The City of Tel Aviv published on its municipal website instructions, guidelines and relevant information for the upcoming holiday season in Tel Aviv. Some of it is informative, some generous, and some cute and quirky and not necessarily traditional.

Chief Rabbi Rav Dovid Lau has issued some guidance and instruction for the Yomim Noraim under lockdown and in the shadow of CoronaVirus dangers.

Who would have thought that Ron Huldai, the atheist mayor of Tel Aviv, would beat all the Haredi and religious mayors and ministers to a solution for the High Holiday services?

Rav Herschel Schachter, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Rav Yitzchak Elchonon, has issued a psak about the upcoming Yomim Noraim - Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, in light of these COVID-19 times and restrictions.

Due to the requirements for spacing in shuls and possible limitations on number of people allowed to be present at the same time, Rav Schahter says that shul will need to shorten the amount of davening time to be able to host multiple minyanim in order  to accommodate as many people as possible.

To accomplish this, Rav Schachter says that if need be shuls could leave out the piyutim, and the extra shofar blowing sessions (the necessary ones that can not be cut are the ones after the haftorah before Mussaf and the ones during the repetition of Mussaf - the ones at the end can be cut if necessary).

Pesukei Dzimra can be abbreviated as well, according to the regular rules of abbreviating Pesukei Dzimra. If a congregation is told to daven Pesukei Dzimra at home and shul will only start at Shacharis, the shul must start from Nishmas.




I would note that this should be the same for outdoor minyanim in a place where it will get very hot and uncomfortable.

There are people saying that without the piyyutim it just won't feel like Rosh Hashana - it is almost like leaving out the spirit of the day - and perhaps one might just stay home and daven everything in such a situation.

I went one year to a GRA minyan. The custom of the GRA is to not say the piyyutim. I went because it was hot and it appealed to me to go to a minyan that would daven so much shorter and finish so much earlier.

I did not like it and I did not go back the 2nd day of Rosh Hashana.

It really felt lacking.

Maybe others would be ok with it, but for me I felt like I was missing part of the day.

Each shul would have to decide what its capabilities are and what is the right solution for it. Some shuls might have the necessary space and be able to have full services as usual, while others might need to skip - some more and some less. I would suggest that even the shuls that skip should still say a few of the piyyutim - the main ones that most people look forward to such as Unitzneh Tokef, VChol Maaminim, though obviously each shul could also decide which on its own.

Rav Schachter said to skip if need be. That does not mean a shul HAS to skip, nor does it mean if skipping they must all be skipped. Perhaps skipping 85% will work for some shuls while skipping 50% might work for others.

These are difficult times, and Rav Schachter found a good solution for flexibility in the services.

The following is a notice that was posted in the Ashdod area by two people who ran a pub which was open on shabbat in the years 1993-1994. They're asking their customers' forgiveness that they caused public chilul shabbos.





It is a nice expression of remorse, but for the sin of chilul shabbos they need to ask God for forgiveness, not people. Residents who had their shabbos disturbed should be asked to forgive the disturbance, but we do not stand judgement for our sins before people, but before God. Still, it is a touching gesture.

A short while ago an Egged bus driver was caught on camera berating a Haredi soldier who was a passenger on the bus. The driver was rude and was cursing the passenger. This soldier serves in the media department under the Galei Tzahal broadcasting station, and was carrying a permit to wear civilian clothes rather than an army uniform, and still travel via public transportation with the benefits of a soldier rather than as a civilian.

The driver though tthe soldier, who appeared as a civilian, had not paid and called him out for it. The soldier showed him his permit to wear civilian clothes and still ride for free. The driver began cursing him, while the soldier pulled out a camera and recorded him.

After the report was initially publicized, Egged said they would investigate and the driver would undergo a disciplinary process.

Today Egged announced that the driver has been fired.
source: Haredim10

Nowadays, with everyone carrying cameras and video cameras and recorders in their pockets, people would be wise to, at least in public, act more like decent human beings and remember that they could be recorded without even knowing it. this guy in particular seems to have been such an idiot that he even knew he was being recorded but acted as he did.

It is also a stark reminder, right before our judgement day, that there is always Someone recording us and ready to play back our deeds, probably at the worst possible time and when we would like it the least...

someone is advertising the following:
do you want to get rid of your sins from the past year? for fair payment I will agree to take upon myself all the sins you committed.

He even states that he is a kosher Jew and is doing this to help save people.

The sale will be done via a legal contract. Why wait to suffer in the Next World, just call now!

1. I am impressed that most of the tags of phone numbers were taken by seemingly interested people. He must be flooded with calls.
2. He is only a kosher Jew before he buys the first set of sins. After that he is fair game just like the rest of us, as who knows what type of sins he purchased?
3. How many people is he willing to buy from?
4. How many can he take? If he takes too many, or the wrong sins from the wrong person, does he suddenly die or go into deep suffering?
5. how do we know he is a kosher Jew? does he come with some sort of hechsher as to his status?
6. I saw online a funny comment about waiting for a Groupon for this next year

One of the great things about living in Eretz Yisrael, the modern State of Israel, in this generation:

this past Friday I was able to daven at the Kotel, at Me'aras HaMachpela in Hebron and at Kever Rochel all on the same day!

In the morning I joined a group of runners from Bet Shemesh and we did our annual run to the Kotel and davened at sunrise. Then in the early afternoon I joined a group of families from my community and we went  (by car, not foot) to Hebron and Kever Rochel!

Through most of our history, I think it is safe to say, the very suggestion of that would have been mind boggling.

I saw something last night in shul and was thinking about it. The truth is that it is a fairly common occurrence - the same thing happens probably every night, maybe even two or three times a night, and at other times of day as well.