Ahead of Purim, the city’s Rabbanim issued an unprecedented p’sak calling on residents to combine the simcha of the Yom Tov with heightened caution due to the war.

HaGaon HaRav Chaim Yitzchak Isaac Landau, HaGaon HaRav Shevach Tzvi Rosenblatt, and HaGaon HaRav Masoud Ben Shimon published a special letter to city residents entitled “להקהל ולעמוד על נפשם,” emphasizing that despite the many open nissim seen in the city since the war began, residents are mechuyav to heed the guidance of security authorities.

Regarding Kriyas HaMegillah, the Rabbanim paskened that “in every place of gathering for tefillah and Kriyas HaMegillah, the location of the nearest protected space must be identified in advance. If a siren is heard in the middle of Kriyah, it must be stopped immediately, and everyone must enter a protected area. The Kriyah should resume afterward from the point where it was interrupted.”

“Gatherings for the Seudas Purim should be limited to individual families as much as possible, and participants should be informed of the location of a protected space in case of sirens.”

“It should be arranged in advance that a responsible person in the family will refrain from drinking to the point of intoxication and will take responsibility for the participants to act appropriately in case of an emergency, such as entering a protected space.

“If chas v’chalilah, there is a missile fall or damage, the area should be cleared for professionals to tend to the area, and no one should touch missile parts or approach impact sites due to the serious danger involved.”

The Rabbanim concluded their message with a tefillah for yeshuah. “מי שעשה ניסים לאבותינו יראנו פלאות בשמירה והצלה, וישלח לנו משיחו ויגאלנו גאולה שלמה”.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)