Proper direction for praying, in a shul where the Holy Ark is placed on the wrong wall
Since this came up when replying to hatam_soferet's blog, I thought I'd crosspost it here for my readers' benefit as well.
Often times, shuls (especially non-Orthodox ones. Orthodox ones are usually much more careful about this) are built with the Aron HaKodesh (Holy Ark) *not* on the wall that's in the direction of Jerusalem. Usually, nowadays, shuls like this have the congregants stand facing the Aron HaKodesh anyway. But that's not really proper. Here are the sources:
Ba'er Hetev on Orach Chayyim 94:2, se`if kattan 3, 4: A synagogue in which the Holy Ark was placed on the South side and everyone prays towards the Holy Ark which is on the South side, he may pray towards the East side even though the entire congregation is praying Southward, and there is not a problem of haughtiness or angering [the congregation] by doing so. [Source:] Yad Eliyahu paragraph 1. But one great one disagrees with him, [maintaining that] instead he should pray in the direction that the congregation is praying, see there... In the [book] Kenesset HaGedolah it is written that even if the Ark is set at a different side, he must turn his face to the East. בית כנסת שהעמידו בו את ארון הקודש לצד דרום של העולם וכולם מתפללין נגד הארון הקודש שהוא לצד דרום, יוכל להתפלל לצד מזרח אף שכל הקהל מתפללים נגד דרום ואין כאן משום יוהרא ולא משום איבה. יד אליהו סי' א'. וגדול אחד שם חולק עליו רק יתפלל לצד שהציבור מתפללין, עיין שם... וכתב בכנסת הגדולה אפילו הארון קבוע לרוח אחרת צריך להחזיר פניו למזרח.
Mishnah Berurah 94:9,10 : And since one must pray towards the East, it is customary to set the Ark in which the Torah Scroll is kept on the Eastern wall. If it is impossible to set it on the Eastern wall, one should set it in the South, and in any case not in the West which would cause the backs of the congregation to be towards the Ark. However, even if the Ark was set on a different wall, the one praying should face East... A synagogue in which they set the Ark in the Southern wall, and everyone prays towards the Ark which is in the South, even though it is improper, as was mentioned before in paragraph 9, even so, someone who comes to pray there should pray in the direction that the congregation is praying, but should turn his/her face towards the East. ולפי שצריך להתפלל לצד מזרח נהגו לקבוע ההיכל שספר התורה בתוכו בכותל מזרחי, ואם אי-אפשר לו לקבוע במזרח יקבע בדרום ועל-כל-פנים לא למערב שיהיה אחורי העם להיכל, ומיהו אפילו קבעו ההיכל בכותל אחר צריך המתפלל להחזיר פניו למזרח... בית כנסת שהעמידו בו את ארון הקודש לצד דרום העולם וכולם מתפללים נגד ארון הקודש שהוא לצד דרום, אף שהוא שלא כהוגן וכנזכר לעיל בסעיף-קטן ט', מכל-מקום הבא להתפלל שם יתפלל לצד שהצבור מתפללין אך יצדד פניו למזרח.
Arukh HaShulchan, Orach Chayyim 94:12,13 : The Holy Ark should be installed in the East, but even if it was installed in a different side, even so they should pray towards the East. And therefore, they should be careful not to install it in the West, because then their backs will be towards the Ark... If the Holy Ark is standing at the Northern or Southern side and the entire congregation is praying towards that side, and one person wants to pray towards the East, he/she should not do so, for if so they will not all be bowing in the same direction and it looks like "two authorities". Rather, one should pray in the direction that the congregation is praying and turn him/herself slightly towards East. However, if he/she is praying there alone, not at the time when the congregation is praying, he may pray facing the Eastern wall, for then it doesn't appear like "two authorities". הארון הקודש קובעים במזרח, ואפילו קבעוהו בצד אחר מכל-מקום יתפללו למזרח. ולכן יזהרו שלא לקובעו במערב, דאם-כן יהיה אחוריהם אל ההיכל... אם ארון הקודש עומד לצד צפון או לצד דרום וכל הציבור מתפללים לאותו צד, ואחד רוצה להתפלל למזרח, לא יעשה כן, דאם כן לא ישתחוו כולם לצד אחד ומיחזי כשתי רשויות, אלא יתפלל לצד שהצבור מתפללין ויצדד עצמו קצת למזרח. אך אם הוא מתפלל לבדו שם שלא בשעה שהציבור מתפללין, יכול להתפלל כנגד כותל מזרח דאז לא מיחזי כשתי רשויות.
I wonder how this phenomenon of facing the Ark even if it's on the wrong side began. Was it just due to ignorance -- people assuming that they should be praying towards the Ark? Or was there once another opinion out there that has been lost/forgotten? My guess is that it's the first, but if you can find me an opinion that says otherwise, please let me know.
In any case, bottom line is that in a Shul where the Ark is on the wrong side, people should still pray in the direction of Jerusalem. If nobody's doing so, though, an individual needs to pray in the same direction everyone else is, but can turn slightly, or turn his/her face towards the right direction (unless it's behind him/her!). If one works in that synagogue and goes into the sanctuary to pray minchah etc. on his/her own, without a minyan, then they should pray while facing the correct direction, not the direction of the Ark.