Port-au-Prince – ZAKA, a rescue team made up of religious volunteers, has been working overtime in the quake-stricken Haitian capital of Port au-Prince. Late Friday night they found a few minutes to conduct Kabalat Shabbat.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
“There was not really a Shabbat, but on Friday night we said Kiddush with delegations from Mexico, England, and Scotland,” commander of the ZAKA mission to Haiti, Mati Goldstein, told Ynet.
“With all the hell going on outside, even when things get bad Judaism says we must take a deep breath and go on to save more people.”
Goldstein said cooperation between the international teams, which had arrived from 30 different states, was strengthened by the Sabbath prayer. “We sat with Jordanian security guards, an Israeli team, and people from Qatar and Egypt. It was strange,” he said.
The ZAKA team, comprised of just three people, has been working among the wreckage of a school in Port au-Prince.
On Friday we assisted with the rescue of eight people, and yesterday two more were saved,” Goldstein recounted.
He added that despite his experience in aiding in disasters worldwide, the scene of the 7.0-magnitude quake was one of the worst he had observed. “I’ve been to Mumbai, and several other terror attacks, but it’s really hellish here,” he said.
Goldstein added that his team had continued to work throughout Shabbat. “We did everything to save lives, despite Shabbat. People asked, ‘Why are you here? There are no Jews here’, but we are here because the Torah orders us to save lives… We are desecrating Shabbat with pride,” he said.
The rescue worker said the teams were trying to keep morale high despite the carnage. “Yesterday the mood was grim among the teams and the locals, because we were digging and getting nowhere,” he said.
“One of the mission members wanted to raise morale, and we started to sing. The search team was working, the families were standing on the side, and everyone was singing ‘Heveinu Shalom Alechem’ (Trans: We bring peace to you). I had tears in my eyes,”
The ZAKA team is scheduled to remain for an additional two days in order to assist the US team, but they are adamant to obviate their Israeli identity. “The people here see it as very important that the State of Israel has come to help,” Goldstein said.
Just because they ‘have to’ be mechalel shabbos, doesn’t mean it should be treated with such glee.
Kol hakavod to them!
shanda and a charpa!
there should be no pride in chilul shabbos, especially in dubious matzovim…
They are saving lives.
Kechoil Ha’goyim Bies Yisruel!!!!!!
what a kiddush hashem!!! so nice to see and hear after hearing all the negativity….if all orhthodox chevra would be busy with goodness like these chevra, the world would be better off.
Maybe it was a stupid thing to say, but it is the message and the actions that are important.
I think he could of phrased it better. “with pride” sounds bad.
WHAT A SHAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
can any 1 tell me which “posek ” gave them “heter” 2 desecratShabbat
and with ” with pride”
next time they want your donation remember they are not a frum org.
They are mechall shabos b’farhesya
think before you post; this blog is read by all; this article published by yediot is a bait
I hope this is not true! They may be using their hearts, but they fail to have pity on themselves. This is pure Chillul Shabbos. It’s clearly stated in the Shulchan Aruch. They could have slept and worked through Motzoei Shabbos.
And the Torah says: Mechaleleha Mois Yumos…
Are these people frum? To be mechalel shabbos bfarhesia?
It seems, there is no heter for this. Tell me if I am wrong.
“To obviate” does not mean to make it obvious. It means to make it unnecessary.
The fact is, they are doing something while all of us sit in judgement in our heated homes with running water and fancy food and nice European clothes. Nobody that reads this website has ever lived in true poverty or seen the human misery that existed in Haiti BEFORE the quake, so no one can imagine the complete degredation and utter poverty of the survivors. Forget the wording for a minute and concentrate on the actions. If they saved the life of even one poor soul who was in misery, it is as though they saved an entire world. Surely that must give nachas to the RSHO.
P.S. Next time you flip on a light switch or turn on the faucet, remember that these are LUXURIES to the people of Haiti.
the only possibility is darkei shalom. similar to Hatzolas heter to respond on shabbos to a guy. but like comment #11 said they could have worked out aarrangement that they would work motzei shab.
