The Rabbanim of the Har Nof neighborhood, which is suffering from a high coronavirus infection rate, issued a psak on Wednesday, calling on residents to refrain from saying all the Kinos for Tisha B’Av at shul in order to minimize the amount of time spent with others in an enclosed space.
“Each person should daven and read Megillas Eichah in a minyan and shorten the recitation of the Kinos at shul and continue reciting them at home,” the Rabbanim paskened.
The letter stated: “We’ve been informed that the authorities are seeking to enforce a complete lockdown on Har Nof and with the efforts of askanim they agreed to push it off if the residents take the responsibility upon themselves to avoid spreading the virus, which can lead to fatalities, r’l.”
The letter continued by imploring residents to adhere to health ministry regulations and then issuing the psak about minimizing the recitation of Kinos in shul.
The letter was signed by a number of chashuve Rabbanim, including HaRav Dovid Yosef, Chaver Motetzes Chachmei HaTorah (Shas), HaRav Nissin Shlomo Kaplan, Rosh Yeshivah of Daas Aharon and Rav Yitzchak Mordechai Rubin, the Rav of Kehillas Bnei Torah.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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Seems that davening with a minyan on Tisha b’Av almost ceased to exist in Har Nof. Most of the shuls were nearly empty. On the night of Tish b’Av, the famous Boston Chassidic Center of the Bostoner Rebbe Shlita had about 25 mispalelim compared to the many hundreds who usually flock to hear the Rebbe’s very special rendition of Eicha, packing the building without a spare inch. Even in the central shtibel of Har Nof, Imrei Shefer, there were only a few hundred who came to daven. The damage that COVID-19 is causing to Klal Yisroel is untold.