Chief Rabbi David Lau ordered not to carry out the custom of dumping near water sources • Courtyard quorums will be held "in complete shading and while allowing drinking"
The custom of dumping
Photo:
Hertz Shapira
One of the most familiar customs on Rosh Hashanah is the custom of tashlich, in which the keepers of tradition practice reaching water sources - springs, seas or mikveh vessels, and "casting" their sins into the water.
This year, however, precedent-setting due to the corona, Chief Rabbi David Lau ordered to refrain from performing the custom near water in order to prevent crowds.
"Saying tashlich should not be said specifically about water, and therefore should not be gathered near water sources," the chief rabbi stated in a halachic document for Rosh Hashanah.
"You can also say in the distance, in order to avoid crowds."
Rabbi Lau called on the Gabayim to prepare for the holy days and to keep a record of the worshipers, in order to maintain the rules of distance.
In case there are many worshipers one should split them into several quorums and take care of the head for places of worship.
"The distribution of the quorums will be done in any way so as not to offend some of the worshipers," he wrote.
In case the prayer is held inside the synagogues, Rabbi Lau noted, it is better to make separators inside the compound in order to divide between groups of ten worshipers, and "in all places of prayer, places will be allocated for women who wish to pray with the public."
The prayers in the open space, he noted, will be held in complete shading and while allowing the public to drink.
Regarding the shortening of the prayers, Rabbi Lau ordered, "It can be shortened by lowering the piyyutim that many already do not say. It will be determined by the synagogue rabbis and it depends on the custom of each synagogue committee."
The prayers should begin in the early hours of the morning and end at the appointed time.
"Prayers held in the open space are proper to perform kiddush, taste and drink before blowing the shofar."
The blowing of the shofar, Rabbi Lau added, should be done away from the blast reader and the rest of the public in order to prevent the spread of saliva and the infection of worshipers.
"Do not move the shofar from one to another unless it has undergone a sterilization procedure."
He further stressed: "There is no reason to refrain from completing a hundred blasts."