Rabbi Yosef Goldman on recent Supreme Court decision

[frazzled]

11. I think the rabbi is not speaking to the decision

but rather to those sects that wish to argue that their religious freedom allows them to congregate in large numbers for weddings or daily religious services or other (for them) obligatory functions.

Indeed every Jew (from the most Reformed and progressive to the most ultra Orthodox), once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) listens to the Kol Nidre prayer sung at the outset of the services. It’s an ancient prayer that asks G-d to release you from any external oaths or vows you might have to take in the coming year—vows that might run counter to the religious ones to which you are obligated.

This is thought to have originated in the 15th century, when Spanish Jews had to convert to Christianity during the Inquisition or be subjected to certain death. So too, should every Jew, including the Hasidic ones in New York State, make a vow to “choose life”—another important concept stressed on Yom Kippur—by following the directives of the governor to refrain from public gatherings that might compromise one’s life or the life of the community.

The rabbi is speaking to those resistant Jews, not to the Supreme Court.