Mind The Idol

A person should avoid davening in a place where there are idols. If he has no where else to daven without getting disturbed he may do so, however, he should not face any idols that are hanging on the wall. (Rema, Mishneh Brurah).

What is the source for this halachah? While Egypt was being smitten with the plague of hail, Pharoh asked Moshe to daven to Hashem to remove the hail. Moshe replied that when he leaves the town he will daven. Why could he not daven in the town? Because the town was full of idols (Parshas Va’eira 9:29 with Rashi). We see that a person should not daven in a place that contains idols.

If Moshe should not have davened in a town full of idols, why did he wait until the plague of hail, the seventh plague, until he left the city before davening? He should have left the city when he davened during other plagues (frogs, wild beasts)! Many answers are suggested. Some say that he did indeed leave the city before davening to remove the other plagues. We are only told about it at the plague of hail because Pharoh wanted the plague to stop immediately. Moshe responded that it would not as he had to leave the town before davening (Ramban).