It is a boosha that anyone would question efforts to save lives. Only an am hooretz would say wait until Shabbos is over. Gemoro, Yoma ,Pay dalet/bet: v’chol safek n’fashos doche es haShabbos. In case of any doubt about life, concerns about Shabbos are pushed aside.
Chilul Shabbos! Plain and simple.
The heter of chilul shabbos for a nochri, mishum eivah, is only for an issur derabbanan. See Hilchos Shabbos. Siman 330:2 and the comment of the MB #8 . and the Biur Halacha. The possible heteirim are 1. 329:2 which is only applicable if a Yid was there; if we never knew that there was a Jew present, the heter is tenuous. Very complicated for we would need to know if there were Jewish students or faculty at the university. 2. Another possible heter is that of Melocho shein tzricha legufah. When the primary intention is not refuah but to prevent harm to Jews such activity would be permitted. I cannot cite a source but have heard this from poskim. But again, if we know there are no Yidden, there is no heter.
Shame on them there is no basis in Halacha for this
I have read an account of the Baal Shem Tov walking too far, cutting wood, starting a fire, and cooking on Shabbos for a woman who had given birth alone in the winter in order to save her and the child’s life.
He too was criticized unjustly and taught it is better to save a life than keep Shabbos if one must make a choice. (He did not as I recollect claim to do these things with pride, however.)
What a shame. Who asked them to go? Aren’t there enough Goyim? Couldn’t they go and refrain from Chillul Shabbos and Chillul Hashem? In today’s day and age, everyone becomes his own Dayon. The person is at best a fool and an Am Haaretz. Unfortunately, the Mishne says “Achad Shogeg V’Achad Mezid B’Chillul Hashem.” I for one won’t give another cent to Zaka unless they publicly fire this person.
is there an inyan of darkei shalom here? they didn’t have to put themselves in that situation. i doubt if being mechalel shabbos to save a goy is allowed in this case.
first of all there were jews in Haiti and it is possible that there are more jews still trapped. also it is possible that they were only doing melachos derabanan which is certainly mutar in a case of darkei shalom
the issue of pride stems from the machlokes if chilul shabbos bmakom pikuach nefesh is hutrah or hudcha!!
The replies to this story make me embarrassed to be frum. Im no crazy left wing MO guy, but some of you are myopic and act like peasants. You don’t think ZAKA consulted a posek? If you were a trained rescuer would you nap on Shabbos if you were in Haiti and heard the screams of trapped people? What stupidity.
This is a huge disaster with potentially over 200,000 dead and many more still trapped. These people need all the help they can get and unfortunately ZAKA has expertise in pulling people out of rubble. They were in the area since they had been dealing with the tragedy in Mexico, so they came. What were they supposed to say? No, we’re not interested in helping you?
Were gedolei yisroel consulted on whether shabbos could be desecrated in this instance?
i am sure zaka asked their poskim.
to all u foolish posters….who are mocking the zaka team…
halevai-if only all of us can reach the madreiga of these zaka members…giving up all the luxuries they can have at home to go save these poor children..that they shud not be orphans the rest of their lives…to save husbands so that his wife shouldnt be widowed for the rest of her life…doesnt matter how many lives they saved..the fact that they went to save lives is enough of a reason to give them praise…
wat about the kiddush hashem aspect?
People asked, ‘Why are you here? There are no Jews here’, but we are here because the Torah orders us to save lives… We are desecrating Shabbat with pride,” he said.
what a kiddush hashem that was when a goy hears that the torah doesnt just command us to save lives of goyim too…not just someone whoo is a jew…it shows that we go out and help someone even they are not part of us…
the goy that asked that question asked it bec apparently thats what the world thinks…we go help if there are jews that are in danger…BUT NO!! we are helping bec we are a nation of rachamim and a nation that cares for EVERY HUMAN BEING!!
how many times in our lives are we going to have a
a chance to make such a kiddush hashem????
so instead of mocking these selfless zaka volenteers out of jealousy…why dont we go off the computer and start helping other people and striving to make such a kiddush hashem????
even if we dont have the opportunity to go to haiti…at least try to make a kiddush hashem locally…and support the zaka organization!!!
shame on you to all those people openly talking lashon hara on such tzaddikim!!!
take care of youself then change the worlds problems!!!!
