What we have seen so far regarding the time of Mincha (afternoon prayer) is that although the afternoon is long and there are many hours to find a Minyan (prayer quorum) or to pray Mincha, some times are better than others. Yesterday, we analyzed those times. What is interesting is that Kulei Alma, everybody agrees that the best time to pray Mincha is Mincha Ketana. Mincha Ketana, again, is two and a half halachic hours before sunset, because that was the time they used to bring the Korban (offering) Mincha in the afternoon. Praying Mincha before this time is acceptable, but it should not be done Lechatchila (ideally) unless there is a reason. For example, in the yeshivas—most yeshivas—they pray Mincha early. Why? Because it is before lunch. We studied that if you are going to have a meal or a big meal, according to Shulchan Aruch, you should first pray Mincha, even before a regular meal. Therefore, many yeshivas do this. Not all, but many yeshivas pray Mincha early. You have a reason why. But if you do not have that reason, Mincha Ketana is your preferred time. Some say that al pi ha-sod (according to the esoteric tradition), it is better to pray Mincha a little later. But according to Halacha (Jewish law), the bottom line is that the best time to pray Mincha is Mincha Ketana.
I had a question years ago that I am going to repeat now that this is the sugya (discussion). We find that the Gemara mentions people who are always trying to do things the better way: Zerizim makdimim lemitzvot. That is, somebody who has the middah of alacrity, somebody who always wants to do the mitzvah (commandment) at the first opportunity. One of the words used by the Gemara is vatik. Vatik, vatikin. Vatikin are Chasidim (pious people) who want to do a mitzvah at the first opportunity. For instance, the Netz (sunrise) minyanim became very well known. The real term they use is vatikin. The person is vatik. The term vatik has different translations; vatik could mean something ancient, something vatik. But vatikin are those who try to have the first opportunity to do a mitzvah. So the concept of the Netz is that the best time to pray is at Netz HaChamah, at sunrise. Therefore, it is the first opportunity. You could do it ten minutes later, of course; no problem. But if you are waiting for that opportunity, for that moment to do the mitzvah, that is the concept of vatikin and the Netz HaChamah.
I always wondered, and I still wonder—maybe I am wrong—but I never saw a minyan of vatikin for Mincha. Vatikin is not a time; vatikin is a concept. If that concept translates into waiting for the first opportunity to do a mitzvah, it is first and best at the same time. You could do Mincha earlier, but it is not the best. So the first best opportunity, for example, today would be 3.21pm. I do not know of any minyan in Miami—or for better, I do not know anywhere. I never saw a Mincha Ketana minyan, to the minute: “This is Mincha Ketana.” That is when they used to bring the Korban Mincha in the afternoon in the Bet HaMikdash. Why not? Why not? The concept of vatik is not morning. The concept of vatik is a mindset that a person has: “I’m waiting the whole morning until I can get to the next mitzvah. What’s my next mitzvah? Mincha. Okay, great.” So I have a Mincha vatikin. And by the way, if you had two between Shacharit (morning prayer) and Mincha, Mincha is the preferred one. It is et ratzon (a time of favor). It's mekubal (accepted) Mincha, then Shacharit. I never saw a minyan of vatikin for Mincha. It started. Where? With the New Yorker. “I have to first do the minyan of Shacharit vatikin, then also...” No, but really, seriously, I do not know why. The concept is not about what is best, but vatik is somebody who puts himself second. The priority is the mitzvah.
If you do that in the morning, you should do that in the afternoon. And you should do that at night also, when we study the halachot (Jewish laws) of Arvit (evening prayer). When is the best time for Arvit? You should have it every day, depending on the time. Calendars are incredible today. They tell it to the second. So do a vatikin minyan for Mincha. I never saw such a thing. It gets me a little upset, because the whole reason for Netz was that a person feels he is a vatik. So now I question the vatik. I mean, the afternoon is expired now. You are not vatik anymore. It is not a Netz thing. It is not a morning thing. It is every tefillah (prayer) thing. So why, for the morning, are you vatik? For the afternoon, that is it: I am back to normal mode. Normal vatik. I do not like it.
Therefore, tefillin (phylacteries) has nothing to do with vatikin. You could put tefillin on the whole time, and the tefillah (prayer) as well. The first thing you say: “So, it’s out.” That is not correct. The bottom line is that we have a question here. I challenge my friends who are vatikin to be either vatikin or not vatikin. Therefore, they should also do Mincha and Arvit according to the guidelines of the vatikin world. B'chavod.