By COLlive reporter
Rabbi Yitzchok Yehuda Yaroslavsky, who heads the Chabad Beis Din in Israel and is considered the top halachic authority for Chabad in the Holy Land, released an unequivocal letter instructing the public to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
Rabbi Yaroslavsky, who has recovered from coronavirus, wrote a public letter to members of his community in the Nachlas Har Chabad neighborhood in Kiryat Malachi.
He said that adherent to the Torah’s rule to “guard yourselves,” entrance to local Chabad shuls will only be permitted to people who have been vaccinated or can provide a document of recovering from it.
“Those who have not been vaccinated and don’t have a recovery (antibodies) document should continue davening in the open courtyard shuls etc. and not be allowed to enter the regular shuls,” he stated.
Rabbi Yaroslavsky said that those working with the public, such as staff of the educational institutions and members of the kollel, must be vaccinated as well.
“The need to be vaccinated isn’t elective but mandatory according to Torah,” he stated in Tuesday’s letter. “Do not be clever with all sorts of different and strange opinions that have no basis in reality.”
He went on to warn that those who don’t get vaccinated and convince others to do the same should be wary of the day of judgment and are causing bloodshed.
Smart, brave man
Rabbi yeruslavski is a real Rov
He’s willing to come out with a psak
din that’s open and clear
That’s real leadership
Thank you Rabbi.
Everyone should be able to make their own decision about whether to take this experimental pharmaceutical product. And those who take the vax have nothing to fear because they are supposedly protected, according to them!
This is not a halachic matter but a scientific matter. I didn’t know this rabbi was a scientist, to take sides in medical debates.
Thank u for speaking up!
Dear Mr./Mrs “didn’t know this rabbi was a scientist”,
Your condescending tone really irks me.
Regardless of your opinion regarding the necessity to vaccinate, your blatant dismissal of the capability of a Rov to weigh in on these matters is very worrisome. It shows a complete lack of trust in Hashem and ignores the protocol that the Rebbe laid out for us for when one is in a medical quandary.
I wish you the best of luck and hope that you regain clarity and learn to navigate life as a Jew.
In this matter it is not really an objective da’as torah but influenced by political factors. Torah states:ונשמרתם מאוד לנפשותיכם
One must be very vigilant about their life and health. Taking a vaccine that has clear medical and scientific dangers and no proof for its efficacy is actually against Torah in that you are risking your life. To force others to risk their lives is super audacious
Everything stated here is influenced by political factors, too.
The scientific community disagrees with this comment. There is more known of the vaccine than these extreme opinions state. Being life and death, such a ruling, in the name of saving lives is accurate.
you need herd immunity for vaccine to work
You need herd immunity to eradicate a virus, not for it to work…. and besides pfizer and moderna and the like didn’t test if it reduces transmission, just if it reduces symptoms. So basically its therapeutic. In that case – EVEN if it works and is safe – it will help you, but not necessarily others. So whats the point of forcing people to take it? Those who – according to the way they believe – take it, will be safe and those who refuse it, will be at risk. So mandating it is useless, because a room of fully… Read more »
If only people would care for the truth
For some strange reason, many people do not listen to their doctor. They should. It’s called ego. People think they know enough about the vaccine to decide to get it or not to get it.
I know a lot, but I respect my doctor knows a lot more than me. The told me to get it. Nuff said.
Hashem sent us messengers to help us make decisions. Everyone has their own opinion, however, this rov obviously looked into it and ruled that everyone must vaccinate in order to enter.
The Rebbe clearly said in many letters to vaccinate (in one letter it says that even if it wasn’t proven to work well you should still get it). I don’t understand how a Lubavitcher Chasid can be an anti vax.
A clear unequivocal message to ALL.
Kol Hakavod!
Or one that has antibodies
This is the real magayfa! The Torah clearly dictates how to do deal with public health crisis This virus is not a public health crisis. Look at the other pandemics that affected mankind over the last 250 years…many of them killed upwards of 3% of the population (the equivalent to 10M deaths in America) The only thing that is halfway reliable regarding this virus are the raw baseline statistics. The statistics show that: 1. 1-3% of the population is at risk to go to the hospital in connection to the virus. More than 97% of those who contract the virus… Read more »
Ya the virus isnt a public health crisis… what garbage! The reason why many more people havent died is because science, yes science knows MORE. We have more equipment now then we did 100 years ago or even 10 years ago. It should have NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with politics. People like YOU get me and other people that know what they are talking about angry. People that dont live in a frum community which yes the media is focusing on and giving them a bad name, because it just doesn’t exist by you apparently. Its all selfish. just… Read more »
Exactly which part of the Torah define how much testing a vaccine requires? I must have missed that chapter. Also, based on my clearly uninformed understanding, I am under the impression that protecting human life is the most important thing. I guess your interpretation is that living normally during a rampant pandemic is in fact more important. You think you’re smarter than God and the Rabbis. I believe this makes you an Apikores
…if you believe in God decline their jab and everything that comes out of their lab…
This is so so sad. Hashen should bless everyone with clarity. Moshiach now!
