Rabbi Kahana – Coronavirus and the Jewish problem

BS”D 

Parashat Ki Tisa 5780

Rabbi Nachman Kahana

Coronavirus and the Jewish problem

In Tractate Yoma 5b, the Talmud points out a contradiction regarding the sanctified priestly garments. In parasha Tetzaveh it appears that Aharon with his eight garments and each of his sons with their respective four garments, donned their priestly garb with the last piece of apparel, the Avnet (the waistband), put on simultaneously; whereas in Parashat Tzav (Book of Vayikra) it appears that only after Aharon donned all of his garments did his sons begin putting on theirs.

The Talmud concludes that, indeed, Aharon first finished donning his eight garments of the High Priest, and then his sons donned their four garments.

The manner in which the Kohanim dressed has implications not only for reconciling the seeming contradiction between the verses, but even for the very act of Kohanic sanctity. If Aharon dressed first, it would imply that the priesthood began with Aharon, and from Aharon it emanated to his sons. However, if they dressed together, the significance is that Aharon and his sons merited the Kehuna with equal sanctity, with Aharon serving as High Priest as first among equals.

And indeed, the conclusion is that Aharon dressed and was consecrated first, and his sons drew their priestly status from him. For that reason, when the Kohanim ascend to bestow the priestly blessing, they say, “Blessed are You… who sanctified us with Aharon’s sanctity and commanded us to bless His people Israel lovingly”.

From the manner in which HaShem relates to the Kohanic family we learn how the Creator relates to mankind in general. When at Mount Sinai HaShem chose the Jewish nation from the other 70 root nations and races, we did not receive the status of first among equals, but rather we attained an unprecedented, irreversible uniqueness unmatched by any other peoples in the world. By this status the Creator relates only to his chosen nation and through us to the nine billion individuals who comprise the rest of humanity. Just as the sun is the center of our planetary system; the center of our human world is the Jewish nation around which revolves all the other peoples on the planet. As in the words of Chazal: the world was created only for the Jewish nation and our relationship with the Creator is as a king to his subjects and as a father to his children.

Three strikes and you’re out!

In Bereishiet chapter 12, due to a devastating drought and subsequent famine that fell upon the land, Avraham took his family and possessions and descended to Egypt. Rashi explains that the famine was a test of Avraham’s faith in HaShem’s promise to guard him. Ramban states that Avraham failed the test by leaving the holy land.

There were at the time tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands of Canaanites living in the land, so according to Rashi, Ramban and others, HaShem brought upon all these ”innocent” people the ravages of starvation in order to test the faith of one Jew.

As I read about the pandemic now facing the planet, it comes to mind that perhaps it is HaShem again sending a message to the Jewish people, even at the expense of economic, social and health issues of “innocent” bystanders. But be that as it may, the fact is that it is a shocking wake-up experience for many Jews in the galut.

The unthinkable has happened. Jews in the galut believe that the doors of Israel will always be open to them if the time comes when they will have to close their shuls and yeshivas, lock their homes, pack their bags and come home. Today many Jews had plans to visit the holy land for Pesach or to see their children or just to breathe a little Yiddishe nachas in the Jewish homeland. 

However, the gates are now closed. There are almost no airlines that land here and whoever comes is placed in a 14-day quarantine. Airlines including El Al are inundated with ticket cancellations, and the sign on the sky over Tel Aviv reads “Closed for The Duration”.

Corona will pass some day after taking its deathly toll. But the Jews in galut must beware not to forget the feeling of helplessness when they were not welcome to the holy land.

It’s just a question of time when the Jews in galut will be facing their moment of truth. It will come about when the atmosphere of antisemitism will be so pervasive that there will be no choice but to return to Eretz Yisrael. The Jews will crowd the Israeli consulates in various cities to register for aliyah. But they will find large notices announcing Israel’s inability to absorb so many people, and aliyah to the holy land will cease.

Is this the message HaShem planned when sending this pandemic? Who can know? But the fact is, that there is a feeling of despair among many Jews who now find the gates to Israel sealed.

HaShem does not punish without forewarning the sinner. Anti-Semitic incidents are warning number one. The inability to enter Eretz Yisrael is the second warning. But three strikes and you’re out!

Shabbat Shalom,

Nachman Kahana

Copyright © 5780/2020 Nachman Kahana

Rabbi Winston – Ki Tisa

“And you, speak to the Children of Israel and say: ‘Only keep My Shabbosos! For it is a sign between Me and you for your generations, to know that I, G–D, make you holy.’” (Shemos 31:13) 

SHABBOS POPS UP a few times in the Torah, including in this week’s parsha. As Rashi explains, the halachah of Shabbos is juxtaposed with the building of the Mishkan, to teach that its construction does not override the laws of Shabbos. On Shabbos, all work on the Mishkan ceased.

Following the discussion about Shabbos begins the episode of the golden calf, the latter seemingly having nothing to do with the former. But, that is usually not the case in the Torah, and in this case, not likely, given the opinion that the Mishkan was G–D’s response to the golden calf. 

This is the link:

“And you, speak to the Children of Israel and say: ‘Only keep My Shabbosos! For it is a sign between Me and you for your generations, to know that I, G–D, make you holy.’” (Shemos 31:13)

For it is a sign between Me and you: It is a sign of distinction between us that I have chosen you, by granting you as an inheritance My day of rest for [your] rest … to know: [So that] the nations [should know] that I, G–D, sanctify you. (Rashi)

Why have we been commanded to observe Shabbos? The usual answer is, to remind us the G–D is Boss, and that all we accomplish the other six days of the week is because of His blessing. Shabbos reminds us that we owe EVERYTHING to Him.

The Torah’s answer in this week’s parsha is a little different. We keep Shabbos to make a statement to the rest of the world, that our holiness as a people is only because of G–D. We do not sanctify ourselves, but we are sanctified because G–D makes us holy. 

And how does G–D do this? Through Shabbos itself. The truth is, G–D does this through ALL the mitzvos, but Shabbos is a SUPER mitzvah. This is why the Talmud says that when a person properly keeps Shabbos, it’s as if they have fulfilled the ENTIRE Torah. Shabbos “synergizes” what what all the OTHER mitzvos accomplish only in part. 

On the outside, to someone who does not understand what mitzvos actually do, even if they already observe them, it seems like just a matter of doing what we are told. But Shabbos and mitzvos are about a lot more than this, and knowing what that “more” is means being able to access its potential advantage in life. 

A very basic analogy is like a person who is well connected to the President of a country. He may not work in a government office, and on the street, look just like everyone else around him. But there is one thing that makes him extremely unique and more powerful from the average person. It’s the phone in his pocket that connects him directly to the President, anywhere he goes and at any time. 

If this person gets in trouble, he has to make but one call, and his protection comes immediately. If he goes out to dinner and the restaurant is over-crowded, he just uses his phone, makes the call, and gets seated immediately. His phone is a portal to power, available for use at his bidding. 

Is it the phone that makes this person powerful? No. It is his relationship with the leader of the country. The phone is merely a portal to access that relationship, and to benefit from it. Without his close connection to the President of his country, his phone is just another communication device of the masses. 

What makes the mitzvos so powerful is the way they connect the person who performs them to G–D. Every time a person does a mitzvah the RIGHT way (as a mitzvah and halachically correct), a portal for Divine light and holiness opens up between G–D and the person. Automatically, a person’s level of kedushah—holiness—increases.

