Anonymous

Halachot Related to Coronavirus/COVID-19 Pandemic: Difference between revisions

From Halachipedia
Line 8: Line 8:
# There is a great discussion among rabbis where, when, and how to have minyanim while there is still a concern of the virus spreading. The OU's policy is to allow outdoor minyanim 2 weeks after the local government allows it. Every person should follow his rabbi.<ref>[https://www.ou.org/covid19/ OU Policy] (accessed June 3 2020).
# There is a great discussion among rabbis where, when, and how to have minyanim while there is still a concern of the virus spreading. The OU's policy is to allow outdoor minyanim 2 weeks after the local government allows it. Every person should follow his rabbi.<ref>[https://www.ou.org/covid19/ OU Policy] (accessed June 3 2020).
* Rabbi Meir Twersky ([http://www.torahweb.org/torah/docs/rtwe_chadorecha.pdf in Hebrew] and [http://www.torahweb.org/torah/docs/rtwe_chadorecha_Eng.pdf in English]) wrote lengthily how important it is to be careful about health and there shouldn't be any minyanim until it is completely safe such as when vaccines are available. Doing so is endangering the lives of individuals and forbidden for the sake of davening with a minyan.</ref>
* Rabbi Meir Twersky ([http://www.torahweb.org/torah/docs/rtwe_chadorecha.pdf in Hebrew] and [http://www.torahweb.org/torah/docs/rtwe_chadorecha_Eng.pdf in English]) wrote lengthily how important it is to be careful about health and there shouldn't be any minyanim until it is completely safe such as when vaccines are available. Doing so is endangering the lives of individuals and forbidden for the sake of davening with a minyan.</ref>
===Tefillin===
# In some places the rabbis set up a policy to begin davening at [[Barchu]] to shorten the time that the minyan joins together. In such a case, there are few options how Tefillin can be put on:
## Ideally, Tefillin can be put on in the area where they will daven. But this might not be an option if there isn't time to put on Tefillin and daven Psukei Dzimra in that place before Barchu.
## Tefillin can be put on at home and then one would walk with the Tefillin on to the Shul. One should be very careful to be cognizant of the Tefillin while one is walking.<ref>In general it is valuable to put on Tefillin at home and walk with them to shul (Shulchan Aruch 25:2, Yalkut Yosef 25:36). Yalkut Yosef 30:12 writes that if one is going to have to drive to shul it is better to put Tefillin on in Shul than at home and drive with them on since driving with them on is likely to cause a hesech hadaat from the tefillin, interruption of thought, and it is forbidden to have a hesech hadaat while wearing tefillin.</ref> Some say that a person shouldn't walk with tefillin on from one's house if the streets aren't clean or that there are non-Jews on the streets.<ref>Mishna Brurah 25:8. Piskei Teshuvot 25 fnt. 58 notes that today our streets are assumed to be clean but nonetheless the practice isn't to put on Tefillin at home and walk with them in the street to shul.</ref>


==[[Tefillah]]==
==[[Tefillah]]==
Anonymous user