This is GREAT! Normally, it is Modern Orthodox rabbis who go to Charedi Rabbi for haskamos. But here we have it for the first time in history - 2 well known 5 Towns MO rabbis give their haskama to a psak of Lakewood based poskim [not that the Lakewood rabbonim asked.....馃榾 ].
In the next segment I look forward to reporting that Sfarim are coming out of Lakewood with the haskamos of MO pulpit rabbis!!
This trend will ultimately lead to 5 Towns people actually moving to Lakewood ["Young Israel Of Lakewood"?] and Lakewood people moving to the 5 Towns. The Lakewood people will enjoy the shorter commute to the city and feeling that, finally, they have "made it"!!馃槀馃槀 The [former] 5 Towns people will enjoy that fact that they no longer have to "keep up w/ the Joneses" and if they do - the Joneses make a lot less money....馃槀
I also look forward to 5 Towns-Lakewood shidduchim. It seems to me that every boy or girl from the 5T's gets engaged either to someone from there or from Teaneck. ENOUGH! Lakewood must go on their shidduch map!!!
----------------------
----------------------
Last night, the Poskim of Lakewood’s Beth Midrash Gavoha released protocols as to how Lakewood residents should conduct themselves in light of the Corona virus, and Rabbis and other residents of the Five Towns have reacted to the guidelines.
The protocols were in minyanim, shopping, family visits and children.
The four Poskim who signed the guidelines are Rav Shmuel Yitzchok Felder, Rav Asher Chaim Lieberman, Rav Ephraim Forsheimer and Rav Shmuel Meir Katz.
In terms of minyanim, the Poskim made 4 points:
Minyanim are prohibited and you are not allowed to participate in a minyan in any way. This includes, but is not limited to, minyanim in courtyards, parking lots, driveways, sidewalks, or on porches.
While originally some porch minyanim may have been approved by some Rabbanim under very specific criteria from health experts, experience has shown that they lead to serious Aiva, and other major problems and therefore those approvals are no longer valid.
This issur is in effect until we provide new guidance which we hope to do once, in our opinion, the situation improves. Until then all minyanim in any form are prohibited.
Reports of oral guidance that may differ from the above should be disregarded.
Rabbi Heshy Billet of the Young Israel of Woodmere stated, “The protocols of the Lakewood Poskim are very responsible and should be applied beyond Lakewood and everywhere else – in all of our communities. This is a time where everyone is on the same page. It is ikvasa d’meshicha.”
Rabbi Kenny Hain, of Congregation Beth Shalom, remarked that he, of course, fully endorsed the guidelines of the Lakewood poskim to be applied in the Five Towns as well.
Rabbi Yaakov Trump [Donald's younger brother and spiritual adviser] of Young Israel of Lawrence/Cedarhurst, remarked, “The Rabbis of the Five Towns issued similar guidelines a week after Purim to those of the BMG Poskim – it is refreshing to see that all of Klal Yisroel is on the same page in terms of being machmir for safek pikuach nefesh.”