Shabbos is G–D’s once-a-week open door policy. You just have to come dressed for the occasion, physically AND spiritually. For the person who prepares for Shabbos, physically, emotionally, the door swings wide open and the holiness free flows from G–D to the person on the other side of it. To the extent to which the person is “there” for Shabbos, that is the extent to which they will be the recipient of unbelievable holiness and spiritual growth.

There’s no faking it, or duplicating it. Man has tried, but the eventual result has been pogroms, crusades, and suicide attacks. Life has many “doors,” but few lead to a holy destination if not prescribed by the Torah.

The golden calf made this point the strongest. The Erev Rav didn’t push atheism or agnosticism on the Jewish people. They pushed an alternative approach to religion on them, claiming that THESE were the G–Ds that took them out of Egypt. They were claiming that holiness can also be manmade, and more advantageous when it is. 

The halachos of Shabbos follow the laws of the Mishkan, as Rashi explains, to emphasize that they do not get pushed off for the construction of the Mishkan. But, they precede the incident of the golden calf to tell us that kedushah can only come from G–D, and the way He says. Any other attempt is at best a forgery and, at worst, a golden calf. 

Chief Rabbi David Lau Issues Halakhic Guidelines

"Last night, the Prime Minister and Health Minister announced precautionary measures that we are obliged to exercise for fear of the spread of coronavirus disease.

"These guidelines also apply according to halakha! People should keep from harming others even more than themselves. The coronavirus can also pass from a completely healthy person to another and jeopardize others. This requires strict adherence to instructions given even if they are difficult and burdensome."

Rabbi Lau then listed specific prevention guidelines for maintaining Jewish communal and personal life:

Synagogues

• In accordance with expert guidelines to limit the number of worshipers to one hundred persons, it is compulsory to divide minyanim in synagogues into a number of minyanim, each of which may number up to one hundred persons.
• If there is much crowding in the synagogue, even though it does not have a hundred people, it should be divided into several minyanim.
• Synagogues and study halls (batei midrash) must be properly ventilated, in accordance with expert guidelines.
• It is mandatory for synagogue gabbais to maintain maximum hygiene throughout the synagogue space, including ample supply of proper disinfectants.
• A person who is in isolation or who is at high risk should pray at home and try to coordinate his prayer time with the time the community prays.

Torah learning

The routine of life must continue, so one should not cancel a minyan or Torah lessons (unless otherwise determined by those responsible for public health).
Yeshivot and educational institutions

According to Health Ministry instructions, educational institutions are continuing as usual for now. In the yeshiva world, Torah continues to be learned more intensely, and the power of the Torah and the voice of Torah will stand for all of Israel and the world at large, until other guidelines are given.
Mikvah use

Family life and family purity laws should be continued and there is no place for fear. A woman who, according to Health Ministry guidelines, is supposed to be in isolation should act as her condition requires.

Weddings

Do not postpone a wedding due to the current situation. It is preferable to hold it with a small audience than to postpone it. This is also true because we do not know when it will again be possible to hold mass celebrations.
Visiting the sick

It is an important mitzvah to visit the sick, but in this situation it should be avoided. Nor should homes for the elderly be visited for fear of transmitting the disease. At the same time, one must find a way to help those individuals whose plight is unseen.

Rabbi Lau continued: "Adhering to these instructions is a Torah obligation: 'And you must greatly watch over your lives.'

"The present situation requires much prayer, and therefore at the end of evening, morning, and afternoon prayers one should add chapters 13 and 20 in the Psalms together with the congregation, and the misheberach prayer for the sick.

"Also, be sure to say a hundred blessings a day, as the Gaonim wrote that King David mandated that Israel bless one hundred blessings each day when a plague broke out in his time, and the plague stopped."

The Chief Rabbi closed with a prayer:

"Save us from sword, captivity, pandemic, and plague, and any kind of trouble and grief. Save us, for our eyes are unto You. See our troubles and hear the voice of our prayer, for You hear prayer. May we celebrate the coming Passover Feast of Redemption with joy, gladness, and together as a nation."

SHUL CLOSINGS AND MORE: Bergen County, Teaneck NJ and The Great Synagogue Jerusalem

Bergen County Rabbis Cancel All Shul, Forbid Minyanim, Shabbat Gatherings, Eating Out and More

See also Chief Rabbi David Lau for Israel  

Following an emergency meeting of the Jewish leadership of Bergen County and shul presidents with health officials, the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County, New Jersey (RCBC) has announced that it is forbidden to pray with a minyan (quorum), all Orthodox shuls are closed, all public celebrations are to be canceled, do not eat in restaurants (take-away is OK), funeral are limited to small group of family to form a temporary minyan, and additional restrictions apply. Mikvaot are open, but women in quarantine or are ill may not use them.

The full details in the letter:

March 12, 2020
ט”ז אדר תש”פ

Dear Friends,
We are writing with an important update regarding COVID-19 and the ongoing health situation in our community.

Last night, the rabbis of the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County (RCBC), the presidents of our shuls, and the heads of our local schools gathered to meet with representatives of local government, including the Teaneck Department of Health and expert physicians from our three local hospitals: Englewood Health, Hackensack University Medical Center, and Holy Name Medical Center.

The message from the healthcare providers was clear. They need our help to slow the spread of the disease before their resources are overwhelmed. The doctors expressed significant concern regarding the capacity of our local hospitals to meet the growing needs of their patients in the event of a (expected) large surge in cases of COVID-19. They reported that while the amount of cases is now low, it seems to be increasing rapidly. Even if patients of COVID-19 will be treatable, we may deplete our resources and other patients who suffer from ordinary, serious illnesses will not be able to get the necessary care, putting their lives in danger.

Slowing the spread of the disease will allow our hospitals to best manage this situation. The only way to do this is for us to socially distance ourselves from one another. Moreover, the doctors emphasized that the most significant community closure possible will make the greatest impact in potentially saving lives in our area.

We have therefore made the very difficult decision to adopt the following policies of social distancing in our community. We intend to re-evaluate our policies next week on the basis of the expert guidance provided by the medical leadership of the three local hospitals. This panel will guide us as we continually monitor the ongoing situation as it evolves. We collectively agree to abide by the decisions reached by our lay, educational and rabbinic leadership on the basis of expert medical advice, to uniformly adhere to these standards, and to communicate collectively.

We must all try our best to STAY HOME with only our immediate family for now and to avoid unnecessary contact with others, and particularly with substantial groups. We should only leave when it is truly necessary. Thus:

• All community members are strongly encouraged to work from home, if possible, and to stay home whenever possible. It is critical for adults to set the right example.
• ​​​​​​​As the schools are currently closed, there should not be playdates between children of different families. This would undermine the entire purpose of the school closing.
• Shuls will be closed for all minyanim and shiurim effective Friday morning, March 13. There should be no house minyanim. All of the rabbis will be davening alone in their own homes.
• There should be no public celebrations for smachot.
• People should not have gatherings for Shabbat meals.
• Shiva visits should be replaced by phone/video calls.
• Levayot should be restricted to a small group of family members and a minyan.
• Refrain from contact sports.
• Restaurants should not seat customers. People should order for pick-up and delivery only.
• The Mikvaot will remain open, at the guidance of CDC and local health authorities. Women under mandatory quarantine or who are experiencing symptoms of illness may not use the mikvah. Please consult your rav for further clarification or for specific questions.

