I think that an explanation of the signed letter by a group of Rabbis that included all YIW Rabbis is in order. (To view that letter please click here) We are continuing to recommend praying at home without a Minyan. Why? It is no longer illegal in anywhere NY State by executive order of the governor:
“Executive Order 202.10 has been modified to allow religious gatherings of ten or fewer individuals provided that social distancing protocols and cleaning and disinfection protocols required by the department of health”
The OU/RCA document recommending a 14 day period of waiting following any Governor’s executive decree is based on an item that appeared in Dr Glatt’s report found in his weekly update: “The CDC May 15th updated guidelines state that the incubation period for COVID-19 extends to 14 days, with a median time of 4-5 days from exposure to symptom onset. 97.5% of persons with COVID-19 develop symptoms within 11.5 days of infection”
Please take note that the Halachic authorities guiding the OU include four people: Rav Hershel Schacter, Rav Mordechai Willig, Rav Asher Weiss, and Rav Dovid Cohen. The latter actually encouraged keeping Shuls opening on the Shabbos after Purim when we closed. He felt, that communal prayer is a powerful weapon for a believing Jew. We all believe that.
At present, he clearly understands matters differently. For him in particular it takes a lot of courage to take a different position about how we should conduct ourselves today. I am certain that he still believes, as do all of us in the power of communal prayer.
So why do we encourage people to avoid it at this time? Dr Glatt also shared the following in his letter:
“A new analysis from the Urban Health Collaborative at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University says nearly 250,000 people in the nation’s 30 largest cities are alive today because of strict stay-at-home orders issued by local and state governments. Stay-at-home orders likely reduced the number of coronavirus deaths by 232,878 and prevented 2.1 million people from requiring hospitalization. Wow. This analysis showed what might have happened had Americans not taken the drastic social distancing steps ordered and encouraged over the last few months. We in our communities have certainly seen the evidence of this with our own eyes as boruch Hashem we successfully flattened the curve. But we must remain unbelievably vigilant that it doesn’t come back with a vengeance.“
Rav Meir Twersky of YU has written two lengthy responsa urging great caution before returning to communal prayer. He has pointed out that the medical community, while highly professional, still do not understand this virus and its behavior and consequences fully. They have had to retract previously held theories. I heard one very competent Orthodox Jewish doctor declare about ten weeks ago: “I would rather have Corona than the flu”. At the time that he said it, he was correct. Today, he is among those urging us to stay away from prayer gatherings at this moment.
In an earlier letter, I quoted some highly competent infectious disease specialists of international renown. They include the Dutch doctor who did the most significant work on the Ebola disease. They write about the unknown, but of the possible. People who have had the virus and who have recovered may still have long lasting affects on their cardio vascular systems and their renal systems. These could be life-threatening effects.
Is there a way to have a gathering of 10 people for prayer services and be safe? From all that I have read, I believe it is possible to have a safe gathering for prayer. What has to happen is that there is appropriate social distancing, everyone wearing a face mask, everyone bringing their own prayer paraphernalia. If there is a Torah scroll, only one person can stand with it, i.e. the reader, and possibly, it’s advisable to start from Nishmas on Shabbos/YT or Yishtabach on weekdays and continue until the end. The earlier parts of the service should be said privately before arriving. At the conclusion there should be no socializing, and everyone should just return home.
In fact, I believe that according to the guidelines of the Agudah, such a service is possible and may be conducted today. I want to emphasize that I believe that those guidelines are responsible guidelines. The OU/RCA guidelines differ. They too, are responsible. We at YIW are following the latter guidelines.
From my point of view. if one of our members chooses to join a minyan that complies fully with the governor’s criteria, he knows how to safely conduct himself safely. I have included guidelines for such services in this letter because I share in the desire to do so myself and I suspect that they will take place.. At present that is not our recommendation. I think full compliance as indicated above, is the safest choice. But, I understand the need of a devout Jew to have communal services. I want to be clear. I am not endorsing such services.I will not attend any services until our doctors and halachic authorities recommend them. But, I understand the need that some people have for them.
All responsible organizations are trying to do their very best to protect their constituents. None of us really knows if our choices are the best choices. The medical community does not know if there will be a second wave. They do not know how vicious or benign that wave might be. In the 1918 flu pandemic there were two additional waves. Each more vicious than the previous wave. That pandemic killed over 100,000,000 people. It only went away when the flu virus mutated to a less virulent form. In 1920 when it went away, there was no flu vaccine.
So to summarize, we are only trying to do our best. We do not know if our guidance is absolutely correct. We do know that what we are recommending is safe. We join with the rest of our people and all good people and pray that this will be over as soon as possible. And may we be blessed to return to our shuls, to tefila betzibur and to a vibrant social life with our dear families, friends and community members once again.
RHB