When the Chofetz Chaim gave a heter to Jewish boys who were indentured into the Czar’s army to eat treif when nothing else was available, he cautioned them not to suck the bones.
When one must be mechallel Shabbos, one does what one must, but one shouldn’t brag about it.
Hatzne’a leches im Hashem Elokecha.
How wonderful. If its a child molester, someone who steals from the government, or Tropper all we hear is ‘dan l’chaf zechus!!!’. But when it comes to people saving lives all we get is righteous indignation and outrage from some people. Disgusting.
And also to preserve your own life!
For at the time of the Machabees the faithful Jews allowed themselves to be massacred rather than fight on the Sabbath (1 Maccabees 2:35-38); Mathathias and his followers realizing the folly of such a policy decided to defend themselves if attacked on the Sabbath, though they would not assume the offensive (1 Maccabees 2:40-41; 2 Maccabees 8:26)
What does Kiddush Hashem mean? Is it that they do whatever he wants so that the goy thinks nicely about him, and if yes then I guess that millions of our ansectors who were killed throughout the generations for not wanting to accept any other religion were not Mekadish Shaim Hashem since the did not do what the goy wanted them to do and therefore the newspaper didn’t write nice thing about them!! There is a torah and its laws apply even when laymen people think that they know better, is there one ruv who gave them a hetir? and if yes please post it
I don’t think that we should be judging. Do we know the whole story?? No, we don’t. I’m sure they asked a shaila and were told that there is a possibility that there are yidden amongst the trapped. I wonder if the world would respond the way that we have with so much chesed if we needed it. We are an am of Rachmanim. We are Blessed!!
I have no issues with their halachic positions as I assume they asked a competent posek. I did, however, cringe when I read that they are mechalel Shabbos “with pride”. Even when permitted, to desecrate the eternal os between Hashem and His nation, is that really something that one does with PRIDE? I can’t imagine an American Hatzalah member ever saying something like that. With alacrity and purpose, yes. With pride? What pride is there in being compelled to operate in a shaas hadichak and therefore be mechalel our hold Shabbos?
I just hope there was something lost in translation.
To make a kiddush hashem likew this comes one in 100 years. So like the people in Haiti would say–lip it. The staright way of saying it is shut up. Every time a human being does anything good there are jerks that have to put their stupid comments for the world to see. Enough already. It is easy for you to critisize while you stuff your face with cholent and potatoe kugel in your fancy living room.
Did you ask the shailoh if they should go or not? No? So again I ask you to shut up.
Thirdly, about being proud, when someone has to eat on yom kippur because your rov said so you don’t say oy vey I’m eating on yom kippur. When the ribino she’ll oilemk wants us to do things and it is required by the torah we just do it and don’t ask questions. This is like naseh v’nishma. Maybe you people think judiasm is a business but it’s stll a religion.
instead of everyone speculating does anyone know concretely what the heter is
They never said any of this. Zaka is a fundraising machine, and they issue such press releases. Their earlier release said they didn’t meet the Israeli team because of shabbos, yet they sat with israelis and arabs. Yeah right, just another propaganda story being told by zaka.
Looking at the comments by some bloggers, it seems that we are blessed with an incredible number of Poskim. Unfortunately, it only “seems” that way. What is painfully obvious is that we are “blessed” with a bunch of Amoratzim and Loshon Hora people.
Here are people giving their “two cents worth” (It’s just an expression, since their opinions are not even worth two cents) on a complicated Halachic question that Poskim have struggled with for ages. Yet, these people are able to give an instant Psak. More shamefully, they are saying Loshon Hora on Zaka, a wonderful organization. There is no question in my mind that Zaka did what they did only after consulting with a most reputable Posek. .
As for doing what they did with pride, why not? People who criticize them for saying they did it with pride do not understand a fundamental concept. When a person is permitted to do a Melocho on Shabbos, he is doing what Hashem requires. The same Torah that says that one may not do a Melocho on Shabbos also says that there are circumstances where one may, or must, do a Melocho on Shabbos. Thus, someone who does a permitted Melocho on Shabbos is following the Torah and has a right to be proud.
