QUESTION:
Should we take the vaccine for corona or should we just focus on our avodah now of Aid Od Milvado, and not take the vaccine? (This question is regarding the vaccine in America which will soon be available, which is reportedly safe and which has a 90% effectiveness rate, and which reportedly does not have serious long-term side-effects).
ANSWER:
This question is being asked too early because it isn’t relevant yet, because in order to answer it we need to clarify all of the information about it. In the end, taking the vaccine or not will depend on the following factors: 1) On the different views that there are on how the vaccines work, 2) On the quality of the vaccine, 3) The dangers of taking it versus the benefits of taking it, 4) Who is giving the vaccine, 5) The country that the vaccine is being given out in – Because there are all kinds of various calculations that are made in producing the vaccine (in addition to the intention of wanting to benefit those who take the vaccine), and these calculations are a mixture of different intentions that are not for our benefit.
As a rule, any individual who is not in the category of those who are at high risk danger [from the coronavirus] is not meant to take it. However, there is also the factor of doing what’s good for the community at large, and for that we will need the Gedolim, the “eyes of the congregation”, to guide us in what to do in each place and in each situation.
As a rule, any individual who is not in the category of those who are at high risk danger [from the coronavirus] is not meant to take it. However, there is also the factor of doing what’s good for the community at large, and for that we will need the Gedolim, the “eyes of the congregation”, to guide us in what to do in each place and in each situation.
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