Question
Can a person pray outside a synagogue?
Answer
There is a statement in the Talmud that a person's prayer is heard "only" in a synagogue, but this is not intended literally; it means only that prayer in a synagogue is especially effective. The halachah about prayer in a synagogue is worded in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 90:8) as "A person should try to pray in a synagogue with a congregation".