Any men who fail to wear a mask in the Chareidi city of Elad will no longer be able to receive an Aliyah to the Torah or serve as a shaliach tzibur.
The decision was reached at an emergency meeting of all the Rabbanim of the city on Monday, headed by the Rav of Elad, Harav Mordechai Malka, due to the alarming rise of coronavirus cases in the city in recent days.
“Whoever is not mapkid on ‘V’nishmartem’ transgresses a din in the Torah b’meizid,” Rav Malka said to the Rabbanim. “It’s assur to give him an Aliyah l’Torah or have him serve as a Shaliach Tzibur and you should be mapkid not to allow him in shul.”
“Just like one is mapkid on davening in a minyan and the other mitzvos, one must be mapkid on [wearing a] mask.”
מחשש לגל שני, הגר"מ מלכה רב העיר אלעד כינס את כל רבני הקהילות בעיר והזהיר: "מי שמסתובב בלי מסיכה עובר על ונשמרתם, אסור להעלותו לתורה ולשמש כשליח ציבור". pic.twitter.com/D3lo0sfukq
— תפארת המזרח (@yqy30YMtmcgNAjb) June 22, 2020
Rav Malka also requested that the Rabbanim speak to the members of their shuls and communities about the importance of adhering to health regulations.
The number of virus cases in Elad has doubled in the past week and news reports on Tuesday afternoon indicate that it may be declared as a “restricted area” by the government on Tuesday night.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
No mask, no Aliyah? Trump will not be happy about this.
If only we could clone Rav Malka in every shul and beis medrash in EY and the U.S. The benefits of the mask, however limited, more than outweigh the “inconvenience” unless you are an avid libertarian. Even Bibi has been vocal and consistent about masks and social distancing in contrast to the leadership void we have here in the U.S.
Nice try but, do masks work with beards?
@Gadolhadorah
i am really impressed with your apparent ego, based on your name.
Some people are so infused with hatred of President Trump they bend every story to bring Trump into it.
Lat me clarify;
1, Covid started in China.
2, Trump was called xenophobic when he banned flights from China.
3, As we all realize, many among us are not wearing masks or wearing them improperly.
4, There are now Covid outbreaks confirmed to have been spread by Liberal demonstrations , try to blame Trump again.
Masks compromise our oxygen level within 2 min. For some people it lowers it to dangerous levels. Why should we worry about other people’s safek Sakana .more than our vaday sakana.
The Rav of Elad must have suffered a memory lapse, since he forgot to even make mention of all important “Social Distancing”, even-though it is a Machlokes Acharonim, if it is 6 feet or 2 meters [which is more like 8 feet] but according to all Shittos, social Distancing is so absolutely paramount.
No alyiah and no sha”tz?
DON’T LET HIM INTO THE SHUL !
@ Applejuice, Is this backed up with data? Healthy people would just breath more often, I doubt your facts.
@ 147, A meter is approximately 39 inches, 2 meters is 78.4 inches. Not worth distinguishing between.
You can talk yourself blue, distance helps.
it is a Machlokes Acharonim, if it is 6 feet or 2 meters [which is more like 8 feet]
Only if you use the Chazon Ish’s meters.
AppleJuice, the Israeli guidelines plainly excuse people with breathing issues from wearing masks, and psakim plainly advise them not to attend shul. As for the rest, maybe it’s just me but yeah, it was a bit of a strain at age 66 to wear a mask while leining three double parshiot outdoors at maximum volume so that people three balconies up could hear. Mamish a violation of my rights…
With all due respect the Rav is in error medically and scientifically of course this will please the Israeli Authorities who want people to do this but fundamentally much evidence exists is that extended masks usage is detrimental to peoples health and even more so if they have an existing respiratory condition.