(Translated by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com) The following ruling was issued by the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Yitzchok Yosef, shlita in regard to Yom Kippur and davening and fasting. It is a guide for shuls and individuals. It was translated by Rabbi Yair Hoffman. Rabbi Yoseph shlita, enjoys a reputation similar to that of his father Rav Ovadiah Yosef zt”l, and his seforim are recognized throughout the world as masterpieces of halacha. These rulings were shown to many leading Poskim in America, who stand behind them as well. The ruling is followed by guidelines for the amounts and the timing written by Rabbi Hoffman that were carefully reviewed by Rav Yisroel Belsky zt”l. Rav Yosef’s ruling was issued on Wednesday, 5 Tishrei 5781. He writes as follows: Firstly, I wish to make it clear: Each person must keep a distance of a few meters from each other. All the windows in the synagogue must be opened Everyone must wear a mask, or a scarf that will cover the nose and the mouth. Our Torah is the Torah of life, and commands us with the words “VeNishmartem me’od lenafshosaichem – and you shall be very careful with your lives,” and the Torah also said, “vechai bahem – and you shall live by them.”  Our sages in the Talmud in Yuma 85b darshened – To live by them and not die by them. Therefore, Pikuach Nefesh sets aside the entire Torah.  A sick person who is dangerously ill eats on Yom Kippur. We violate the Shabbos [for such a person], even on a doubt in this regard.   It is as the Rambam has written (Hilchos Shabbos 2:3):  “And it is forbidden to delay in the desecration of Shabbos for a sick person who is in danger as it states “that a person does and he shall by them” and not die by them. The Baalei Tosfos have already written (Bava Kamma 23a) “A person should be more careful to not harm others than to not harm himself”, and certainly in the general prohibition against harming his friend, there is also the duty to prevent a situation that could infect his friend with the disease, chas v’shalom. The great Gaon, Rabbi Akiva Eiger zt”l had circulated a ruling at a time when the Cholera epidemic was raging in Europe and wrote there: ‘I have already warned many times, warning after warning, that they must conduct themselves in said manner … as they arranged, and that the doctors had decided … and no one should violate their words.” THE LAWS OF PRAYER Each man or woman should daven in close proximity to their home [RYH: This does not apply in the USA for now], until the period of Divine wrath is over and we receive mercy from Heaven. One may perform a hataras nedarim through the telephone or other technological method [RYH:  The American Poskim did not agree with this ruling – neither through the telephone nor through technology]. A sick person who cannot hear a hataras nedarim should rely on the hataras nedarim that he or she did the previous year [Rav Shmuel Fuerst shlita remarked that one should just do so later rather than rely on the previous year’s hataras Nedarim] It is proper to refrain from tovelling in a […]

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