The director of the Ayelet Hashachar organization, Rav Shlomo Raanan asked about the viability of davening with a minyan over the Internet. Rav Yosef responded that people who are stuck (e.g. soldiers and sick people) and are unable to go to shul, can participate in davening via a live stream from the shul. "Bdiavad" that would be considered as davening with a minyan.
Rav Yosef said such a person can daven shmoneh esrei together with them, hear torah reading, and answer amen.. This is considered joining with the ten people. Rav Yosef compared it to hearing the radio or internet broadcasts of slichos that are already very common.
(copies of the psak, below)
sources: Radio Kol Hai and Kikar
thoughts:
1. awesome
2. the beginning of the end of shul, unless shul is also turned into a social event where friends see each other before/after a long day/week at work
3. Rav Yosef related to a situation where there is a minyan in one place and he is "joining" the minyan remotely. What if there were only 9 together - could he make up the minyan?
4. what about no minyan in one place but 10 people with each in their own homes, army bases, hospital rooms, etc - can they all patch in to some conference call and make a minyan like that?
5. This obviously doesn't help for Shabbos. Unless you hold "half Shabbos"
6. it is clear that Rav Yosef holds the Internet is muttar to use.
7. can one simply load up the website of the Kotel Cam and participate in the minyanim of the Kotel and not worry about creating a live stream in some shul? I am not aware of a shul that has a live stream of services, though perhaps a shul might now create one for an absent member, but the Kotel always has! Though via the Kotel Cam one can't hear the minyanim - he would not be able to answer amen to brachos or hear Torah reading, but maybe he could daven shmoneh esrei together with them.
8. this could solve the prayer issue on Har Habayit - just load up a web cam and remotely daven, and you are part of a minyan on Har Habayit. It actually would not, as the minyan on Har Habayit would need to be davening, and that would get them arrested.
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