Bima in the Middle

Bima in the Middle - Practical or Prosecutable In this weeks parsha, Parshas Vayakel, we once again learn about the mishkhn and all the kaylim. We know one of the keylim was the Mizbayach Haketores (the alter of the incense). But enough of the Mizbayach let's talk about the Bima. Ever wonder why in most shuls the Bima is right in the middle? Besides for allowing everyone to be within throwing distance to attack the choson/bar mitzva, what is the reason behind it? The Gemara in Sukkah says there was a shul in Alexandria that was so large that even with the bima in the center people couldn't hear and the chazan would wave a flag every time he finished a bracha so people would answer amen. (maybe with all the talking in shuls now-a-days we should reinstitute this practice???). From this Gemara the Vilna Gaon said we see the reason why a bima should be in the center is to allow everyone to hear and partake in the davening. However, would you want to put the Bima somewhere else as long as everyone could hear, it wouldn't be a problem. The Chasam Sofer was not too happy with that ruling. He said from the Gemara we see even if people can't hear you still need to put in the middle. The Gra and Chasam Sofer argue fundamentally in how big was the shul in Alexandria, according to the Gra no matter where you put the bima not everyone could hear, according to the Chasam Sofer there was an area were they could've put it and everyone heard, yet they didn't because the Bima needs to be in the middle. The reason for that is the bima is symbolic of the Mezbayach. The chazan reads the Karbonos from it, we march around it on sukkos and hoshana raba like they marched around mizbayach in the bais hamikdash, it is directly in front of the Ahron the the mizbach was. Our Bima, says the Chasam Sofer, is a replica Mizbayach. The Chasam Sofer adds that those shuls that have a bima in the front- took that idea from the non-jews and reform temples and thus copying them is a serious sin. Obviously, in deference to the opinion of the Chasam Sofer when building a shul we should try to build the Bima in the middle, but what if you go into a shul and you see an off-center bima can you daven there? Rav Moshe answers that while it is better to daven in a shul with a bima in the center, those shuls whose bima is off center now-a-days put it there not to copy the goyim but because of other practical issues (it won't fit in the middle, it will block people's walking room, the light is better there etc) so there is no averah in davening in such shuls. We should all try to take these coming parshos that seem slow, dry and irrelevant and try to find something applicable to us now-a-days. That's HalachaBoy goals, and it should be yours to!