Thread by @ZuckierShlomo

Who is wise? One who sees what is yet to unfold. (Avos 2:9)
איזהו חכם הרואה את הנולד. (אבות ב:ט)

A perspective on COVID and religious authority:

Pandemics have an exponential growth rate, which means that indications don’t seem too bad, and then everything gets much worse, all at once. Given this reality, you need people with insight to infer the future, drawing upon scientific models and parallel scenarios.

A lot is at stake in catching the pandemic early and responding properly, in order to slow the spread of the disease. If you only start responding when the danger is obvious, it might already be too late.

As people can’t all be expected to have the time, attention, wisdom, & judgement to these details, often leaders are expected to step in and make impt decisions. In Israel, we’re seeing this with the far-reaching conclusions drawn by the Health Ministry, signed off on by the gvt.

What if the government’s reactions are seen in some way as inadequate, whether due to political biases, different weighting of priorities or otherwise? Then it’s up to other leaders, institutional and thought leaders, to convince people of the correct measures they must take.

We’ve seen a huge number of universities move to online instruction rather than in-person. More and more, we’re seeing information-based recommendations for people to minimize their public activities.

Judaism gives great weight to human life, willing to suspend all sorts of prohibitions for even a minimal risk of danger. This is equally true for the elderly & sick, even those who might be seen as having a “lower quality of life” of fewer years remaining on actuarial charts.

R. Yisrael Salanter once prohibited fasting on Yom Kippur; R/ Chaim Briskerruled that the minor fasts no longer apply given health risks. For many communities, Halakhic authorities are the ones with the wisdom, responsibility, & authority to make decisions that will be followed.

I’m wondering whether we are reaching the point where a Posek with broad shoulders should intervene.

Now, you might be wondering - why not simply rely on the government?

Well, a few reasons. First, political decisionmakers, in deciding whether to impose far-reaching shutdowns, need to weigh factors such as the impact of the economy, on the one hand, & the value of the lives of the elderly (and unfortunately, some also weigh reelection prospects).

Halakhic decisors have an overlapping but distinct set of factors to weigh for making determinations on shul attendance etc, including the impact on religious adherence, both short & long term. They also might give more weight to the lives of the elderly than a number-cruncher.

Furthermore, the scenario itself is different for the Orthodox Jewish community– observant Jews tend to congregate more – Minyanim, Shabbat meals, not to mention Purim. There is often a lot of interaction between young, healthy people & the elderly in Orthodox family structures.

Finally, even if the government does weigh in, some people might be more likely to listen to a Posek than a politician. Halakhic communities are looking to their Poskim to determine how seriously to treat this crisis.

Both Rav Yehuda Amital & the Rav used to talk about how true Torah leaders apply their Gadlus Hamochin, their broad-based judgement, taking into account multiple factors and weighing the proper decision. They are committed to make the right decision, unafraid to go out on a limb.

I don’t konw how many great decisors of that caliber exist nowadays, but now might be a good time for them to weigh in!

Here's the thread in a thread-reader app:
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1237819…

Here's the modified article version, at @jdforward thanks @avitalrachel
forward.com/life/441482/sh…