Hagaon HaRav Shmuel Kaminetzky, the Philadelphia Rosh Yeshiva, has released a letter stating that he was never asked anything about a COVID vaccine.
HaRav Kaminetzky released the letter in response to a false Kol Koreh widely disseminated in his and the names of other Gedolim.
The Rosh Yeshiva writes that everyone should consult with their own doctor and follow their instructions.
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10 Responses
The rabbi tells everyone to consult their own doctors about the vaccine? He stole that idea from me.
Who are these crooked folks who put out forged signatures of gedolim on letters that contain nothing but their own opinions?? They need to be found, knassed, publicly humiliated and put into cheirum.
Correction: He does not say he was never asked anything in this regard; he says he never paskened anything in this regard. I don’t think it matters; I just think we should quote our gedolim precisely… especially when everyone can literally read the freaken letter for themselves above, gosh.
This type of fake-Kol Koreh with unauthorized signatures has become a repeated behavior, a minhag of a shor mu-od. This is not the first fake Kol Koreh nor will it be the last.
It undermines all Kol Koreh, because just as this one was faked, all others become suspect.
It means that the authors were NOT the gedolim but rather a group of baryonim that seek to further their agenda by USING gedolim as their weapons! Gedolim are not tools! Using them as tools id the opposite of kovod haTorah.
But one must also wonder why the remaining gedolim would allow their name to be used once they are aware of the fraud?!
If the Kol Koreh is partially fraudulent, ALL the remaining must disassociate themselves from it!!! DO not remain in Adas Korach! Do not be associated with the meraglim!
Separate yourselves from sheker and tumah or be known as facilitators!
This is a shanda. A shanda on the publishers of this Kol Koreh and a shanda on the Rabbonim that do not remove their support of these evil people.
It is imperative that this forgery be investigated. Our community has been hit with forgeries similar to this in the past. And it risks casting doubts over the statements of the Gedolei Yisroel that are true. How can we trust such letters, kol korehs, etc.? This recent letter accomplishes removing the misattributed validity to the earlier letter. But the next letter from any Gadol will (and perhaps should) be questioned. Our trust is shaken.
I hope that something useful is done here to catch the perpetrators. I do not know the intricacies to know how to bring them to justice, either in beis din or in court. But these rogues must be stopped.
I heard in the name of Rabbi Willig that you’re mecuyav to take the vaccine
These “kok korehs” have become the frum version of “FAKE” news, where various factions seek to promote their own view of what halacha requires on matters of serious public policy debate. There have been multiple episodes where chashuvah rabbonim and askanim are listed as signatories to a kol koreh, only to find out later they were clueless on what they were signing or never even authorized their signatures to be included. Whether its a Lipa Schmeltzer concert, social distancing in shul or requiring a vaccine for students in yeshivas, ask your local Rav for guidance but then apply COMMON SENSE before you make a decision.
Well that’s a punt. SHould people consult with their rav or rebbi?
So is it just imprecise wording that this letter only speaks to vaccines for “cholei hokarona”- meaning people that already have the virus? I hope so… it would seem like nonsense for several reasons if that was actually the intent.
@Alyosha Karamazov: The letter says “al CHOLI haCorona” which means “on/for the ‘Corona sickness.'” Although one could easily misread “CHOLI haCorona” as “CHOLEI haCorona.” The copy isn’t so clear.