Question:
Winter is upon us! I used to live in the tropics and am finding the cold weather to be really difficult. I’ve been one-and-off sick for much of the winter and find that schlepping out into the cold wears on my system. I don’t own a car, but the walk to minyan is only about 5 – 6 minutes. Still though, the cold does seem to affect my system negatively.
I am chayav to go to minyan even if I feel it poses a risk to hurting my immune system and potentially gettiing sick?
Answer:
Do you go outside for other things, to the store, your job? If you do, then why should the minyan be the one to suffer. Aside from missing tefillah b’ztibbur, missing the minyan will cause you to miss out on answering borchu, kaddish, and kedusha. there is an old Jewish saying, based on the posuk “בבית אלוקים נהלך ב”רגש”- To the House of G-d we wilI in trepiation. The word רג”ש can be seen as an acronym for the words רוח, גשם, שלג, iint wn, rain or snow!
If you are sure that it will make you sick, you don’t have to go, however, there are a number of things that you can do to help your immune system, such as vitamin supplements, dressing and sleeping properly. It would be a good idea to try these things first, because it isn’t healthy for a person to stay locked up in his home for the whole winter, as that in itself can cause a person to get sick.
Feel better and have a healthy winter.