I liked the point about lekav zechus – how come every crook gets kaf zechus and not erliche yidden who are being mekadesh shem shamayim.
As for the person who said “wait until motzei shabbos”!!! Gee I hope nobody in your family needs an ambulance on shabbos as you’ll make them wait!
They could have chosen their words better – or been misquoted BUT…
Think Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev. If you see a yid who is doing somethin which would require a proper psak from a posek, assume he has such a psak. Hayetohen a yid would do something wrong?
As for all the laydigers sitting here saying it’s ossur – please get a life! An organization such as zaka has it’s rabonim and poskin and doesn’t rely on you to say what is kosher or not .
Lastly many people – both pro-heter or pro-osur – misquote torah on these comments.
So stop the sinas chinam, DO NOT judge a fellow until you reach his shoes, get off the internet and say tehillim for G-d’s creations who are in tzaar
May you all live long and healthy lives. However should there ever be a misfortune in your life where you require the assistance of a gentile, some of you would deserve it if he were to say: “Sorry , it’s Sunday, my day of rest. You’re on your own.”
This is not the first instance of Zaka being mechalel Shabbos.
They were Mechalele Shabbos in Mumbei, even though they were aware that no one was found alive in the Chabad House, they arrived hours after the house was cleared. They drove to the morgue and I have even heard unconfirmed reports that they were “smoking”.
Shame on Zaka. We need to remember that the Torah decides what is a good deed and chesed and what is a foolish imitation.
Selfless, yes, orthodox, no!
to number 22 just to get the story straight it happened with the Alter Rebbe on Yom Kippur and was told over in the maamer of Yud Shvat as an example of true ahavas yisroel that even though he could of sent someone else he went himself to be mikayem the mitzvah.
I just spoke to my Rabbi at Mincha and he said that as far as he knows that the heter of darchei shalom is only for an issur d’rabonon, and also nio-one asked the Zaka team to fly into the darchei shalom stae in Haiti — they could have stayed home, I wonder which poisek Zaka asked.
To the idiots and unlearned who are condemning them: Their pride in the desecration of shabbos is pride in the Torah’s teaching that to save one life one may desecrate the most sacred of commandments. Imagine how much one life (Jew or non-Jew) means to G-d and now multiply that with hundreds of thousands. If you ever wanted to meet a saint just meet anyone from the Zaka (or other) organizations.
The commenters on this website bring shame to Torah way of life and may your actions only affect your idiot selves.
I just spoke to my Rabbi at Mincha and he was clear Darkei sholom is a heter on an issur d’rabonnon only. And he said this is not a situation of darchei sholom because no-one would have said boo if ZAKA would have stayed in Israel.
Unless their were jews to be saved where Zaka was actually operating and there was even a small chance to save them, to be oiver on a doirasssa is certainly forbidden!!
Go to Hilchos siman 330 and its clear that only in a real case of darchei shalom (which means in plain english that without the reaction of helping the goyim there would be a huge chillul Hashem) then an issur Drabbonon is muttar but NOT an issur min hatorah.
And pikuach nefesh is only L’maan a yid. I hate to say it, and its not political corrrect — and even in a great tradgedy like in Haiti.
I sure hope ZAKA will explain themselves.
Find out what Hatzalah in NY does when they get a call when they are sure its not from Mishlaunu …. they will send a 911 ambulance or even if they have to go, its only because they will lose their licence, whereas here no-one asked ZAKA to arrive in Haiti in time for Shabbos.
Hashem Yeracheim
I recall R’Moshe Heinemann, more than 20 years ago, expressing this very eloquently:
It’s not that we are maikel(lenient) with the laws of Shabbos, but that we are machmir(more stringent) with the laws of pikuach nefesh (saving lives)!
Is there any Heter to put yourself in a position to be Mechalel Shabbos (hidden or in public) in order to save Goim ?(As far as news goes that there is no yidden) I’m not saying that these Chevra are doing anything wrong by going to save lives no matter who it should be Kol Hakavod! but Halacha is Halacha