Q&A: Prayer in an Open Area or in a Synagogue
Prayer in an Open Area or in a Synagogue
Question
Hello Rabbi,
It seems to me that my question got missed:
Given the Health Ministry’s view that gatherings should be limited to 20 people, even though that was not adopted by the government, is it proper to hold (and call for holding) prayer quorums outdoors instead of in the synagogue?
It’s true that this is a “stringency” beyond the guidelines, and specifically in an important area like prayer, but it seems that the government’s decisions in recent weeks have been driven only by “trying to annoy as few people as possible,” and in light of that, should one consider adopting a “stringency” in accordance with the Health Ministry’s position?
Answer
There is no clear line here. Even the Health Ministry has no clear criterion that can explain why it should be 20 specifically and not 30 or 15. You can be stringent if you are very concerned.
Discussion on Answer
I do not see any necessity. In any case, nobody other than the government has any influence over this.
If influential rabbis, both in the Haredi public and in the Religious Zionist public, were to call for this, wouldn’t that have an effect?
The question is whether it is right for the public as a whole to be stringent about this in order to reduce the spread of the epidemic (I personally have very little influence on that).