As you can see, these represent significant changes to our lives and many detailed questions will certainly emerge. This brief outline cannot guide every particular situation. We will all have to address each circumstance as it comes up based on professional expertise and religious guidance.

It is with a very heavy heart that we are suspending so many of the most crucial routines of our daily lives and lifecycle moments. We do this only because of the compelling nature of our circumstance and the decisive medical testimonies that are consistent with CDC recommendations. These measures are adopted as a reflection of our overarching commitment to the sanctity of all human life, and we pray that these will be very temporary measures. Please take these days as a critical opportunity to intensify our tefilot to the Rofeh Ne’eman that all those ill will be healed and that our community will be shielded from any further harm.

Sincerely,
The Rabbinical Council of Bergen County

To view original letter JPRESS

___________________________________

The Jerusalem Great Synagogue

will be closed this Shabbat

Dear Congregant,

With a heavy heart the Board of directors are closing the synagogue for services this shabbat due to lack of means to guard your health and to prevent the danger of contamination by the CoronaVirus.

Kindly follow the following rules in any place you are staying. Please review them in The Ministry of Health's website Link .

Our lives depend on it.

Zalli Jaffe,
Acting President

מתפלל יקר,

מאז יסוד בית הכנסת הגדול לא ננעלו שעריו. בצער רב ותוך כדי לקיחת אחריות, הנהלת בית הכנסת הגדול בירושלים כי חמירא סכנתא.

אנו נושאים תפילה ליושב במרומים " שלח רפואה שלמה" " פתח לנו שער במהרה"

בית הכנסת יהיה סגור לתפילות השבת עקב העדר אמצעים לשמירה על בריאות ציבור המתפללים ובכדי למנוע סכנת הדבקות בוירוס.

בכל מקום שתהיו בו, נבקשכם לנהוג בהקפדה על פי הכללים המנויים בקישור להלן.

אלו הכללים פורסמו על ידי משרד הבריאות. קישור  הקפדתך, יש בה על מנת להגן עליך כמו על אחרים.

שניאור ז. יפה,

נשיא בפועל

A Rose By Any Other Name is Still a Rose . . .

However, in this case, they are ARABS

Which is who they are: from Syria, Egypt and Iraq.

State Department changes description of Arabs residing in eastern Jerusalem . . .  now ... they are  “Arab residents” or “non-Israeli citizens,” not "Palestinians." ArutzSheva

There is NO NATION OR HISTORY of Arabs called palestinians, no culture, no identity. 

The US State Department has changed its standard description of Arabs residing in eastern Jerusalem from “Palestinian residents” of the city to “Arab residents” or “non-Israeli citizens”.

The change is reflected in an annual global human rights report released on Wednesday, according to the Reuters news agency.

The overwhelming majority of the Arabs who reside in eastern Jerusalem identify themselves as “Palestinians”. They demand that eastern Jerusalem be the capital of a future state.

State Department reports on human rights practices from 2018 and 2019 referred to eastern Jerusalem residents as “Palestinian residents of Jerusalem” in sections on civil judicial procedures, discrimination and freedom of movement.

Those same sections in the 2020 report referred to Palestinians as “Arab residents” or “non-Israeli citizens”, reported Reuters.

Read full article at above link.

URGENT UPDATE ON THE SITUATION

Corona restrictions: Guidelines for synagogues

Following ban on gatherings of over 100 people, World Organization of Orthodox Synagogues publishes updated guidelines.  arutzsheva

A. Minyans (prayer gatherings) in which there are usually more than 100 worshipers must to ensure that they do not exceed the number allowed (100 men and women).

B. Whenever possible, Shabbat minyans should be split into different hours or places to reduce the number of worshipers.

C. Ensure ventilation through open windows in the synagogue.

D. Those who do not feel good, and those who develop respiratory symptoms, are not allowed to come to the synagogue.

E. It is preferable that people in at-risk groups pray at home.

F. Effort should be made not to prolong prayer, and to shorten Torah speeches.

G. Be careful not to shake hands, not to kiss a Torah scroll, mezuzah, and prayer books. It is preferable to bring a personal prayer book and Humash (book of the Torah) from home.

H. Be careful to wash hands with soap, try to have bottles of alcohol at the entrance to the synagogue.

I. At the end of the prayer, people should disperse and not gather outside of the synagogue.

J. Please pay attention to neighbors, the elderly, lonely and the like and help them in their daily functioning during this complex time.

* Elderly is anyone over 50, 60, 70 and up

Don’t wait until one feels sick, be smart and take all precautions.
Quarantine - isolation at home should be for at least 24 days, according to recent scientific information.

IMPORTANT CRUCIAL UPDATE FROM THE PM

Netanyahu: The Coronavirus Crisis is Fundamentally Different, It Will Get Harder Before It Gets Easier

[this is a month too late]

Following are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks, on Wednesday evening, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, at the joint statements with Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat and Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman Tov:

World Health Organization: It is a global pandemic. It is affecting almost every country. It is affecting them harshly, or more harshly, or sometimes more lightly. In Israel our situation is better than in most countries. We have taken measures that many countries have not. But the challenge is great. It is significant, for all countries – a health challenge, a challenge for life, an economic challenge and a very great international challenge.

. I consulted with the Finance Minister, the Governor of the Bank of Israel and others and we offered a NIS 10 billion aid package. First, we have given NIS 4 billion to businesses. We added another NIS 4 billion. That is NIS 8 billion. There is NIS 1 billion for the health system, which is being challenged and needs equipment and supplies, so that it does not have to limit itself in this matter, and another NIS 1 billion for special needs such as the police and other things that are important to us; I will not detail them all.

I can tell you that it will be harder before it gets easier.
The Israeli economy is in a good situation, even very good, due to high growth, low unemployment, the debt-to-GDP ratio, which is another way of saying that we can pay our debts. The financial system and the banks are very strong and stable. Israel is entering this crisis in an excellent economic situation and these are the first steps that we have taken, economic first aid for those who have been adversely affected by the Corona. And if we need to, and we apparently will, will give more and we have the wherewithal to do so. This is the first issue.

Now I will get to the second issue, which perhaps is the first, and that is the issue of health. I have been in constant consultation with my friend, Health Minister Rabbi Yaakov Litzman, with the people of his ministry and, of course, with the National Security Adviser, because we need to integrate many systems on this issue. I think that it must be understood that this crisis is fundamentally different. It is fundamentally different from other crises. In other crises, be it a terrorist attack or even a war, we do everything to deal with an external threat and change domestic routines as little as possible. In this crisis, after having dealt with and closed the outer layer, or reduced it and tightened it greatly, the country’s outer layer, we are now compelled to change domestic routines in order to deal with this crisis regarding a virus that wants to attack us from outside.

I am asking you, citizens of Israel, to change your routines in order to deal with an external threat. In short, to change. It is not easy. It requires us to make many changes such as something that Israelis love to do. We love to embrace. We love to shake hands. We love to kiss. No more. I have already specified certain changes that we need to make. First, to refrain from shaking hands, to wash hands. We will also issue directives about that again, repeatedly, to maintain personal hygiene. I would like you to also see the significance of putting a handkerchief or a tissue over the face.

Please, see here is what happens when somebody sneezes. It transfers the disease, these droplets of saliva, and therefore, the easiest thing is to simply take a tissue. I carry tissues all the time. Do this: Sneeze or cough into a tissue. You do not need masks; this is enough. Do this and it will effect a very major change because we need to protect each other, and I will get to this shortly.

