BS”D
Rosh Chodesh I’yar 5780, 15 B’Omer /April 24, 2020, [Matzav.com]
Lichvod the Wonderful Members of our Far Rockaway and Five Towns Community שיחיו,
We sincerely hope that this letter finds you all managing well under the current difficult circumstances, and we daven continuously that Hakadosh Boruch Hu send all Acheinu B’nei Yisroel the refuos, nechamos, and yeshuos for which we all so truly yearn.
There has recently been much discussion regarding the loosening of social distancing restrictions. We would like to specifically address herein the numerous calls and requests that have been presented to all our community Rabbonim regarding outdoor Minyanim.
Many individuals have been asking Rabbonim to demonstrate leadership by issuing clear guidelines for the establishment of safe outdoor Minyanim. We all understand that Tefilla Bi’Tzibbur is a crucial imperative for Klal Yisroel, especially in a time of crisis, and that davening together could provide us the זכויות and the connection that we so desperately need. People are requesting that Rabbonim, in conjunction with medical professionals, create guidelines for safe and legal Minyanim in our neighborhoods, with all participants wearing masks at safe distances, perhaps on separate properties, with safeguards in place to ensure that there is no significant risk.
We, the undersigned Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshivos, after much thought and careful consideration, feel obligated to communicate- in unequivocal terms- our united decision to reinforce our previous mandate, and bid our community against the creation of any Minyanim, as well as to cease unauthorized Minyanim. This includes porches, front-/backyard, Minyanim–with no exceptions whatsoever. We will continue to reassess and reanalyze this decision on a regular and ongoing basis as new developments unfold. [Matzav.com]
Pikuach Nefesh is the greatest imperative in the Torah, and overrides almost any other Mitzva. Although on an individual level it may be possible to safeguard against risk, it is impossible to allow the establishment of Minyanim across a community without also accepting the unavoidable violations of safety guidelines and inadvertent health risks that will inevitably result (especially with hundreds davening three times a day, every day). כל המקיים נפש אחת מישראל…כאילו קיים עולם מלא– סנהדרין לז. Easing the prohibition would be, at the very minimum, a Sa’fek Pi’kuach Nefesh that could endanger participants, and could increase the likelihood of illness and loss of life in our community, chalila vi’chas. And this simply cannot be allowed. At this point in time, this overarching principle is docheh the imperatives of Tefilla B’tzibbur, Aveilim reciting Kaddish, and many other Halachos. We call upon each and every member of our community to adhere to the safeguards that are essential for the protection of us all. Let us do our absolute utmost in following the Torah’s mandate of ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם. [Matzav.com]
Our responsibility to be proactive and vigilant against any possibility of health risk and sakanah extends to far more than just Minyanim. It should be obvious that if we have taken this extraordinary step of temporarily being mi’vatel Tefilla B’Tzibbur in order to save lives, we most certainly must be extra cautious when shopping and engaging in any other activity outside the home. We strongly urge our community to not only adhere scrupulously to all laws and protocols regarding social distancing, but also to exhibit extra zehirus and care to stay within your homes, and to limit any outside social interactions- even while wearing masks- to only that which is extremely important, absolutely necessary, and truly unavoidable. This includes avoiding trips into restaurants and other situations of potential exposure that are not truly essential.
We know that current conditions have been extremely difficult. We truly commiserate and are in constant deliberation how best to make the matzav more bearable. Please take comfort in the fact that, B’Ezras Hashem, your admirable efforts and sacrifices have made a dramatic difference: you have saved, and will IY”H continue to save, countless lives. [Matzav.com]
Yeyasher kochachem for all your tremendous concern, patience, and understanding.
