HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky said on Tuesday evening that educators who haven’t been vaccinated should not be teaching.
HaRav Chaim made the statement during the visit of coronavirus czar Prof. Salman Zarka to his home, a visit made in the wake of the rising infection rate in the Chareidi sector.
During the meeting. Prof. Zarka brought up the issue of melamdim and girls’ teachers in the Chareidi community who still haven’t been vaccinated, especially those who teach young children who can’t be vaccinated. HaRav Chaim responded that it’s forbidden for those involved in chinuch not to be vaccinated and said that principals must suspend them from their positions.
HaRav Chaim also said at the meeting that everyone must strive and be cautious in every way possible not to contract COVID or infect others and adhere to COVID regulations due to the din of “V’nishmartem”
Prof. Zarka requested HaRav Chaim’s bracha for the success of the vaccination campaign in mosdos chinuch and the Gadol’s encouragement to adults to be vaccinated with the booster shot. The booster shot, which as of Tuesday is available to all Israelis age 30 and above, is proving to be highly effective in preventing infection and serious illness.
HaRav Chaim said that the vaccinations are Siyata Dishmaya and everyone should be immunized to prevent bittul Torah and illness.
Prof. Zarka, who is Druze, told HaRav Chaim that when the Meron disaster occurred, he was still serving as the director of Ziv Hospital in Tzfat, where many of the injured were evacuated. HaRav Chaim thanked and blessed him for the hatzalas chaim he was a part of.
HaRav Chaim’s directive that unvaccinated teachers should be suspended quickly spread on Israeli media. The secular Ynet site stated: Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, a prominent figure in the Lithuanian branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is considered one of the world’s most revered rabbis and many within his community consider his rulings to require total compliance.
“Teachers and educators who have not been vaccinated must not come to teach,” Rabbi Kanievsky said. “Vaccines are a godsend and must be taken to prevent Bitul Torah [wasting time that could be spent on religious studies] and illness.”
[HaRav Chaim’s] latest statement carries significant weight as educators enjoy a special social status among the ultra-Orthodox community as those who pass on the word of the Torah to the next generation.
The Health Ministry hopes that the pressure from the “Prince of Torah” would help persuade thousands of educators who were thus far hesitant to get the vaccine.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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21 Responses
This was for publicity only. I’m a fan of the vaccines, don’t get me wrong I think they’re worthwhile, but Rav Chaim’s directives are very dependent on who he’s talking to.
How much did they pay Yanky to put out this PR? “Kardom lachpor bo”.
Using and abusing the stature of talmidei chachamim….
@aymdock I agree. Although I’m not for or against these particular vaccines (each should do according to their doctor), I’m pro vaccination in general.
How many believers in Daas Torah on this website will now defy HaRav?
amydock – Are you implying that R’ Chaim told the professor something that he does not hold to be true?
where do you take it from ?
Evidently aymdock is a fan of vaccines, but daas Torah – not so much. Fortunately, though, most mechanchim in e’y have a different take on what Rav Chaim says and will in fact comply.
he is only saying what his einikel tells him to
So did Reb Chaim shlita stop teaching and meeting people because he’s not vaccinated?
I wish people would stop “using” Reb Chaim already. It’s a major bezayon HaTorah!
Agree with aymdock . Without video it’s probably not true or out of context.
They’re walking on water. These are still experimental injections, shielded from all liability, cause shedding of nanoparticles to the uninjected, are subject to numerous manipulations and outright falsifying of the VAERS and Israeli databases, and create an overload of dangerous foreign substances into the body.
Have any of the gedolim rather been forthright to suggest not placing a cellphone directly on the ear – which is mentioned openly on every phone’s health disclaimer?
Why not start there, as cellphone radiation has been implicated as a major factor in this virus’s causation – of course this would also be taking candy from every government and bureacracy across the globe who don’t want to ‘walk back’ cellphone and cell tower dangers – but eventually nonetheless, they must.
Rav Chaim’s directives are very dependent on who he’s talking to. exactly what i was thiinking, repends on how the question was phased
Anyone who is an anti vaxxer is a despicable creature who has no regard for safety nor sanctity of human life
Fake news! There is no proof!
The only claim being made right now is that vaccines lower your risk of death from covid.
No one at all claims that they prevent transmission of covid, Israeli hospitals are full of vaccinated patients.
So what kind of pretext is there to force vaccines on anyone when entering public places? It only possibly offers some protection to the vaccinated person, for only few months until another booster is needed. And the adverse effects are often devastating.
Daas Torah!
OrechDin:
Daas Torah means the Torah’s actual daas, not what the Internet claims Rav Chaim said.
We already saw by the WZO, which preceded (or precipitated) Covid, that Rav Chaim supposedly said to vote yet Rav Aharon Feldman Shlit”A wrote that it’s impossible for Rav Chaim to have been mattir this abomination.
Daas Torah can be acquired from one’s Local (genuine and untainted) Orthodox Rabbi.
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Almost everyone is not anti vaccines. People are legitimately worried about this one
his einikel needs aq mishkante if u know what i mean
Its breathtaking that we have some in the CR whose anti-vaccine sentiments are so strong that they are willing to assert that the gadol hador is senile and will say whatever he is told to say by his handlers.
Dora:
CH”V. Nobody said anything about senility. But a shaila must be presented properly, with all the facts, etc.
So, your statement should read:
It’s breathtaking that we have some in the CR whose pro-vaccine sentiments are so strong that they are willing to assert that the gadol haDor made a statement that is anything other than a response to the “facts” as they were presented to him.