Kikar reports that a school administrator went to Rav Povarski to discuss he can force his teachers to vaccinate against COVID-19. Alternatively, could he put any teacher who refuses to vaccinate on furlough or unpaid vacation - and this possibility would possibly be used to persuade teachers to vaccinate.

According to the report, Rav Povarski responded that this is not a Choshen Mishpat question - it is not a financial question of whether or not it is ok to affect someone's job and income in this way, but it is a question of whether or not such a person is appropriate for being a teach of children. Someone like this has no sense of responsibility, he might cause his students and their families to get sick and get injured and damaged, perhaps such a person is not worthy of being an educator.

Furthermore, Rav Povarski said, the gedolim have said that everyone should get vaccinated. This teacher thinks he is smarter than the gedolim - such a person is not appropriate for being an example in the education of children.

On its own, in its own right, this is an interesting position to take.

But the way he said it made me think of something else. The way he discussed about it not being a parnassa, a choshen mishpat, question but one of education made me think about another situation in which these issues adversely overlap at times.

I am talking about abuse in schools by teachers against students. Physical, verbal, and especially sexual abuse. When we hear of such accusations, often the response has been to be extra "cautious" and protective of the accused teacher so as to not harm the parnassa of the teacher. Often it has been dealt with quietly, with the teacher quietly being sent packing but to another town to get a teaching job somewhere else (aka NIMBY - not in my backyard). Rav Povarski's approach to teachers and vaccines if applied to those situations equally would say it is not a parnassa issue, such a teacher is not worthy of teaching Jewish children and of being an example for them.

 

  -- Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz

I am not sure if that is very self-aware or not at all self-aware...

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I never knew about this one before... we know it as a classic Purim song....

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1. When Smotritch was Transportation Minister, the Left attacked him. When he sat int he opposition, they considered him legitimate. Now he is going towards a Netanyahu government so they are badmouthing him and Ben Gvir

2. Tomorrow I will present the financial stimulus plan. 750nis per citizen, 300nis or 500nis per child until the 7th percentile. This is salvation for families. I want to see Saar or Lapid voting against this

This is classic grandstanding.

The Likud never backed or supported Ben Gvir or his ilk, except when he could help them. And even then they did so very cautiously, like when Netanyahu says he is legitimate but we wont give him any power or influence. Even with Smotritch they were always cautious. And the Left always criticized him as well and wanted nothing to do with him, always considered him an extremist, even when he was in the Opposition. When in Opposition he didnt need or get legitimacy from the Left, as they were not giving him any jobs or power. 

And regarding voting for the financial plan, Saar is not a Member of Knesset or of the government. He will not be voting. I don't know if Lapid will support or oppose the vote, but Saar won't be doing anything - at most he might comment on it. Katz is just trying to set him up to look bad, making people think he is Opposition thinking only for himself and not for the people. He isn't anything right now.

Rav Yosef met this afternoon with the CoronaVirus Czar Nachman Ash to work out protocols and issues for the upcoming Parshat Zachor in light of CorroaVirus, and to ensure some consideration would be taken for the religious when setting the regulations for the holiday.

The agreement they arrived at led Rav Yosef to issue the following guidelines and piskei halacha in relation to Parshat Zachor.

1. the first reading of Zachor in shul should be done with a bracha, before and after, as normal. The Torahs should be taken out after davening for additional readings, but brachas should not be said. They can also do readings later in the afternoon. Multiple readings should be arranged to avoid large gatherings of people.

2. children under the age of 16, who are not vaccinated or recovering from Corona, should have a minyan arranged just for them for reading Zachor, so they will not put adults in a situation of risk or danger.

3. for Parshat Para - the minyan should be divided into multiple minyanim to avoid congregation of large crowds.

4. women should not be machmir this year to hear Zachor, so as to avoid congregating. This year they can rely on the opinions in halacha that exempt women from hearing Zachor. Women who normally go to hear Zachor do not need hatarat nedarim this year.

5. children below the age of 13 are exempt this year from hearing Zachor. They should read the portion of Zachor at home from a chumash, for chinuch purposes

6. megilla on Purim must be heard from a proper scroll, and not via radio, zoom, or other similar methods. Additional minyanim should be arranged to accommodate everyone without congregation of crowds. People arranging readings for women should do so according to the guidelines.

7. the Purim seuda, on Friday in most places and on Sunday in Jerusalem, should only be held with the nuclear family and as small as possible. You should explain to extended family that because of the situation around the world the halacha is to avoid groups of people

8. for mishloach manot, people should make do with the minimum of halachic requirements of two portions to two people, and should not send out a lot to a lot of people as might be done in normal years.