!חזק חזק ונתחזק
We will get through this crisis together as a unified community, with abundant Siyata Dishmaya each and every day IY”H. Let us continue to give the Ribbono Shel Olam נחת רוח in carrying out Ratzon Hashem at this time, and merit to emerge from this crisis stronger and better than ever before. [Matzav.com]
With boundless love, profound care and concern, and sincere admiration for this incredible and special community,
56 Roshei Yeshivos and Rabbonim in the Five Towns/Far Rockaway/Bayswater Community, in alphabetical order: [Matzav.com]
R’ Shalom Axelrod
R’ Yaakov Bender
R’ Dovid Bender
R’ Hershel Billet
R’ Yisroel Meir Blumenkrantz
R’ Meyer Bodner
R’ Simcha Bondi
R’ Meir Braunstein
R’ Dov Bressler
R’ Moshe Brown
R’ Pinchas Chatzinoff
R’ Shaul Chill
R’ Ariel Edelstein
R’ Menachem Feifer
R’ Aaron Feigenbaum
R’ Eytan Feiner
R’ Yaakov Feitman
R’ Eliezer Feuer
R’ Tzvi Flaum
R’ Binyamin Forst
R’ Aryeh Zev Ginzberg
R’ Daniel Glatstein
R’ Dr. Aaron Glatt
R’ Nosson Greenberg
R’ Kenneth Hain
R’ Simcha Hopkovitz
R’ Yaakov Horowitz
R’ Naftali Jaeger
R’ Yudi Jeger
R’ Muttel Katz
R’ Moshe Zev Katzenstein
R’ Aryeh Lebowitz
R’ Simcha Lefkowitz
R’ Yoni Levin
R’ Avi Miller
R’ Motti Neuburger
R’ Uri Orlian
R’ Yechiel Yitzchok Perr
R’ Ephraim Polakoff
R’ Zvi Ralbag
R’ Isaac Rice
R’ Elysha Sandler
R’ Shay Schachter
R’ Yehuda Septimus
R’ Aaron Stein
R’ Asher Stern
R’ Mordechai Stern
R’ Moshe Teitelbaum
R’ Yaakov Trump
R’ Shmaryahu Weinberg
R’ Moshe Weinberger
R’ Pinchus Weinberger
R’ Akiva Willig
R’ Eliyahu Wolf
R’ Zalman Wolowik
R’ Mordechai Yaffe
{Matzav.com}
False letter
R ginzburg didn’t sign as well as others on this list
Yawn.
Is this the biggest problem facing klal yisroel? Is this the crime of the century? If it is, we are in great shape. B”H all of klal yisroel’s tzaros have ended. Davening with a legal safe backyard minyan on private property is the only tzara still left before Moshiach reveals himself. Wow. Amazing. Boy am I lucky to be living in such an elevated time for klal yisroel. At least we wont be hearing anymore about the former shidduch crisis, yeshiva crisis, tuition crisis, extravagant wedding crisis, long shaitel crisis, otd crisis, chalav stam crisis, almona crisis, yisomim crisis, unfiltered phone crisis, aguna crisis, getting into highschool crisis, parnasa crisis, etc… We only have the nasayon of all nisyonos: the backyard minyan crisis!!! If we can only resist this tremendous yetzer horah, we will go straight to Olam Haba lineitzach nitzachim.
What a nebach on the person who wrote this comment making as if this is the only crisis. How dare you mock the families who lost people by making as if its all about minyanim. Insensitive and incredibly shallow.
All of klal yisroel is yearning to answer amein yehay shmay rabba, to hear krias hatorah, to daven with the power of a minyan. Those making these minyanim want to feel that they are better or that they figured out how to and the rest who are sitting at home are …… I don’t know what.
Those daveing at any minyan at all will need to beg the RBSO for mechila for all the teffilos they missed during the magayfa because any minyan formed against the wishes of daas torah was and is a mitzva haboh beavayra and they not only got no credit for davening, they did an avayra. How sad.
Hopefully Hashem has rachmanus on them and when the rest of the world is allowed back to shul they don’t suffer anything that prevents them from joining us in shul.
I hope that all of the non-minyan complainers are as Machpid on filing accurate tax returns as they are with davening in a minyan.
Very misleading. Many chosheve Rabbonim there didn’t sign and actually hosted very safe minyonim and some of those who did have privately endorsed the safe minyonim but signed under pressure. Still waiting for the letter about the cleaning ladies that are coming into houses and the unsafe practices of many shoppers.
