he Terumas HaDeshen (responsum 211) writes that since sakanah(danger) is more serious than issurim (prohibitions), beis din must distance people from sakanah just as they do from issur. Thus, it is clear – as numerous rabbanim have already publicly stated – that every child possible must be vaccinated to stop the deadly measles outbreak in the frum community.
Yet, some people – even amidst this dangerous outbreak – have embarked on a PR campaign to scare Jews away from vaccinating their children, arguing that vaccines carry dangerous side effects. Some are even downplaying the dangers of measles. How do we account for such irresponsible activism?
Although I personally have always supported vaccinating children against deadly diseases, I never studied the issue until the recent measles outbreak. With an open mind, I sought out anti-vaccination proponents, some of whom I am quite friendly with. In doing so, though, I was repeatedly shocked by the sheer arrogance and recklessness some of them evinced as well as inconsistencies in their own arguments.
broken link, but can easily be fixed
ReplyDeleteTerumas HaDeshen is very interesting. Especially for those who said it is assur for people to leave Europe before or during the war.
thanks!
ReplyDeletejust fixed it
This simply supports what I've been saying for years. Chareidim claim their slogan is "We obey our Gedolim!" It's really "We obey our Gedolim... when they say what we think they should."
ReplyDeleteGedolim ignore Halacha when it's problematic for them, e.g. for building French Jews for making Aliyah despite the physical dangers and the high assimilation rate in France. The claim made by extremists the Jews are safe in Iran because there's no restriction on their religious life even though they are at threat of violence murder and conversion to Islam.
ReplyDeleteThe sakanah of receiving the enhanced vaccine (with all alleged contaminates included in it lately ...long list ) must be weighed against the chance of sakanah of catching or spreading Measles .when the vaccinated is only a yachid minority .among rabim of vaccinated .
ReplyDeleteif all chareidim think they are yachid , then they are not yachid
ReplyDeletethe issue is whether catching measles is worth the risk of not taking the vaccine, since it is spreading in all the Hareidi communities in the world. do you flu on El Al or Ber-Al?
So anybody who disagrees with you is arrogant? There are scores of doctors and researchers who say that vaccines, certainly as they are made today with all kinds of side products, can be dangerous. This is not a simple issue.
ReplyDeleteNot all gadolim require vaccines. R' Shmuel Kamenetsky for one understands that there are dangers to them. Even R' Sternbuch's teshuva referenced the dangers.
ReplyDeletewould you allow your daughter to marry someone that some gedolim dont think is a mamzer but the majority do?!
ReplyDeletenot a good example - Rav Moshe may have been lenient in some Gittin, whereas others, especially later on might be stricter - the duaghters of the 2nd marriages grow up, and a kasher according to Rav Moshe ztl, but might be considered mamzer by others.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting post from a halachic point of view - sakkanah being the overriding point. Now the objection to many things by Hareidi world is "spiritual sakkanah overrides physical sakkanah". The Terumas hadeshen says the opposite - issurim are less important that sakkanah.
ReplyDeleteI had this discussion with a major Rosh Yeshiva, who did not want me to mention him. His citation was the Mishnah Berura Hilchos Shabbat 306: 57, - where he argues that one can be mechalel shabbat to prevent someone from leaving the religion. The opposition to gius in the army, for example, is that frum boys may see less frum boys and learn from them, or might be mechalel shabbes etc.
I don't quite understand the mishneh brura, so please help, thank you.
"Rabbonim" who tell their talmidim to sit in front of cars on the highway to protest the gius are the biggest rodfim in town. It is a modern form Molech worship.
ReplyDeleteBut are definitely 'second class' that perhaps yichus and or money can overcome.
ReplyDeleteyichus...
ReplyDeleteyes, some Jews are "chashuver", whereas others are not
The same people who wouldn't dare eat non glatt or chalav stam or light only one candle on Chanukah on a non silver chanukiah or daven in a short mechitzah shul, have no problem eating mamzerim. Especially when the problem can be easily solved with an open mind in 90% of the cases. Meanwhile children become living orphans, in order to push an agenda
ReplyDeleteRav Asher Weiss on vaccines:
ReplyDeletehttps://baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=1&ARTICLE_ID=112570
You are assuming that R' Shmuel Kamenetsky is a gadol. Do you have any basis for that assumption?
ReplyDelete