This is the first thing, to maintain hygiene, and to wash hands, and about shaking hands and using handkerchiefs, in order to avoid coughing or sneezing and spreading these droplets of saliva, and also when you touch your face, as much as possible. This is the first thing.

The second thing that we are doing today is a behavioral change. We are asking your help – to limit gatherings.

We are asking: If there is no need for conferences or events, do not hold them and do not go to them. I am saying this as clearly as possible. We are in a global pandemic. I ask you, other countries that did not take the steps that we have taken are in a very difficult slide. We are safeguarding the country well but we need to effect behavioral changes so that we can continue to safeguard ourselves well and get through this crisis. Do not gather. We are artificially limiting this to closed places of over 100 people. There will be exceptions for security needs and other public needs, and for health and military needs and such, but for other issues as well. We will make exceptions. We will issue this in an orderly fashion. This is important. It must be understood that we are entering into a different discipline. And if you go to a place where there is a gathering, try not to crowd in. Do everything not to crowd in. And again – maintain hygiene.

We will announce what we are doing with the academic year. We are thinking about the academic year at the universities. We are considering a postponement. Regarding schools, there are other considerations stemming from the character of the disease and from the expectancy of the disease. We will discuss this. At the moment there is no change. I assume that the Director General of the Health Ministry will report on this. There are questions here about taking temperatures and diagnosing people in a comprehensive way to try and get things in time and other things that will come up here this evening, but the main thing is not to gather, maintain distance and maintain hygiene.

I call this public health but that is not correct. It is not a question of public health. It is not a question of whether someone here will catch the disease. If somebody catches the disease and he is 20 or 30 or a similar age, most likely nothing will happen to him. He will simply be a little sick, maybe, if he feels it at all, and he will be healthy. But our problem is that if we do not prevent the spread of the disease by this change of behavior, and other things that we have decided on, and they are hard decisions, we will infect older people, who are at much greater risk. 

And so we are talking here 

about maintaining life.

Therefore, when I talk about public health, I am talking about your lives, citizens of Israel. I am talking about the lives of your father and your grandfather. And I am enlisting the youth today to watch over older people. Therefore, this requires change and sacrifice in the routines of each and every one of us. I am asking you to do this in order to safeguard your father, your grandfather and your grandmother. I can tell you that it will be harder before it gets easier. This happens, this develops. But I believe that we can overcome this crisis. The fact is that we are functioning better than almost any other country in the world, and this is thanks to you, thanks to the policy that have enacted and thanks to the self-discipline that you – citizens of Israel – are showing.

With G-d’s help and the cooperation of all of us, we will overcome this crisis.” (JPress)


ADDENDUM:

Authorities' Poor Response To The Coronavirus Is Just Making Things ... https://youtu.be/K0HYh6zjTUo. Much More Difficult

DO NOT KNOW IF HEALTH MINISTRY KNOWS THIS BUT SHOULD ADJUST ISOLATION RULES:

At the same time, the incubation period for coronavirus can be as long as 24 days according to the largest study analyzing patients of the disease so far—another indication the number of actual cases is likely higher than reported. Some patients are also testing positive for the virus while showing no symptoms at all, according to a letter published in The New England Journal of Medicine. theepochtimes

PERSONAL NOTE:

This all proves to me that the 3 letter agencies that are supposed to investigate and recommend stringencies and courses of procedures to curb and control outbreaks of anything lethal to humankind were really only slowly following the path on a daily basis as it progressed. Like watching a pot of water come to a boil. Now the world is at the boiling point. There were no strong and extreme directives to peoples and countries about immediate PREVENTION measures, like isolation and curbing social behaviors. It is as if their attention was aimed at watching a plan unfolding. Any measures that slowly came out were seemingly timed “after the fact”. Their psychological approach was, as they framed it, not to cause panic, but their real purpose was to monitor and propel a certain economic scenario. In my estimation, these agencies are responsible for the spread of this worldwide pandemic. Like the Nazis who were obsessed and methodical in their plan to destroy the Jews, these alphabet agencies are likewise fixated on their plan to see that this disaster of a laboratory creation brings down the US Government, and in doing so infects and kills people all over the world. Just like all the other ‘epidemics’ in recent history mfg in laboratories.

TREMENDOUS UPDATE: Corona cure found in Jerusalem HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

An Excellent Correlation Between 
the Corona Virus and the Fake Trump Peace Plan
Kfar Tapuach


Thank you for the best correlation and explanation of our situation right now.
Tremendous. The most succinct I’ve heard.

I just read something that reinforces the above; and it should be clear to anyone with eyes to see.

The following are excerpts of an *article by another website:

On Tuesday, Joint List chairman Aymen Odeh announced the number one condition for even entering into talks with Gantz; a total ban on all Jewish visitation to the Temple Mount.

“We have a clear position on the issue of the al-Aqsa mosque. We want to see the cessation of all visits of extremist settlers [i.e. all Jews] to the mosque. This is something that [began] during the Netanyahu era, and we want the status quo to be restored. Al-Aqsa is a Muslim place of worship, and East Jerusalem should be the capital city of the Palestinian state. We will be focusing on the issue of al-Aqsa at the present stage [of negotiations].”

Trump’s proposed deal of the century (Kushner) states explicitly that “people of every faith should be permitted to pray on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, in a manner that is fully respectful to their religion, taking into account the times of each religion’s prayers and holidays, as well as other religious factors.” By rejecting the president’s proposal, the Arab party is essentially demanding that the current racist policy under which Muslims maintain a religious monopoly on Judaism’s holiest site will be adopted by a left-wing Israeli government.

Other demands made by the Joint list include:

• Building new neighborhoods in Jerusalem – for Arabs.
• No more Jewish construction in Judea-Samaria, and giving in to all PA demands.
• An end to the drafting of Druze fighters into the IDF.
• Veto power over all IDF operations.
• Ending the Jewish Law of Return and Immigration Benefits.
• Enacting an Arab Law of Return and encourage millions of Arabs to immigrate to Israel.
• Providing 100% autonomy to Arab schools, and all other Arab sectors. Provide generous subsidies for free housing, etc…

It is important to note that in a speech on Saturday night, Netanyahu said that he rejected a deal with the Otzma Yehudit party that might have given him the necessary two seats. He explained that the party head, Itamar Ben Gvir,  established as one of his conditions the removal of the Waqf’s authority on the Temple Mount, thereby paving the way for a Jewish return to their holiest site.  [this is exactly one of the behaviors of the Erev Rav against the Geulah and Mashiach. This writer succinctly captured the essence of the danger of Netanyahu’s thinking, creating a barrier. And you can throw Rivlin into the same equation. All Erev Rav!]

[…] Without Abecassis, Gantz cannot form a majority coalition of 61 even with the Arab parties.

In conjunction with her rejection of a union with the Arab parties coming on the holiday of Purim, a comparison to Queen Esther is inevitable. Queen Esther saved the Jewish people, paving the way for a return to Israel and the Second Temple. Similarly, it is clear that Abecassis’ intervention prevented a coalition that would see the Israeli government enforcing an anti-Jewish policy that would have blocked Jews from connecting with their holiest site.

Abecassis-Levy was [is] the ninth of twelve children of Moroccan-born former Foreign Affairs Minister David Levy. She lives on Kibbutz Mesilot. Despite the kibbutz defining itself as secular, Abecassis-Levy observes the Sabbath for “health reasons.”

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*Admittedly, this article, A ‘Modern-Day Esther’ May Have Just Saved Israel From Muslim Rule
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, was a comment by Meir - Ivri Anochi, on the endofdays blog years of awe.

Important Self-Treatment for Viruses

Should anyone want to peruse the natural substances that aid and protect against viral infections, please visit GreenMedinfo. This site has a wealth of information:

82 Abstracts with Coronavirus Disease Research

And

Coronavirus Disease Related Articles

GreenMedinfo

Of course, if anyone is experiencing any severe symptoms, including trouble breathing, one MUST get in touch with your physician or in Israel, call 101 for immediate testing.

———————————
Hopefully no one is thinking that this CV is a good thing, even as a precursor to 
Mashiach and the Geula Shleima
BECAUSE
Those most affected are the elderly (including 50s, 60s, 70s and above) and are mostly 
those who are dying.
We dont wish for anyone to contract this deadly invention.

UPDATE 3/11

New Method of Corona Virus Spread is Discovered
vosizneias

The latest research from China shows that the novel coronavirus is also spread by fecal-oral transmission. It is not just spread by the other two methods discussed: respiratory droplets and environmental contact.

It should be noted that in past studies in America – 62% of people have fecal matter on their hands and do not wash their hands adequately.

The article was written by Hong Shan, MD, PhD, of the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, and Sun Yat-sen University, in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, and colleagues.

They noted that the gastrointestinal tract is a welcoming environment for the virus. The virus is also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) CoV-2. “Our immunofluorescent data showed that the ACE2 protein, which has been proved to be a cell receptor for SARS-CoV-2, is abundantly expressed in the glandular cells of gastric, duodenal, and rectal epithelia, supporting the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host cell,” the team wrote.

Among the key findings of the study are:

A significant portion of coronavirus patients experience diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and/or abdominal discomfort before the onset of respiratory symptoms

Viral RNA is detectable in fecal samples from suspected cases, indicating that the virus sheds into the stool

Viral gastrointestinal infection and potential fecal-oral transmission can last even after viral clearance from the respiratory tract

The study looked at 73 patients hospitalized for possible COVID-19 and tested from February 1 to 14, 2020. Testing included serum, nasopharyngeal, and oropharyngeal swabs, as well as urine, stool, and tissue samples in accordance with China Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

A total of 39 patients (53.4%; 25 males and 14 females), tested positive for fecal SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The age of patients with positive RNA in stool ranged from 10 months to 78 years, and the duration of stool positivity ranged from 1 to 12 days. Furthermore, the stool of 17 patients (23.3%) remained positive even after respiratory samples tested negative.

There Appears A Deadline . . .The Gates are Closing

יקותיאל בן יעקב
Yekutiel Ben Yakov of the IDU urges all Jews to come to Israel, especially in view of the Corona Virus, the closing of borders, the economic crisis and scapegoating of the Jew

PUBLIC NOTICE

Ministry of Health hotline is *5400. If symptoms of fever, coughing or difficulty breathing occur during isolation, call Magen David Adom's 101 hotline immediately to determine the need to be checked for the virus.

Drastic Report From Italian Doctor

Dr. Daniele Macchini, a doctor at Humanitas Gavazzeni hospital in Bergamo, northern Italy, described on Facebook how his hospital has been affected by coronavirus.

"After much thought about if and what to write about what is happening to us, I felt that silence is not responsible," he wrote. "Therefore I will try to tell people who are far from our reality about what we are living in Bergamo in these days. I understand the need not to create panic, but when the message of how dangerous events are is not reaching people, I shake with fear."

"I myself watched with a certain amount of amazement as the hospital was reorganized entirely over the past week. When our current enemy was still in the shadows: The departments 'slowly emptied,' elective activities were stopped, ICU patients were transferred there in order to empty as many beds as possible.

"All of these rapid changes brought an atmosphere of surreal silence and emptiness to the hospitals' hallways, when we still did not understand, when we were waiting for a war that had not yet begun and that many (including myself) were not sure that would ever come with such cruelty.

"I still remember the nighttime conversation I had a week ago, when I waited for the results of the test. When I think about it, my fear of the possible situation looks almost stupid and unjustified now, when I'm seeing what's happening. And so, things are pretty dramatic here, to say the least.

"The war broke out, very simply, and the battles were endless, day and night. But now the need for beds has come to be big drama. One after the other, the departments which were emptied are filling up at an impressive pace.

"The boards with the patients' names, in different colors in accordance with the operation units, now they're all red and instead of the operation, we see always see the same horrible diagnosis: Bilateral interstitial lung disease.

"Now explain to me how the flu virus causes such drama, so quickly. And there are still people who are proud of the fact that they're not scared, and ignore the guidelines, and protest that their lifestyle has 'temporarily' been put in crisis.

"The epidemiological disaster is happening.

And there are no more surgeons, urologists, orthopedists. We're just doctors who have suddenly become part of one staff that's facing this tsunami that's overwhelmed us.

"The cases are becoming more numerous, we're seeing 15-20 hospitalizations per day, and it's all for the same reason. The test results come in now one after the other: Positive, positive, positive. Suddenly the emergency room is collapsing.

"The reason for coming in is always identical: Fever and difficulty breathing, fever and cough, respiratory failure. Radiology always reports the same thing: Bilateral lung infection, bilateral lung infection, bilateral lung infection. They're all going to be hospitalized.

"One patient needs intubation and the intensive care unit. For others it's too late....all the ventilation machines have become gold. Those in the operating rooms which have ceased their non-urgent work have become intensive care rooms which did not previously exist.

"The staff is exhausted. I saw their exhaustion on the faces which have not seen such work, despite the overload of work that already exhausted them. I saw the solidarity among everyone, who never ceased turning to our internal medicine doctors and colleagues, asking, 'And what can I do for you now?'

"Doctors are moving beds and transferring patients. Nurses have tears in their eyes because we can't save them all and thee vital signs of several of them simultaneously reveal their known fate.

"There's no more shifts, there are no more hours. Our social lives have been put on hold. We don't see our families already, out of fear we might infect them. Some of us have already become infected, despite the protective protocols."

Source: ArutzSheva

May Hashem Turn the World UpSideDown and Bring Mashiach Soon

V’Nahapoch Hu

Let us hope that everything goes topsy turvy on Purim day and Hashem has rachmonus on His children and wipes this virus out of this world!

In Yerushalayim we celebrate Purim on Yom Revii (Wed.)

Amazing Quote of Rav Shteinman zt”l

Many are surprised to learn that the tombs of Mordechai and Esther are maintained to this day in Iran. Despite being a Muslim country, they are still regarded as important figures in Persian history.

For the past six years on Taanit Esther, pilgrims from the frum Tehrani community have been enduring the arduous 6-hour journey to the kvarim. The interior is beautiful, with murals and tapestries adorning the resting places of two of the greatest leaders of Jewish history. The Tehrani pilgrims pray for those who donate to Vaad HaRabbonim’s yearly matanos l’evyonim campaign.

It is undoubtedly a perilous trip, as religious Jews travelling in a Sharia state to pray at a public Jewish site. However, the emissaries, and the gedolim who sent them, are confident that the important cause for their mission is enough to protect them. The survival of the tombs themselves is testament to the Divine protection at play.

They will include a special prayer: pitum haketores for protection against the coronavirus.

The money will be distributed to poor families on the day of Purim, in the form of checks.

The campaign itself has a respected and illustrious history. Gedolim including Rav Shteinman zt”l, Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a, Rav Vozner zt”l, and the Belzer Rebbe have given matanos l’evyonim via Vaad HaRabbonim for many years. In fact, Rav Shteinman zt”l is quoted as having said that “After [he is] 120, when [he] will stand before Beis Din Shel Maalah, they will ask [him] what [he] did for the poor, the widows and the orphans.” His answer? “I will answer that I was a partner with Vaad HaRabbonim.”

Rav Steinman also reportedly said that “when there is a gezeira on a Yid, Hashem brings before him the wondrous tzedaka of Vaad Harabbanim, which is not just one poor person but many poor people, so he will give them tzedaka and be rescued.”

Those who wish to add their names to the prayer lists at the tombs of Mordechai and Esther, and who wish to handle the mitzvah of matanos l’evyonim, can donate here. 

One can see Rav Shteinman’s note at No comments:

“You are Witnessing a Terrible Time of Retribution. This isn’t Chance. This is G–d ,,,”

A TERRIBLE TIME OF RETRIBUTION

In a public talk given in Jerusalem this past Sunday evening, messianic expert, international speaker and Torah scholar Rabbi Mendel Kessin speculated about why the three countries hardest hit by the coronavirus are China, Iran, and Italy. Is it a coincidence? Or could it be Divine punishment?

There is a theme, well established in the Hebrew scriptures, that G–d judges the entire world.

Rabbi Kessin has spoken in the recent past about how China’s unethical economic practices are linked to their role as the catalyst for the worldwide coronavirus epidemic. According to [Rabbi] Kessin, it’s as if G–d is saying to China, “You want to be one of the instability factors in the world economy? Then I will begin to destroy your economy.” [Rabbi] Kessin calls this “a measure-for-measure retribution that G–d is doing.”

According to Rabbi Mattiyahu Glazerson, the coronavirus is also connected to the common practice in China of eating live animals, a violation of one of the seven Noahide laws. Chinese people also commonly eat many animals that are Biblically unclean.

[Rabbi] Kessin reflected on Iran in its role as an international sponsor of terror. “There are so many places in the world that are intensifying their evil,” he said. “At the same time, there are so many places in the world where evil is being punished.”

Iran appears to be collapsing. The government is shut down. The New York Times is reporting that there are at least seven government officials who have tested positive for the virus. Outside of China, Iran has the highest death toll from the virus.

“The two greatest nations contributing to the instability of the world are Iran and China. China is filled with thievery. There comes a time when G–d says, ‘Enough is enough, and since we are before the Messianic era, I’ve got to clean up the place.’”

But what about Italy? Outside of Asia, Italy currently has the highest number of people diagnosed with the coronavirus. Why might that be?

[Rabbi] Kessin believes it’s connected directly to the Catholic church, which has been a breeding ground for replacement theology and anti-Semitism. “I believe Italy is some type of punishment for Christianity. It’s not Italy per se. It’s Catholicism. What Rome has done to Jews… they’ve been killing Jews for 2000 years. You would not believe the number of Jews who died because of Christianity,” he asserted.

[Rabbi] Kessin also made the case that the Bubonic Plague, which began in 1347 CE and brought death to a third of Europe’s population, was Divine punishment for the Crusades when innocent Jews were viciously murdered by Crusaders. Interestingly, the Bubonic Plague, also called The Black Death, is believed to have originated in Asia and spread from Italy throughout the rest of Europe.

“We don’t know when G–d pays back. G–d can wait for a millennium before He pays back anybody… When justice comes, get out of the way, because G–d will go after nations. He can wipe out complete nations. Who could imagine China, 1.4 billion people, the second greatest economy in the world, is now bending down on its knees? It’s being destroyed.”

Israeli-born and Monsey, NY-based Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi lectures frequently on world events from a Torah perspective. He agrees with Rabbi Kessin’s assertion that the high rate of infection and death from the coronavirus in China, Iran and Italy are part of G–d’s agenda for judging nations.

[Rabbi] Mizrachi, who is not a native English speaker, told Breaking Israel News, “As always it’s mida keneged mida (measure for measure). You can also add to that that almost all the Chinese are atheist. They support Iran and there are no human rights there; they murdered a lot of people.”

[Rabbi]Mizrachi also emphasized that, “Hashem (G–d) started with these three countries. Eventually, He may go to many other countries and it can become very bad over there as well.”

He also called the rapid spread of the coronavirus an attack on “the comfortable, materialistic lifestyle mainly in America and Europe. Actually it’s a great help for us to do teshuva (repentance) because the #1 enemy and obstacle of the person in avodat Hashem (service to G–d) is the addiction to comfort and material things. The more materialistic the people become, the less spiritual they are.”

[Rabbi] Mizrachi added that, because of a fear of spreading the virus, “already now, all the gathering for sins in the world stopped.”

[Rabbi] Kessin spoke in very clear terms about what underlies the constant news reports about the coronavirus.

“This isn’t an accident. A world pandemic, which it may become, isn’t an accident. It’s because there’s a judgement time. Everybody’s being judged. The whole planet… The world is in a makom sakana (a dangerous time). Right now, we are witnessing a frightening time.

“The reason for that, I believe, is because we are entering very close to the Moshiach (messiah) and this is a clean-up time. G–d is not going to tolerate the enormous amount of corruption, injustice, cruelty and immorality that people are doing.

“You are witnessing a terrible time of retribution. This isn’t chance. This is G–d,” [Rabbi] Kessin asserted.

Source: Israel News Site
(with respectful additions)

Elephant Fever

Using Monkeys to Find a New Vaccine

(Bloomberg) -- To cure the humans, first you get the monkeys sick. Finding the right animal as a research model for the new and deadly coronavirus is crucial for learning how to treat it. The ideal subject is a non-human primate that shows similar symptoms: coughing, sneezing, fever and chest congestion. The hunt is on in the U.S., tightly coordinated among a small coalition of labs authorized to raise monkeys for research. High hopes are riding on a troop of Texas baboons.

Covid-19 has infected at least 101,000 people and killed almost 3,500 since the world began keeping track in December, and academics, companies and governments are racing to arrest its rapid spread. Officials have said finding a therapy or vaccine could take months or years, and cost more than $1 billion. Animal experiments can discover how the virus functions and which treatments are most effective.

“It’s the only way to understand it,” said Jean Patterson, a virologist at Texas BioMedical Research Institute, a private nonprofit in San Antonio devoted to eliminating infectious diseases. Study animals are scarce, so labs avoid duplicating efforts on the same species. The University of Wisconsin’s primate center is starting with marmosets. Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana is working with rhesus macaques.

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want anything 

“monkey,  macaque or marmoset” 

in a vaccine injected into my body!

Then there is the unique colony of baboons at Texas BioMedical. After eight generations of breeding, they number near 1,000, housed in zoo-like cages and a 6-acre indoor/outdoor habitat on the research campus. It’s outfitted with swings, tunnels, rock features and toys to keep the animals occupied. Baby baboons are raised by their mothers in separate harems. Twelve veterinarians and nine animal behavior experts tend to them. No animals leave the premises, but the center’s researchers regularly partner on projects with colleagues elsewhere. Its animals were used to test Ebola medicines now being deployed in Africa. “Any scientist from around the world can call us,” said spokeswoman Lisa Cruz.

As an independent nonprofit, Texas BioMedical is a rarity in U.S. research, which is dominated by university and government labs. Established by a science-minded philanthropist in 1941, the center has a Biosafety Level 4 lab -- required for working with lethal pathogens that have no cure -- and three active BSL3 rated labs, which is the level required for the new virus. It gets 80% of its annual $60 million budget from the federal National Institutes of Health. Animal studies are an essential -- but fraught -- part of scientists’ campaign against human disease. Labs are frequently targeted by animal-rights activists and the work can take an emotional toll on everyone who works with the primates, Cruz said. Federal law governs the research, mandating that primates be spared undue suffering

Read full article at: bloombergquint

Just in case you haven’t seen this:

.

VP Mike Pence On Virus Precautions

VP PENCE CAUTIONS US CITIZENS (Seniors)
BUT THIS ALSO APPLIES TO ALL ISRAELIS 

Vice President Mike Pence, speaking Saturday after meeting with cruise ship industry leaders in Florida, targeted his travel advice to a narrower group: older people with serious health problems.

“If you’re a senior citizen with a serious underlying health condition, this would be a good time to practice common sense and to avoid activities including traveling on a cruise line,” Pence said, adding they were looking to cruise line officials for action, guidance and flexibility with those passengers.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar suggested older Americans and those with health problems should avoid crowds “especially in poorly ventilated spaces.”

For most people, the flu-like viral illness causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But — like the flu — it can cause pneumonia and be much more lethal to people made frail by old age and by conditions that make it harder for their bodies to fight infections.

Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of tropical medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, this week warned U.S. lawmakers against minimizing the viruses risk for vulnerable people. During a Congressional hearing, he said the coronavirus “is like the angel of death for older individuals.”

Some experts this week said clearer and louder guidance should be made to vulnerable people, so they take every possible step to avoid settings where they might more easily become infected.

“The clear message to people who fit into those categories is; ‘You ought to become a semi-hermit. You’ve got to really get serious in your personal life about social distancing, and in particular avoiding crowds of any kind,’” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University expert on infectious diseases.

“At this point the risk in the U.S. remains low, but we are seeing it spread rapidly. We are going from the calm before the storm to the beginning of the storm,” said Frieden, who now heads Resolve to Save Lives, an organization promoting global public health.


Source:  https://vosizneias.com/2020/03/07/official-white-house-didnt-want-to-tell-seniors-not-to-fly/

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BLOGGER NOTE:  I seriously doubt the risk is low Why are Israelis allowed to travel to any other country? Why are any visitors from any country allowed into Israel? Its time to be extremely cautious.

SPIRULINA ACTIVATES RESPONSE TO RNA VIRALS — Important

Spirulina found to boost the body’s type 1 interferon response to fight RNA viral infections “including coronavirus,” new science finds

A new study published in Progress in Cardiovascular Disease on February 12 of this year reveals that spirulina may have tremendous potential to boost the body’s type 1 interferon response in fighting RNA viral infections.

While no substance has yet been proven to treat or prevent coronavirus infections, many new candidates are emerging from the world of nutraceuticals. In fact, the title for this study is, “Nutraceuticals have potential for boosting the type 1 interferon response to RNA viruses including influenza and coronavirus.” Several nutraceuticals are named in the study (see summary table below).

The study is found at this link:  doi.org

There, study authors explain the mechanism by which a spirulina component called phycocyanobilin (PCB) mimics bilirubin, allowing it to “mimic the NAPDH oxidase inhibiting activity” which means it blocks a key physiological mechanism used by RNA viruses to replicate in the human body.

The study begins by explaining the context of the importance of looking at nutraceuticals that may help stop the spread of the coronavirus:

In light of worldwide concern regarding the recent outbreak of a deadly novel strain of coronavirus in China, it is fortuitous that two recent discoveries point the way to effective nutraceutical measures for potentiating the type 1 interferon response to RNA viruses.

Here’s the full explanation from the study:

Moreover, the phycocyanobilin (PCB) chromophore of cyanobacteria (such as spirulina) and many types of blue-green algae, a biliverdin metabolite, has been shown to mimic the NAPDH oxidase inhibiting activity of unconjugated bilirubin, likely because it is rapidly converted within cells to phycocyanorubin, a compound very similar in structure to bilirubin.11,12 This phenomenon likely explains many of the profound antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects observed when spirulina, phycocyanin (the prominent spirulina protein incorporating PCB as a chromophore), or PCB itself are administered in rodent models of human pathology.11,13 Hence, ingestion of spirulina or of spirulina extracts enriched in PCB may have potential for boosting type 1 interferon response in the context of RNA virus infection. Oral administration of a cold-water spirulina extract rich in phycocyanin has been found to decrease mortality in influenza-infected mice.

The study looked at several different nutraceuticals that may show real promise in protecting people from RNA viral infections. Here’s a quick summary from the study:

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) – found to reduce influenza episodes and boost glutathione production
Ferulic acid / Sodium ferulate – may activate TLR7 to stimulate type 1 interferon production
Lipioc acid
Sulforaphane (from cruciferous vegetables)
Selenium – when people are deficient in this mineral, viruses replicate more quickly
Glucosamine – may block a pathway used by viruses to replicate (activation of MAVS) – “This striking new finding points to the possibility that high-dose glucosamine supplementation might aid prevention and control of RNA virus infections.”
Beta-glucans – stimulates the immune response against viruses
Zinc – “Zinc supports the effective function and proliferation of various immune cells,” may reduce mortality by 27% according to previous clinical studies.
Elderberry – “extracts of elderberry, in particular, have received considerable clinical evaluation, and have been found to be symptomatically beneficial in influenza and the common cold.”

Conclusion from the study:

In light of the foregoing, administration of spirulina (or a spirulina extract enriched in PCB), a phase 2 inducer (such as ferulic acid, lipoic acid, or sulforaphane), N-acetylcysteine, selenium, and high-dose glucosamine, in adequate doses, might be expected to help prevent and control RNA virus infections by amplifying the signaling functions of TLR7 and MAVS in evoking type 1 interferon production.

Doses recommended by the study:

Ferulic acid: 500-1,000 mg
Lipoic acid: 1,200-1,800 mg (in place of ferulic acid)
Spirulina: 15 g (or 100 mg PCB, which is an extract)
N-Acetylcysteine: 1,200–1,800 mg
Selenium: 50-100 mcg
Glucosamine: 3,000 mg or more
Zinc: 30-50 mg
Yeast Beta-Glucan: 250-500 mg
Elderberry: 600–1,500 mg

What’s especially important to note in all this is how every government authority is pushing pharmaceuticals and (non-existent) vaccines rather than encouraging people to use nutraceuticals that are available right now. Because of this total unwillingness to recommend potential anti-viral substances that are safe, affordable and available right now, these “authorities” are allowing the virus to replicate and spread in an accelerating manner, all to promote the financial interests of Big Pharma rather than support the health of the public.



–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to claim that any of these substances treat, prevent or cure coronavirus infections. These are merely candidates which are being studied for their potential. Currently there is no drug, no vaccine, no herb, no molecule on the planet which has been proven to treat coronavirus infections.

FAMILY TELLS WHAT ITS LIKE IN QUARANTINE

My Family Is Among the 80,000 Israelis Living in Quarantine. This Is Our Story.

MODIIN, Israel (JTA-URIEL HEILMAN) — When our seventh day of quarantine began with a knock on the door from a guy in a hazmat suit, it was almost a relief finally to have a visitor in the house.

He had come to test my wife and me for coronavirus. My four children eyed the man warily as he unpacked the testing kits at our dining room table.

