Rabbi Mendel Zirkind has been an educator/mentor and personal development consultant for youth for over a decade. He ran the smicha and Gemara skills program in Beis Menachem in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania and currently has a Gemara/cognitive development program in the JETS yeshiva in Los Angeles, California. He also answers halacha questions and gives a class in practical halacha.
Stump the Rabbi videos are featured weekly on COLlive.com. To ask a question and for more answers, visit stumptherabbi.org
This project was made possible by The Chanin Fund and Reliable Fast Cash, LLC
VIDEO:
A scarf is most appropriate from a halachic perspective.
Firstly the custom in the USA just became to wear them.
Wearing a simply mask prevents the person of touching his/her mouth and nose, it does provide real protection.
this isnt for a garment rather a precautionary. it has the din like wearing a sword on shabbos.
With all the Shuls shut, social distancing in place (no gatherings permitted) and all the vulnerable in quarantine, where exactly are people going that they need to wear a mask???
People are going out to stretch their legs and get exercise, fresh air, and a break from the house for short amounts of time.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said last Wednesday that he would start requiring people in New York to wear masks or face coverings in public whenever social distancing was not possible.
That’s what people are wearing masks
Together with all the other common sense…
To say it’s not haluchikly permitted I hope ur sure because a lot of people in Crown Heights are using them for whatever reason it is and I’m sure it’s a good one
The New York law only mandates masks in crowded public areas, not in the street
the chasidim in russia had pikuach nefesh to follow halacha, so obviously we will not conduct ourselves based on the law, rather see what halacha has to say about this.
and anyways the law isnt that you need to leave your house and wear a mask rather IF you leave your house you need a mask.
The mask may not be very protective for the wearer, however they are highly protective for everyone else as they stop the vast majority of droplets leaving a person as they talk and breathe.
Therefore if everyone wears a mask the rate of transmission drops and thus saves lives. As the primary method of transmission is droplets leaving the mouth and these masks prevent these droplets from spreading.
So to say these make are not protective is wrong.
Many countries have made them mandatory in public, including Israel. They are making these laws to save lives.
“The custom is, in our neighborhoods, to not go around wearing in masks in general.” ……… Except now that 𝘪𝘴 our custom. Mask are definitely required to enter any store, and they are supposed to be worn on the streets as well. A few months ago it was unheard of to see people walking in the streets in masks. But circumstances have changed and it is no longer unusual to see people in the community walking around wearing masks. In fact, it has become the new norm. So I’m not sure how you can say that this is not our… Read more »
do you know what halacha defines as “the custom”?
maybe “the custom”means that this is what people usually do because thats the in thing, and not what people do because of sakana?
have you checked it up ? or are you saying that based on “common sense” and if so, do you have “shimush”?
Gemara Shabbos 62 brings the classic example of a man wearing women’s clothes and vice versa. This is an example of carrying because it’s not socially accepted. It’s clear that masks do not fall into this category now. Prior to the pandemic yes, but not now. In fact, it can be strongly argued that it is not socially acceptable to NOT wear a mask in public. For this and other reasons, rabbonim have allowed wearing them.
a mask is allowded to be worn on shabbos
rebonim have allowed it and your ccan wear glove on shabbos
I posed the following question to askTheRav.com (under the auspices of the CHK)
“With what type of mask, if any, may one go out with in Crown Heights, for a stroll on Shabbos?”
This was the answer:
”
Hello ,
Thank you for contacting AskTheRav.
All
“
What’s the sha’alah? This is a pikuach nefesh. If you go out, you wear a mask. Don’t spread the virus around.
Glasses are permitted on shabbos.
What’s the bases to say your can wear something that protects you ,but, you can’t wear something that protects others.
If it is something you are walking with all week and there is a purpose it should be permitted