It is reported elsewhere that R GinsbergS family permitted the use of his name on the letter. Like it or not Pikuach Nefesh is an overriding consideration that dictates that we not Daven btzibur now .woukd you want to blow shofar on RH that comes out in Shabbos because of a similar cheshbon that your Avodas HShem is enhanced by blowing Shofar? There are major Gdolei Torah whose Psak is the basis of this letter so one can argue that the headline and your letter both are illustrativecof what happens one has a misplaced sense of Avodas HsShem
What about rabbiS kalish,Rubin,frankel,spiegel,kaminetsky, groner
Rav moshe wolfson a senior godol divrei chizuk on tefila last night . Easy yiddish 718.559.6665.prompt 5 prompt 0 worth listening
If someone’s Rabbi is on the list and signed they should follow.
@ Redd; also Rav Leib Rand, Rav Yaakov Reisman, Rav Dovid Fordsham, Rav Moshe Kaufman, Rav Shmuel Witkin. When you break it down, it’s about 50/50.
Editor, please don’t post my last comment as I believe it sounds too harsh
Thank you
what has happened to this velt
it seems to be forged as well
We are not willign to rely on kulos on pikuach nefesh.
We are as machmir s can be
it is amazing how all those being critical have turned this into such a negative thing. davening with a minyan is so important no doubt! but at the end of the day most of those kvetching are those who kvetch whatever rabbanim say. get a life! stay home and connect with Hashem! if you cannot stay frum while davening alone that is a much bigger problem. many tzaddikim davened beyichudius as well as many regular folk for hundreds of years depending on where they lived, and many other factors. stop taking the bait of the yetzer hara to make this into an issue and just listen even if your personal opinion is the rabbanim are overreacting. everyone should be safe and well
Let’s speak out the pure Emes: no one in this world has a right to issue a blanket prohibition on a mitzvah, not the government according to the US Constitution, not the rabonim according to Halachah. No, we don’t have a situation where davening with a minyan equals death chas vesholom. It is very much possible to set up a social distancing minyan where virus transmission is close to impossible. It is possible to make minyanim of strictly people who are currently infected. It is possible to make minyanim with people who are recovered-immune. All kinds of options are out there. All this possibilities, even without looking into the endgame, and without discussing the herd immunity. These rabonim are not Sanhedrin, in fact no one in our days has a real Smicha from Moshe Rabeinu; we don’t have to obey this obviously anti-halachic ruling. Let’s be don lechaf zchus; these rabonim may have been grossly misinformed by the “experts” or may have been forced by other cheshbonos – but we are Ovdei H, and not even a novi can cancel a mitzvah. If we give up our rights now, there’ll be no end to this – our shuls will be shut down every flu season. Don’t give up. Keep up Milchmemes H!
Do you think you know better than all of these rabonnim? The gedolim of every city are saying this is pikuach nefesh but you joe shmo know halacha better than them and can pasken against hundreds of rabonim from every city in America? If it was assur to shut down minyanim, I think these rabbanim with thousands of years worth of torah under their belts and a bigger love of mitzvos than any of us would know. Why is your comment anonymous? Speak up, fighter of “milchemes Hashem”, tell us who the godol is that can stand as the daas yochid against this giant list of rabbonim, and all the others who said it is time to stay home.
