This Past Shabbos in Crown Heights…

To my dear Crown Heights neighbors,

I am so saddened by the news each day. I’m not referring to global news but rather the news in our community. Each day, I read about the countless people taken to the hospital, the ever-growing Tehillim list, the unfortunate passings of our dear community neighbors.

But there’s something that gives me hope; the boundless chesed that goes on these days; the leadership of our community giving chizuk; the support from the different organizations; the precautions that most of our local establishments have implemented; the tireless work of our Hatzalah members and medical staff. This hope is what keeps me going. This hope solidifies my trust in Hashem. This hope assures me this will end without much more suffering.

And then comes something shocking; two people walking down the block shabbos late morning, with towels around their necks, no doubt talking chassidus on the way home from whatever mikvah they were able to crawl into. A little while later someone else walking down the street looking all satisfied as he just finished davening in a block minyan.

Now, my hope begins to fall apart. My trust in Hashem is now replaced by anger towards man. How can I expect salvation when the people are rejecting it? How can I expect Him to help when people are defying Him?

We have a clear directive from our Rabbonim, we have clear directives from our medical professionals. What more do you want?!?! I have not asked a rov about the following but maybe we need to start a list of people that are joining these minyanim, still going to the mikvah, not taking the necessary precautions and start shaming them in public. They may have a din of a Rodef and publicizing their name is the least we can do. And if this is not allowed, at the very least we should be providing these names to the Hatzalah members so they know which calls to answer and which not.

How can we expect our community members who give up on their own safety and place their family in jeopardy each time they return from a call, to respond to a community member who did not take precautions simply because he couldn’t fathom not davening with a minyan?

To conclude, in the Parshas Vayikra farbrengen of 5732 when the rebbe talked about Mihu Yehudi, the rebbe says that Chilul Hashem is even when the truth is not so but it’s only perceived that way. I can’t imagine a bigger Chilul Hashem than the media picking up on a story that Crown Heights held minyanim in spite of the situation and that’s why the Crown Heights community was hit so hard. Who will take the responsibility for this Chilul Hashem?!

I implore the entire shchuna, please listen to the Rabbonim! Stay at home, daven at home, use the opportunity to concentrate on your davening so that when this is over we will have a new appreciation for davening.

We should all merit to the Geulah immediately!

A caring resident