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| An outdoor Minyan in the UK (Stamford Hill) on Shabbos,back in April (VIN) |
I have always believed (and still do, actually) that when it comes to observant Jewry, there is far more that unites us than what divides us. Following Halacha is something all observant Jews do. Being observant means doing things that are in many ways radically different than the rest of society.
Just to take one example, keeping Shabbos is a radical departure from the daily norm. No other segment of America – or even the vast majority of American Jews (who are not observant) can begin to understand. And yet for most observant Jewry, it is second nature to us. We don’t even think about it. Come Friday night, the world changes for us.
Of course Shabbos is not the only thing that all observant Jews have in common, There are many other things we all do that sets us apart from the rest of our countrymen. And yet after reading how the observant world is now fraying oover issues concerning the pandemic, I am beginning to lose hope that unity can ever happen.
During the early stages of this disease, it seemed like all Orthodox institutions were on the same page. Once they got their act together, shuls and Yeshivos were were ordered shut. Big Orthodox instituitions, the Agudah, the RCA and the OU were saying the same thing. But now they have parted company.
I understand that there they have different ways of looking at things. But I’m not so sure why that is the case when matters of life and death are at stake.
When it comes to such matters, it appears that the more Centrist OU is more concerned about that than the more Charedi Agudah.
It might be true that the dangers are subsiding to a degree. But they have not gone away. The Centrist position seems to be to err on the side of caution. They have urged Shuls and Yeshivos to stay closed, and to not allow ‘outdoor Minyanim’:
(T)he guidance issued last week by the Orthodox Union and Rabbinical Council of America cautioned that even carefully regulated outdoor services could spin out of control.
The Agudah seems to be OK with these outdoor Minyanim as long as they observe social distancing guidelines. They have also been more anxious to open up Yeshivos – albeit as safely as possible. They are urging the state of New York to make that a priority as they gradually reopen non essential businesses
In theory allowing Minyanim to resume – especially outdoors - should be fine. But in practice… not so much. There is a very strong chance that someone somewhere along the way break those guidelines. Sometimes even intentionally. If not today, tomorrow. If not tomorrow, the day after. As evidenced by this:
“I am sad to say that a number of people have called to tell me that the guidelines have already been broken in several ways,” Rabbi Yaakov Feitman of Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi wrote.
This is why the OU and the RCA have opposed any Shul opening up or any outdoor Minyanim.
The Agudah seems to feel that the risk is sufficiently small enough to allow those Shuls so inclined to open up – or at least have outdoor Minynaim - as long as social distancing is strictly adhered to.
Needless to say, I am with the OU and RCA on this one. There is not a doubt in my mind that there is still enough risk to keep Shuls and Yeshivos closed and to oppose outdoor Minyanim.
Enough people have died from the disease. There is no reason to take chances right now. Those who do are still risking their health. And in some cases their lives. Even though the chance of death is relatively small, why risk it at all? Why risk harm to others doing something that might cause a spike in the number of infections (and thereby the number of deaths)? Especially for the most vulnerable – people over 50.
There are some rabbis that are more than disappointed and have expressed justifiable anger at rabbis who have ignored the guidelines. From JTA:
A local synagogue that continued to meet for services stood out so much that a prominent rabbi denounced its leader by name in a fiery lecture on Zoom just before Passover.
Rabbi Hershel Billet of the Young Israel of Woodmere called the rabbi who allowed the prayer service a “danger to the entire community” and promised to personally try to “run this man out of the community.”
Needless to say, I am with the OU and RCA on this one. There is not a doubt in my mind that there is still enough risk to keep Shuls closed and to oppose outdoor Minyanim. Enough people have died from the disease. There is no reason to take chances right now. Those who do are risking their health and in some cases their lives. Even though the chance of death is relatively small, why risk it at all? And in the process do something that may cause harm to others by virtue of the fact that it might cause a spike in the number of infections. And thereby the number of deaths? Especially for the most vulnerable.
With respect to Yeshivos, I am sorry to report that there are more Charedi Yeshivos that actually violated the law - doing so in secret. Not just the one I discussed yesterday:
“Some of these yeshivas have been going on for weeks, but until now most of them also provided a phone line for students to follow along the lessons,” their father told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “This week the underground yeshivas became the norm, and many have stopped the phone lessons.”
I can only conclude that the more Charedi one is the more likely they are to break this law when a religious value is at stake. The sense of priority given to Davening with a Minyan is so high that they consider the risk to life minimal enough to be worth it. Or they just don't believe what health officials are saying. Either way they are causing a huge Chilul Hashem.
I will choose life over a Minyan any day of the week. It just is not worth even a minimal chance of contracting a life threatening disease in order to Daven with a Minyan. I believe that Halacha is in my side. Until public health officials say it’s OK, I’m staying home. For those willing to risk their lives before that… good luck.