Tájolás

MISHNA:Originally, during the Temple era, the lulav was taken in the Temple for seven days, and in the rest of the country outside the Temple it was taken for one day. Once the Temple was destroyed, Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai instituted an ordinance that the lulav should be taken even in the rest of the country for seven days, in commemoration of the Temple.

GEMARA: The Gemara asks: From where do we derive that we institute ordinances in commemoration of the Temple? Rabbi Yoḥanan said that it is as the verse states: “For I will restore health unto you and I will heal you of your wounds, says the Lord; because they have called you an outcast, she is Zion, there is none that seeks her” (Jeremiah 30:17). From the fact that the verse states: “There is none that seeks her,” it can be learned by inference that it requires seeking, i.e., people should think of and remember the Temple. That is the reason for Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai’s ordinance.

The Sages taught in a Tosefta: A blind person and one who is unable to approximate the directions and, therefore, is unable to face Jerusalem in order to pray, may focus his heart towards his Father in Heaven, as it is stated: “And they shall pray to the Lord” (I Kings 8:44).

Rather, what is the meaning of frequent? It means frequent with the Divine Presence, i.e., the Divine Presence is found on the western side, and therefore it is inappropriate to set up a tannery there with its foul odors. As Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: Come and let us be grateful to our ancestors who revealed to us the place of prayer, as it is written: “And the hosts of heaven bow down to You” (Nehemiah 9:6). Since the celestial bodies move from east to west, they bow in that direction, which indicates that the Divine Presence is in the west.

לכל רוחתא אוקמן—Stand me up to face in any direction

OVERVIEW
The גמרא mentions various אמוראים who maintain that the שכינה is everywhere and one may pray in any direction.
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כל הני אמוראי לית להו הא דתניא בברכות (דף ל,א) שחייב אדם להתפלל נגד ירושלים –
All these אמוראים (who maintain it is possible to pray in any direction) disagree with the ברייתא in מסכת ברכות that one is obligated to pray facing ירושלים –
משום דכתיב והתפללו אליך דרך ארצם –
Because it is written, ‘and they shall pray to you by way of their land’; these aforementioned אמוראים disagree with this ברייתא –
אלא סברי כר' ישמעאל דאמר בכל מקום שכינה –
Rather they agree with ר"י (here) who maintains that the שכינה is everywhere –
ומאן דאמר שכינה במערב סבר כרבי עקיבא דאמר מפני שהיא תדירה –
And the one who states that the שכינה is in the west agrees with ר"ע, who states because the שכינה is more frequent in the west –
ורבי חנינא דשמעתין דאמר כגון אתון דיתבון לצפונא דארעא דישראל אדרימו –
And ר"ח of our גמרא, who stated to רב אשי, ‘for instance you who live north of ארץ ישראל, face south’ –
סבר לה כברייתא דברכות:He agrees with the ברייתא in מסכת ברכת, cited in the beginning of this תוספות.

SUMMARY
There are three views; a. one may pray in any direction, b. one prays towards the west, and c. one prays towards ירושלים.

THINKING IT OVER
Why is it necessary for תוספות to say that those who maintain שכינה בכל מקום argue with the ברייתא in מס' ברכות, perhaps they agree that even though שכינה בכ"מ, nevertheless one should be מתפלל towards ירושלים?

"TALPIYYOT" IS THE HILL [TEL] TOWARD WHICH ALL MOUTHS [PIYYOT] TURN. The Gemara concludes that the verse “as the tower of David”, refers to the Bais Hamikdosh. לתלפיות literally means a landmark. The word can be divided in two תל פיות a hill (the temple mount) towards which all mouths turn, i.e. all our prayers are said in the direction of the temple. The Gemara in maseches Bovo Basro 25a has a discussion about where the Divine Presence is located. Some say in the west and some say in the east.
And we rule like this Gemara, and so too do we conclude in Lo Yachpor (Bovo Basro 25b), where the Gemara says you who live to the north of Eretz Yisroel should face south, towards Eretz Yisroel. And not like those amoroim mentioned earlier (Bovo Basro 25a) who argue whether the Divine Presence is in the east or in the west. According to those opinions we would always face west or east depending on which opinion we held. We however, face Yerusholayim always, no matter where we are and that follows our Gemara here and the conclusion of the Gemara on Bovo Basro 25b.
Tosfos was written in Europe. Now we are to the west of Eretz Yisroel, therefore we turn to the east when we pray.

When he gets up to pray if he was standing outside the Land of Israel, he should return his face toward the Land of Israel and focus also on Jerusalem and to the Temple and to the Holy of Holies. If he was standing in Jerusalem he should return his face to the Temple and focus also to the Holy of Holies. If he was standing behind the (Ark) he should return his face to the (Ark)....

The entrance to the synagogue should be opposite the direction that people pray in that city. [For example], if they pray Westward, the entrance should be in the East, in order that they should bow from the entryway towards the ark that is in the direction they pray towards. Rem"a: And we place the bimah (ie. table) in the middle of the synagogue so that when the reader stands to read from the Torah, everyone can hear. And when the prayer leader prays, he faces the holy. The seating arrangement is that the elders sit in front facing the congregation and everyone else sits in rows facing the holy and facing the elders (Tur).

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If he is riding on a donkey, he gets down [and prays.] If he is unable to get down he should turn his face [towards Jerusalem], and if he cannot turn his face, he should direct his heart to the Holy of Holies.