Commentary for Berakhot 27:15
(א"ר יונה א"ר זירא כל העושה חפציו קודם שיתפלל כאלו בנה במה א"ל במה אמרת א"ל לא אסור קא אמינא
R. Jonah said in the name of R. Zera: Whoever attends to his personal affairs before offering his prayers is as though he had erected an idolatrous altar. He was asked : Dost thou say "an idolatrous altar"? He answered : No, I only mean it is prohibited; and it is in accordance with the statement of Rab Iddi b. Abin
Abraham Cohen Footnotes to the English Translation of Masechet Berakhot
Exception was taken to the exaggeration in applying the word Bamah to such a case. The reply is that to attend to one's personal affairs before offering prayer in the morning is as prohibited as the erection of a Bamah.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy