Hadassah Hospitals Prepare for High Holidays with New Halachic Guide
The Hadassah Medical Organization has completed extensive preparations across its Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus campuses to accommodate patients, visitors, and staff during the High Holidays and Sukkot. This year, a new, detailed halachic guide titled "The High Holidays at Hadassah, A Halachic Guide for Medical Center Visitors" has been introduced. The guide centralizes prayer schedules, holiday timings, and practical instructions for patients, addressing specific needs such as hearing the shofar, observing Yom Kippur while ill, and fulfilling Sukkot commandments within the hospital.
Special emphasis has been placed on religious and halachic support, aiming to allow those undergoing medical treatment to fully engage with the holidays. The guide offers guidance on prayer services, including multiple prayer traditions for Rosh Hashanah led by professional cantors, and provides holiday kits and meals for inpatients. Rabbis from the medical center will visit wards to blow the shofar, perform Kiddush, and Havdalah, with provisions for patients unable to reach the synagogue.
The guide also clarifies the intersection of halakha and medical reality, particularly concerning fasting on Yom Kippur. It stresses that a patient's life and health take precedence, and any decisions regarding fasting or eating require consultation with a specialist physician and a halachic authority. The hospital's rabbinate is available for continuous halachic consultation.
For Sukkot, large sukkahs will be erected, and sets of the Four Species will be available. The guide includes instructions for patients, escorts, and staff regarding dwelling in the sukkah and using the Four Species. Holiday prayers, Hakafot (rejoicing with the Torah), and Simchat Beit HaShoeva celebrations are also planned.
Hadassah aims to ensure that patients and their families can observe the holidays with prayer and festive spirit, even within the hospital setting, integrating the melodies and joy of the holidays into the medical routine.