Truth be told, its beyond sad…
.
If you don’t want to vaccinate, don’t!. But, please please do not put down and criticize the p’sak of a Rav who is trying desperately to keep brothers and sisters from going on ICU ventilators.
Its not right, its not fair….its beyond selfish !
From Purim 2019 – The unvaccinated can’t come to shul (shavuos was an exception for some reason)
From Purim 2020 – No one can come to shul (shavuos was an exception)
From Purim 2021 – the unvaccinated can’t come to shul.
From Purim 2022 – (I’m praying for Moshiach!)
Sorry to burst your bubble, but the world doesn’t revolve around you. However, I’m not surprised, being that you’re the type of person with the propensity to believe weird things (anti vax bluff), that would also make you the type of person to believe in your comment. “Shomer pesayim Hashem”.
Why is this story newsworthy? As americans this has no bearing on a huge percentage of the US. And this article isn’t really pertinent most.
The anti vax is a tiny minority. And the world doesn’t revolve around them yet these articles get most comments. They are the biggest stories. Why put them in the spotlight?
Im sure u realize that without one Jew we aren’t whole. So it isn’t fine to leave 100s of Jews out of Shul, for such reasons.
The unvaccinated can’t come to shul (shavuos was an exception for some reason)
From 2019. Where? corona was not around.
Obviously doctors hold the greatest authority when it comes to health related matters, so everyone should get vaccinated for that reason alone. But it’s awesome to see a Chabad Rabbi coming forward and demand the same thing.
Which doctors?
When the Rabbis ask the doctors – the question is – did the doctors become scientists too? Because sometimes a layman can know things – by reading and doing his own research – and the doctor may have glossed over the infornation – (as he “TRUSTS” the vaccine makers) – but he didn’t do his research anywhere near as well as the layman! And the Rabbi asks that doctor – who ay not have done much REAL research – and so it goes….. in this case it is a never before invented type of process and each should still do… Read more »
The difference between you and a doctor is, that a doctor knows and understands how the body works and how medicine works. The layman you speak about doesn’t, as everyone understands, just reading a few articles doesn’t mean you know anything. There’s a reason why doctors spend a few years just learning about the body and how medicine works. To illustrate this further, if someone isn’t feeling well, and a layman comes and gives a diagnosis based on a few articles he read, you still wouldn’t accept his diagnosis as final, rather you would go to the doctor for his… Read more »
There’s a reason doctors go through 8 years of schooling before even beginning to practice, and it’s not just about cramming knowledge. Doctors don’t only learn anatomy and chemistry facts, they also learn the scientific method, and how to read, interpret, and critique scientific literature.
In fact, there is a huge emphasis placed on critically analyzing published research, even in undergrad. And that’s important, because scientific literature is kind of it’s own language.
So yes, I would definitely trust a doctor, who is specifically trained in analyzing research and coming to their own conclusions, over most any layman.
The halachah says to ask a rov and a doctor when it comes to Pikuach nefesh. It does not say ask a layman no matter how well he may think he has researched things. For these things we need seyata dishmaya and that comes from following halachah. Anyone advocating their own lay opinions or contradicting a respected and accepted more horo’oh is not doing that…. This was also our Rebbe’s advice. Ask a doctor androv. Not lay people who research via Google. .. (Next we are going to hear the world is flat – there is a site on Google… Read more »
I have been vaccinated, but his last statement was very upsetting to me. I agree that if they don’t want to be vaccinated, they should wear masks and wash their hands, keep distance and be respectful of those that are fearful. They may have other reasons for being fearful. But it to accuse people of bloodshed and warnings of judgment day does not sit well with me. Chabad does not engage in fire and brimstone religion. Ahavas yisroel should be stressed. We have a loving Gd. Not a punishing Gd. This was a very surprising statement from a man I… Read more »
BH! Glad to see and hear.
Ignoring science will not protect the stupid from prematurely entering Gan eden.
people are still getting sick and still dying.
Because of all you deniers who advocate life as normal. You may not know you’re infected but hey, not your problem is it? It’s everyone else’s who gets sick or RL dies.
But the answer to you over this psak is simple. Don’t go to shul. Find 9 others who feel like you and make your own minyan.
JUST KEEP AWAY FROM THE REST OF US.
exactly dont complain if you cant go to shul after you didnt listen to the rabonim and doctors.
go find your own world. dont make the rest of us sick
My family will NEVER take this or any vaccine. Why do the powers that be want you to take a vaccine for a virus with a 99% survival rate? Think about that. Pure tyranny ordered by control freaks…
You like polio chicken pox measles
My grandson was not vaccinated he almost died,if you are not completely crazy Vacinate your family!