I’m sure that this applies to other faiths as well, we all saw stories this week about Christian pastors holding large services in defiance of shelter orders. Now as the attached article indicates it has become a Jewish problem. Haredi (conservative orthodox) communities in Israel continue to hold gathering in spite of the need for isolation.
Jewish law goes well beyond the ten Commandments, it regulates almost every aspect of life. What we eat is regulated, who we eat it with, we have rules around prayers and when to say them. Certain worship, like Shabbat Torah reading and prayer like the Amidah can only be said in a group of 10 or more.
For the Haredi and to a lessor degree Masorti (like me) such prayer is mandatory. Yet the Talmud also teaches that to save a life is to save the whole world. (Talmud, Sanhedrin 37a)
Another mod shared with me that this is happening in New jersey as well, with authorities cracking down on Orthodox funerals and other gatherings.
I sympathize with these Jews, I have been struggling with a deep sense of loss over not being able to attend Torah service, communal prayer and Talmud study. If it only effected me I might well decide that death was worth risking to stay in touch with the divine, but it seems to me that no part of religious observance justifies risking the lives of others.
So what do you think? Is your religion important enough to risk your life for? If so is it important enough to risk the safety of others for?
Should Israel and the US crack down on religious groups that ignore orders around gathering?