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F3: Days of Awe Page 4 -Plague
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The Black Plague on the White fast
Newscaster: 10th September, 1848. The black plague
The Rambam (reading from book): 'A positive Mitzvah on Yom Kippur is that we are required to refrain from eating or drinking on that day. This is based on the verse in the Torah, referring to Yom Kippur that states: 'and you shall afflict yourselves'. Our tradition explains that the term 'afflict' means fasting. If you fast on Yom Kippur you have fulfilled a positive commandment. If you eat or drink on Yom Kippur, you have broken a negative mitzvah, for which there is a severe punishment.'
The doctor: 'CHOLERA': an acute infection of the intestine, characterised by severe diarrhoea and cramps. Caused by ingestion of food or water taht has been contaminated with the bacterium. The disease has a high mortality rate. Death results from convulsions, exhaustion or congestion of the lungs.
Historian: Rabbi Israel Salanter arrives in Vilna in 1840. Whilst only thirty, he had already established his credentials as a great scholar and served as head of one the Talmudic academies in Vilna. It was from there that his fame would be assured in the future annals of Jewish history.
Rabbi Israel Salanter: You may have wondered why I have asked to speak with you on this day before Yom Kippur. As you no doubt know, a cholera epidemic knocks at the door of our community. Some of you may know of this situation first hand, through the tragic loss of those you hold dear. I need not stress the danger this threat poses to our community. It is for this reason I have called you, the leaders of the congregation, together for this meeting.
Chazan: Let us now relate the power of this day, for it is powerful and frightening. On it Your Kingship will be praised, Your throne will be glorified and You will sit on it in Truth. A great shofar voice will be sounded and a still, thin sound will be heard. Angels will hurry and run. A trembling and terror will grip them and they will say: 'Behold it is the Day of Judgement!' On Rosh Hashanah the judgement is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed. How many will pass from the earth and how many will be created. Who will die and who will live.
Rambam (reading from book): 'The Shabbat is overruled when there is a danger to life, as with all other mitzvot. Therefore we may atted the needs of any sick person who is in danger and we may violate on their behalf even on hundred shabbatot, so long as they need this or even if there is a remote possibility that they may be in danger. It is forbidden to delay in any way, for it states in the Torah: 'And they shall live by the mitzvot', not die by them.
Rabbi Salanter: After continued thought on the matter of the cholera epidemic, I have decided that this is not a situation that can be taken lightly. For this reason, I must insist that you do not fast on this Yom Kippur. And to show you how strongly I feel about all this, I will be eating in the synagogue from the Bimah, and I will have food for all of you.
Chazan: But repentance, prayer and charity can change the Divine Decree...
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With Yom Kippur only hours away, our obligation to G-d's commandment to fast poses an additional danger. It is my opinion that fasting on this holy day will only serve to weaken our defences against this impending danger. It is for this reason I urge you to carry the following message back to members of the Jewish community. After much thought I have encouraged our members to eat on Yom Kippur without reservation or hesitation. I hope that this preventative measure will spare our community from further casualties. Whilst this may appear to be a drastic measure, the gravity of the situation calls for drastic measures. I urge you to make this choice. As the Talmud states: 'If you save one life, it is as if you have saved an entire world'.