has several hundred people praying and singing in unison with a shul of only 20 or 30. This increased participation creates an atmosphere in which one’s prayers can feel more heartfelt. And these prayers are further enhanced by the fact that many big shuls have excellent acoustics. For an illustration of this, watch some videos of Motzaei Shabbos Selichos that take place in large, packed shulsand take note of the level of crowd participation.
Another reason is that the rabbi of a large shul can fulfill his role in a full-time capacity, putting all his efforts and energies into serving the shul and its members. He will have more time to prepare his classes and sermons as well as expand his expertise in subjects he needs to know, such as kashrus and family purity. Because theshul is his priority, he can be there for members whenever they need him.
Rabbis of small shuls often juggle multiple jobs and therefore have a harder time finding the hours needed to serve a shulin the mosteffectively manner. And if the rabbi is needed for something during the week in the middle of the day, it may cause a conflict. Likewise, members of these shuls may feel uneasy about calling their rabbi to interrupt him during his non-shul hours.
From a practical perspective, big shuls provide greater networking opportunities. The old adage “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” may be more relevant now than ever given today’s competitive job market. A recent college graduate seeking an accounting position is more likely to find in a large shulsomeone who works in or heads a major accounting firm. The same could be said for shidduchim; knowing more people can certainly help one’s cause.