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| Not this year |
When asked how we know the vaccine is safe enough before the trials end he responded that the FDA would never compromise safety for expediency. He has also repeatedly been asked if he was pressured to do this for political reasons. And has forcefully denied it. I take him at his word. I doubt that a respected health official would suggest the public do something that might harm it for political reasons. Because that would make him a sociopath. No one is accusing him of that.
This is good news. Especially since ‘Operation Warp Speed’ has already produced hundreds of millions of doses of several vaccines undergoing clinical trials in anticipation that they would to be safe and effective. And if the report I heard yesterday in the mainstream media is true, studies have now shown that antibodies in COVID patients that have survived - last for at least 4 months.
If this happens and enough people get inoculated, we can pretty much go back to normal. Hopefully by the time 2021 begins. One of the people we have to thank and mobilized pharma to act.
So, thank you Mr. President.
Until then, we are all still in the same danger of getting sick with this virus we have been since March. And we need to continue to act accordingly. Which means taking all the precautions necessary to help reduce our chances of getting sick. Precautions heath experts at the CDC and NIH have developed after months of studying the disease and how to best protect ourselves from getting very sick and possibly dying.
We dare not let up on them for any reason. It is therefore perplexing that at least one prominent Shul in Chicago is modifying those rules for Rosh Hashana. They will allow people who wish to remove their masks to do so in one section of the Shul - as long as they remain in place at their seats.Tables in that section will be separated by tall and wide transparent plastic partitions.
They say this has been cleared by doctors. But I don’t know how they can do this without risking aerosol being released by the non mask wearers which can travel up to 30 feet and stay air-born for hours in indoor situations. That means that a social distancing of six feet is not protective enough.
Add to that that this Shul has not shortened the hours of prayer this Rosh Hashana. Which is usually over six hours in length at this particular Shul . Wearing a mask for a couple of hours is hard enough. it is uncomfortable. Davening for that long with a face mask is not easy. Breathing alone is more labored. (I suppose that is why they are offering that no mask section.)
I don’t know what it is about a Shul like that. Do they think they are being more religious by not shortening the time spent in Shul on Rosh Hashana? Do they think that over six hours doing that at greater risk of someone getting sick or dying is what God wants them to do this year?
No one of any serious religious commitment denies the value of prayer at this time of year on Rosh Hashana. This is the day when our future is ‘placed on the books’ for the coming year. We ask for life and health and try to repent of our sins on that day – and continue to do so for the next ten days through Yom Kippur where we fast and pull out all the stops on Teshuva. Praying that God forgives us for our past sins. All while we commit to doing better starting now.
That is still true this year. But this year requires an adjustment based on Pikuach Nefesh. Such as the ones a lot of other Shuls, even some right wing ones are doing. Which is shortening hours in Shul considerably so that masks can stay on. And insisting that all the others health guidelines are meticulously followed.
When the Torah tells us we must violate Shabbos to save a life, it is because we violate one Shabbos so that we can observe many. In this case we don't have to violate Shabbos or any other Halacha. We just have to shorten Davening and follow the rules. That is the right thing to do. It is the Frum thing to do.
The non Frum thing to do is give in to the Taavah (desire) of having the traditional long Davening on Rosh Hashana we would otherwise have - under a compromised version of the guidelines. Which, as I indicated increases the chances of getting seriously ill. That. in my view, is the ‘Fumma Yetzer Hara’ talking. It’s just too bad that the people in charge at this Shul don’t seem to realize it.