Barely halfway through a mandatory 14-day quarantine, we were beginning to go a little stir crazy. Our kids, who range in age from 2 to 10, could not attend school or leave home. Our living room was littered with board games, Legos and the remains of half-finished art projects. We were starting to run low on some essentials, and I realized with dismay one day at lunchtime that I somehow had forgotten to change out of my pajamas.

Articles with quarantine recommendations often list things like binge-worthy TV shows, advice for working from home or how to exercise and eat right. They don’t include many tips for keeping four young children occupied or a family of six from going insane.

It wasn’t until after we awoke on our first morning in northern Italy for a much-anticipated, first-ever family ski vacation in Europe that we realized we had landed in the newest coronavirus hot spot.

At first, we tried to shrug off the foreboding news. The epicenter of the outbreak was a three-hour drive away, in the Lombardy region near Milan, and we were in the Dolomite Mountains some 130 miles away. So we slid into our snow pants, piled into our rental car and drove past the unfortunately named Corona Hotel to the base of the gondola that would take us up to the Pinzolo ski area.

That evening, however, as increasingly worrisome reports proliferated about the virus’ rapid spread, we began to grow anxious. By the next night, we had decided to cut our trip short and fly back to Israel, where we’re living this year — mostly to try to avoid a possible quarantine order.

We had a family bat mitzvah scheduled that weekend, and a host of other things we didn’t want to miss, including a national academic achievement awards ceremony honoring our oldest child.

But the morning after we landed, we learned that anybody returning from Italy after midnight the night before would be required to be isolated at home for two weeks. Our flight had landed at 1 a.m.

Within hours, the quarantine was extended retroactively, and within days a growing list of countries joined the mandatory quarantine list: France, Austria, Germany, Switzerland. It seemed only a matter of time before Israel banned flights from the United States, too.

Inside our apartment, however, all this was simply background noise. Our main focus was to get through the next 14 days with no school and no extracurricular activities. Also, no supermarket runs, no walks, no cleaning lady, no Purim and no seeing other people.

There were a few bright spots: I can work from home. And fortunately we have a large backyard, so we wouldn’t have to be cooped up inside all the time.

Incredibly, our friends and community really stepped up to help. My phone buzzed incessantly with messages of sympathy and offers to drop off food, books, games and necessities. Unsolicited cakes and cookies showed up at our doorstep. Students at my children’s school phoned my kids every night on a rotation to ensure that our kids didn’t feel forgotten. Their teachers sent home assignments (much to my kids’ chagrin). At least once a day we got a call from the Israeli health authorities checking in on us.

Our yard is about 15 feet below street level, and nearly every day someone comes to the fence that overlooks it to say hello. We’ve taken to calling it the “Shouting Wall,” named for the Shouting Hill at the Syrian-Israeli border on the Golan Heights, where families separated by the 1967 Six-Day War still communicate with each other by shouting across the border. When our family visits, our kindly next-door neighbors let them traipse through their house to their yard, which abuts ours separated by a low fence. That’s the “Good Fence” — named for the border area where friendly Lebanese used to cross into Israel to shop during Israel’s 18-year occupation of South Lebanon.

One of our first acts under quarantine was to set up an online supermarket order. When the deliveryman arrived with our groceries, I opened the door, stepped back 6 feet and explained the situation.

He quickly backed away, a frightened look on his face.

“It’s all for you!” he said, gesturing to the packages and running for the building stairwell.

“Wait! What about the crates?” I called out.

“Keep them!” he cried, already out of sight. “I have a family! I have children at home!”

“We’re not sick,” I shouted after him. “It’s just that we got back from Italy yesterday! You can have the crates back.”

I wish you good health. But I’m not coming back! They’re yours!”

The irony of having become objects of pity and charity because of our “misfortune” at having taken a European ski vacation isn’t lost on us. And as we count down the days, trying to keep our nervousness at bay every time someone coughs or has a headache, we’re reading the news about the virus’ spread with growing alarm. Friends and family on distant continents have been subject to quarantine, too.

Even once our quarantine is over, we won’t be in the clear. We’ll be out in the world with the rest of you, at risk of contamination. In some ways, quarantine is a protective cocoon.

Like spending a lot of time with family, it’s a mixed blessing. In any case, I’d like to wish all people around the world good health and a hearty “l’chaim.” Unfortunately, I’ve run out of scotch to do a proper toast.


Source:
vosizneias

R’ Neuberger – “Know before Whom you Stand. . . .”

“I HAVE REMOVED YOUR INIQUITY”

By Roy S. Neuberger  

Pardon me, but I do not favor sloppy clothing for a Yid.

It seems clear that Hashem wants us to dress with dignity: “Know before Whom you stand. And on account of this you will merit the life of the World to Come.” (Berachos 28b) The ultimate example of dressing with dignity are the kohanim who minister before Hashem in the Bais Hamikdosh, may we see it soon in our day! Their begadim, which are the subject of this week’s Parsha, elevated the neshomas of the kohanimand those who saw them.

We need elevation now so that we do not sink further into the pit which surrounds us, and this is consistent with the events of Purim. Amalek is waiting to destroy us. The pit of destruction is gaping before us.

Shaul Hamelech was regal, but he slipped through excessive compassion when he “took pity on Agag, the best of the sheep and cattle … and all that was good, and they did not destroy them.” (I Samuel 15:9)

Today, surrounded by “all that is good,” we are sick from the poisoned candies our enemies are offering us, the lavish banquet which resembles the feast through which Achashveros almost destroyed our ancestors.

Recently, the (supposedly friendly) government of the United Kingdom introduced regulations which would force yeshivos to teach subjects antithetical to Torah. These regulations would literally destroy the educational system. This, of course, reminds us of recent existential threats from the State of New York and is a direct attack on Torah itself, the core of our existence. 

“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you were leaving Mitzraim!” (Devarim 25:17) Was it long ago, in the forgotten past, that Amalek struck those who “did not fear G-d?”

No! It is today! 

Do not be surprised if the surrounding culture turns against us suddenly. We have contracted this terrible illness in which we have come to believe that their culture is our culture.

My friends, we have to wear the begadim! We have to dress, spiritually and physically, in holy garments so that we are fit to minister to theRibono shel Olam in the Bais Hamikdosh. Please forgive me, but we have to remove the torn jeans, sneakers and baseball caps so we look likekohanim, because we are in fact “mamleches kohanim … a kingdom of ministers and a holy nation.” (Shemos 19:6)

“Yehoshua was dressed in filthy garments …. [The malach] spoke … to those standing before him, saying, ‘Remove the filthy garments from upon him!’ Then he said [to Yehoshua], ‘See, I have removed your iniquity from upon you, and dressed you with clean attire.’” (Zecharia 3:3-4)

The lands of our Exile are ejecting us now; it is time to shed our foreign garments.

“Shake off the dust! Arise! “Don your splendid clothes, My People, through the son of Yishai ha Lachmi!” (Lecha Dodi) One world is dying and a new one is dawning.

“In the evening one lies down weeping, but with dawn … a cry of joy! …. What gain is there in my death, when I descend to the Pit? … Hear, Hashem and favor me …. You have changed … my lament into dancing; you undid my sackcloth and girded me with gladness …. I will thank You forever!” (Tehillim 30)

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Roy Neuberger, author and public speaker, can be reached at roy@2020vision.co.il.

© Copyright 2020 by Roy S. Neuberger