Is Tefila Btzibur as important as Pikuach Nefesh? Tefilah Btzibur on any day is not a Mitzvah Chiyuvis as Bris Milah . Would you blow Shofar on RH that came out on Shabbos ?if you think that Tefilah Btzibur is as important as Pikuach Nefesh you are simply mistaken in what tales priority in Halacha Moreover many Poskim disagree as to whether any so called porch minyan are halachically proper
Is davening with s minyan a “Mitzvah” on the same level as either Bris Milah which we do on Shabbos or Tekias Shofar which we don’t do on RH which come out on Shabbos? If you think that Tefilah BTzibur except possibly on Yom Tov according to Ramban is a Mitzvah Chiyuvis of any sort you are sadly mistaken .WADR anyone who participates in any suchminyan is ensuring that we will all be home for Shabbos all day that much longer because their mistaken sense of Avodas HaShem runs contrary to the overriding Halacha of Pikuach Nefesh
I don’t know what religion you follow
If you don’t think that Pikuach Nefesh is Doche Tefilah Btzibur then you are at worst both ignorant and think you know more than a Halacha psukah in the Gemara Rambam and SA and substituting your values in place of what Halacha Is in black and white RChaim Brisker ZL described such as apikorsus and Am Haaratzus
Tefila b’tibur is not a mitzvas aseh, nor a full chiyuv midirabanan. If there is a good reason not to daven in minyan there is no aveirah for not davening b’tzibbur, and you don’t even need to say al cheit on Yom Kippur for it. Their are many gemoros that discuss various Amoraim that davened b’ychidus for varios different reasons, and pikuach nefesh as well as the risk of causing the goyim to hate us are definitely good reasons not to daven b’tzibbur. So your comparison to being mivatel a mitzva is way off the mark. Besides, your deep distrust and disrespect for our Rabonim and Poskim is astonishing. Doing things on your own opinion and running your own program is definitely not Milchemes Hashem. Hashem gave us the torah and He wrote in it that you should follow ”Hashofeit asher yiyah bayamim haheim” without questioning. Its our Rabbonim and Poskim who know the ”pure emes”, not you. Its very sad to read a comment like this especially from someone who sounds intelligent.
Thanx for the info. I was always brainwashed that I MUST daven Teffila bitzibbur at all costs. Otherwise x y and z was going to happen to me and my future doros. Now, based on what you’re saying, it’s not true and nisht geferlach. No big deal to daven biyechidus. Now, once this thing is over and the Shuls reopen, I don’t need to show up again. I can continue to daven with my kids in the dinning. I say to my Shul, hasta lavista baby.
Rabbi Kamenetzky did not sign as he is not the Rav of a shul.
What is next on their punch list ?
Metzizah B’Peh ?
where does this collaboration end??????
Being that is pekuach nefashos to daven with a minyan and htherefore it is not permitted at all, is it also assur at all costs to go shopping??? If there are guidelines which permit “kosher shopping” why can’t we have strict guidelines for minyanim??? Davening at a time of tzara is a deoraysa…. most hold that is when a minyan is needed…. if so, can we work to set up rules for kosher minyanim. Organized, designed, monitored minyanim…
By the way Rabbi Wolfsons shule in Boro park has all minyanim. Limit is 1 person per table. 50 tables, 50 people…
backyard minyanim in BP which follow the ditsancing guidelines are daveikng all the time. Tfiillah btzibur can be done when done ight…and some of those who need to say kaddish can benefit as well.
Please tell me how the virus can be spread by davening with a porch minyan where everyone is on their own porch only? The bigger problem is where there is a disagreement between Poskim is whether you can say the shatz & lain in such minyanim. But if everyone keeps the rules & stays on their own porch & doesn’t go to other people’s porches unless the porches are very close to each other no risk in spreading the virus. As far as Rabbonim on this list is concerned people should call the Rabbonim who signed to ask if they actually signed or was their name used without permission.
During the yimei ha’sefirah, we prepare for Matan Torah by remembering daily the tragedy that befell Klall Yisroel when 24,000 baalei ha’mesorah, tzadikim, milamdim, the carriers of Torah she’baal peh through which the bris haTotah was made. The lesson of their deaths, for all generations, is that the way to prepare for Matan Torah is through Kovod HaTorah. The Rabbonim (many if not all) of the FTs, of Lakewood, of Brooklyn, Chicago, Baltimore, Jackson, Toms River, Houston, Bnei Brak, and Yerushalayim have virtually unanimously strongly discouraged these minyanim except under very strict guidelines. All of these rules exclude ANY indoor minyanim and inviting outsiders to even outdoor (porch) minyanim. It would seem that we are being tested in our ability to express Kovod for our baalei mesorah.