9. matanot laevyonim - two gifts to two poor people, and this year people should try to give more, and people should try to transfer via bank transfers rather than giving directly

10. yeshiva bochurim who normally go fundraising for the yeshiva "tatim" should not go this year but should make do with sending out requests by mail and telephone and request bank transfers.

11. all Purim parties should be cancelled. In all yeshivas and all institutions. Purim celebrations should be held only with immediate family at home.

12. People should get vaccinated as soon as possible and not listen to those who confuse the public taking responsibility for issues of pikuach nefesh against the daas torah and against halacha

  -- Deputy Minister Uri Maklev

The City of Tel Aviv is operating a mobile unit to drive around the city and vaccinate people at different locations. As incentive, they will be giving out pizza, coffee, cnafe, and chumus.

Ki MeTzion Teitzei Torah.

If it works, it works. Can't argue with results.

As stated elsewhere, I doubt this cholent or pizza would convince someone who is anti. However, there are plenty of people who are either waiting and not rushing into it or just not sure or just too lazy or busy or bother going to get it. For these people, a little incentive goes a long way. Also, this creates somewhat of a celebratory and party-like atmosphere and plays on people's FOMO.

And us freiers who got it too early got nothing for it (except avoiding quarantines for longer)

 

Gonen Segev is a former MK and Minister of the Israel government. Segev has been involved in numerous criminal activities, including being convicted in 2019 for spying for Iran. 

Segev claims that about a year and a half ago he started becoming frum, a baal tshuva - including performing mitzvos and learning with the rav of the prison.

However, Segev claims, petitioning the courts, despite having been granted permission to receive Badatz food, after a long process of requests, shortly after the permission was granted it was retracted. Segev complains that he does not understand why he has been denied the request, as the food he is requesting is not better quality than the standard food.  

The State and Prison Services response is that there is no need for the special Badatz foods, as the food supplied by the prison kitchen is all mehadrin already. They decided mehadrin is enough for Segev and he does not need Badatz, as they see he leads a religious life but not a Haredi lifestyle. They say that Segev himself has said he is not Haredi and he also said he does not really know the differences between the different hechsherim - because he takes out certain books form the prison library that are clearly not appropriate for Haredim, they have determined that he does not meet the qualifications and is not considered Haredi to be able to qualify for the Badatz food. Also, his behavior is not exemplary as he has disciplinary issues conflicting with his claims of leading a religious lifestyle. They say he should not have been granted the permission for the Badatz food and it was mistaken.

Segev responds that all those issues were old news, and no longer relevant, and now after the permission was granted he does not know why it was retracted as nothing has happened since then to make him not deserve it.

The judge ruled in Segev's favor that he should be granted the Badatz food as requested. The judge decided that the prison service has to supply the food to prisoners that meet certain criteria. Even though Segev doesn't meet the criteria 100%, due to some unclarity the application is unfair and the disciplinary issues were all old.

Basically, the judge decided Ronen Segev is Haredi enough to get Badatz food in prison

source: Haredim10

Sounds like a weird process. And the judge gets to determine who is Haredi and who is not. Nowadays I thought we each get to define ourselves in whatever way we self-identify. This is very not politically correct. Maybe prisoner benefits should be determined the same way social benefits are determined. How is one determined to be Haredi or Dati or Chiloni in general society for benefits and affirmative action and stipends and scholarships and whatnot? usually it is determined based on what schools the person went to. Sometimes it is not fair as a person might have gone to a school that no longer defines him by association, but that is how it usually works.

I am impressed though that a Haredi lifestyle in prison is determined, at least in part, by no disciplinary infractions. Good behavior is expected, or is part and parcel, of someone claiming to be Haredi.

According to Kikar, Rav Yehuda Silman, a prominent posek in Bnei Braq, has paskened that teachers  - both in boys and in girls schools, in yeshivas and in seminaries - can be forced to vaccinate.

Additionally, Rav Silman paskens that an employer can obligate his employees to vaccinate. A Rosh Yeshiva can force the talmidim in the yeshiva to vaccinate or not let them come back to learn.

On the other hand Rav Silman also paskened regarding an avreich who missed time in kollel because he caught COVID-19 after refusing to vaccinate. The question asked was if the kollel could deduct that time from the stipend of the avreich, as the missed time was his own fault as he could have vaccinated. Rav Silman paskened that it should not be deducted form his stipend but he should be given the full stipend, until after Pesach.

I don't know what changes happen after Pesach. Maybe he feels that right now it is ok to insist on not vaccinating but after Pesach enough time will have passed that everyone should be vaccinated by then and one who is not yet vaccinated by Pesach is truly negligent and at fault.

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