JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Rav Asher Weiss explains in an audio message that people should not try and make private minyanim as they could cause more infection. There will be small minyanim in shuls as long as the health ministry allows them and everyone else should daven at home and add more time and concentration to their prayers. This is much more important than davening with a minyan.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Rabbi Weiss quotes the Shem Mishmuel who writes that in a sense people who are forced to daven at home have more chazanim than those who are in shul, since all the chazanim in the world are essentially their agents to bring their prayers before Hashem.
While it is nice that Rabbonim are saying listen to the government they should be better and be more stringent on pikuach nefesh and stop any gatherings whatsoever. There is massive community spread. Put it this way. In NY there are currently over 5,000 diagnosed cases, many in the frum community. My guess is that very likely in the frum community, there are over 100,000 cases of this undiagnosed. Without a life-saving therapy very quick or a hope my estimates are way off, it is very bad.
Please stop the minyanim and any gatherings. Do you want to gain herd immunity via losing 1-3 percent of the community or would you rather be extra careful here. How many days davening and learning will be lost by all the people who get sick from this? Far more than the days you think you are gaining by getting together now. So not even in terms of pikuach nefesh should you be careful, but even in terms of being able to daven and learn you should be careful.
I live on a typical block in boro park. This morning just between the hours of 8am and 9am I counted 12 yes 12 men and bochrim going to daven with talis and tefilin. Multiply this by the other blocks in Boro Park and I feel safe to say there were well over 1000 people going to daven. The doctors have said don’t gather. Our Askanim have pleaded don’t gather. Our gedolim have paskened stay home and daven. And we have people that say “we know better.” Rashi says on the posuk shimu na homorim (Chukas perek 20 p 10) Morim – shotim. But doctors have said they are roschim. You may feel fine but you can pass it on to others. How will you answer after 120. The rabanim have said its a mitzva haba bavaira. I want to be dan lekaf zechus many in our community only have kosher phones, they don’t have internet perhaps they really don’t know the seriousness of the situation. If you are reading this and you have someone in your family who is going out to daven. Tell them Its a mitzva haba beavaira.
thank you bringing both views