Showing posts with label psak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psak. Show all posts

Sep 2, 2020

Interesting Psak: Yeshivas shouldn't test talmidim for Corona

The numbers were bound to skyrocket quickly as the kids went back to school and the boys went back to yeshiva. I don't think anybody did not expect this to happen.
 
The result of the spiking numbers s an interesting psak by Rav Chaim Kanievsky.

Until now we have heard of individual rosh yeshivas, community rabbis, and Hassidic leaders instructing their students and followers to not get tested, so as to not put the yeshiva or community at risk of being shut down or forced into closure because of too many Corona infections. This approach has been widely criticized, but it has not gone away. 

In Professor Roni Gimzu's approach to fighting Corona, known as the traffic light model (approved by the Corona Cabinet this past week), cities will be classified as red, orange, yellow or green, depending on the levels of Corona spreading in the city. Depending on the classification, the city will be treated accordingly with different restrictions, obviously with red having the strictest restrictions. One of the lesser known aspects of the traffic light model is that if a city has too little testing, it gets tagged as red, even with a low number of corona positives - so the approach of "not testing" to avoid detection and classification should not be rewarded.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky today paskened that yeshiva, referring specifically to yeshiva gedolas with dormitories, should no longer get their students tested. Rav Kanievsky explained that the testing causes tremendous bittul torah, with thousands of talmidim who are not at risk being forced into quarantine. Rav Kanievsky has added that this applies to dormitory yeshivas who should stay "closed" until after Yom Kippur, with nobody coming in or out and the boys staying in yeshiva throughout the zman until Yom Kippur including all the Shabbosses (shabbatot). Essentially he is telling them to quarantine all together in the yeshiva without testing, instead of testing and some boys being sent home or to Corona Hotels. Obviously staff members and rebbeim who are in a high risk category should all be careful to keep their distance from the students.

I get his opinion, especially if he is telling them to all basically quarantine in yeshiva anyway. t almost seems harmless, unless you think the yeshivas dont really have a way to control it and stop boys from leaving or coming back. Some probably do and some probably don't,

The bigger question is how this will affect the nation and the decisions to be mad eon further restrictions. I am worried that with no testing in yeshivas, it will have an adverse affect on the decision to be made regarding a closure fo the holidays. They will decide that the numbers are no longer reliable and there is too much unknown. Without a closure all those untested yeshiva boys, many of whom likely have corona or will contract it soon while locked up together  will come home after Yom Kippur and on Sukkos will infect their grandparents and uncles and aunts and other at risk family members. 

I am concerned that this decision by Rav Kanievsky will almost gaurantee a government decision for a full closure over the holidays.





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Jul 28, 2020

Interesting Psak: when to not fast on Tisha B'Av

Just yesterday Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau released his psak of how to behave on Tisha B'Av in the shadow of CoronaVirus.

Slightly different is the psak of the dual Chief Rabbis of Bnei Braq, Rabbis Shevach Rosenblatt and Chaim Yitzchak Landau.

the Chief Rabbis of Bnei BRaq published a letter with their guidance on how to act on Tisha B'Av this year.

the main points and differences from Rabbi Lau are:

Everyone should be extra cautions, wear masks, wash hands, keep distance, etc

On Tisha B'Av itself one can use alcogel on his hands as that is not washing but is disinfecting, and especially in light of the danger it is allowed. They do not say anything about washing hands with soap on Tisha B'Av - presumably they are of the opinion one should not, except perhaps in a situation of clear danger, but that is just my assumption based on its absence.

Tisha B'Av is a more stringent fast than many of the others, so, upon consultation with God Fearing doctors:
Anyone healthy and over bar/bat mitzva, even if in quarantine, must fast
Anyone who tested positive for CoronaVirus but has no symptoms at all, must fast
Anyone who has symptoms, even light symptoms, must NOT fast
Anyone fasting and over the course of the day develops symptoms, such as fever, coughing, achy muscles, loss of taste and smell, etc, must break the fast and eat (how is he going to know if he lost the sense of taste?)
Anyone who has suffered from CoronaVirus over the past two months in a serious way, such as with pneumonia or shortness of breath, should NOT fast even if right now he has no symptoms

Stay healthy and may our mourning turn to joy






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