Jerusalem – Wednesday morning, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center announced it would limit visits to maternity wards for fear of having patients and newborn babies infected with swine flu, and now, one of the hospital’s doctors has also recommended people refrain from kissing mezuzot in public places.
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Israel’s Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar also addressed the issue, saying, “If a specific order is given in the matter, the mezuzah must be kissed from the air, to ensure that the custom is not forgotten.”
The H1N1 epidemic is a cause of major concern worldwide, and ultra-Orthodox media has not overlooked it. Haredi reporter Ozel Vatik interviewed seven doctors – including Emergency Room directors and specialists on infectious diseases – on the risks of contracting the virus from kissing a mezuzah – a custom that is highly common among religious and traditional Jews.
The doctors unanimously agreed that bacteria leave high levels of residue on such objects, but six of them refused to comment on mezuzot in particular, “so as not to get in trouble with the rabbis”.
Dr. Ilan Youngster, a pediatrician at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, was the only doctor to link risks of infection with kissing the mezuzah, and he even took it one step further and recommended people refrain from doing so.
He based his recommendation on a study he presented about a year-and-a-half ago, in which 70 mezuzot from Assaf Harofeh were sampled and sent in for lab tests. The results were published on Ynet, and showed that all the mezuzot contained dangerous bacteria.
Youngster said then that the results of mezuzot in private homes were expected to be similar and explained, “Most of the bacterial colonies that were found were of bacteria that are found on the skin. Perhaps because of the fact that the mezuzah is a religious object, people are afraid to sterilize it.”
Most of the mezuzot tested in the study included colonies of Staphylococcus Coagulase Negative, that can cause serious infectious diseases. The study also revealed E. coli bacteria that cause infections in the reproductive system and urinary tract, Klebsiella, which can cause various infections including pneumonia, and more.
Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar was asked for his opinion on Dr. Youngster’s recommendation and said he was not thrilled with the idea, at least as long as it is not adopted by the Health Ministry. The rabbi said, “If an official order is issued – I recommend anyone that wants to follow it put his hand near the mezuzah and kiss it, so as not to miss out on this good and important custom.”
” I recommend anyone that he put his hand near the mezuzah and kiss it, so as not to miss out on this good and important custom.”
I would recommend that that given the potential for infection, or accidently touching a mezuzah with the virus, we simply forego completely this “good custom”…hey yiddin, its only a minhag and not worth the risk of contracting the flu. Once there are vaccines available, we can go back to business as usual but for now, I’ll tell my yinglach to steer clear of mezuzot outside the house (air kisses or otherwise). Its a lot more important to stay healthy than to kiss a mezuzah.
What about door knobs etc..? It will never end. All you have to do is wash your hands with soap more often and stop worrying about this.
no way !! if u do a mitzva no harm will serve ur way the next mezuza i pass i will kiss it 2 times with my lips!!!!!!!!
same applies to the sefer torah covers and gartlach . all shuls which use a towel ainstead paper towels by the bathrooms should stop immediately and use paper towels or hot air machines this is no joke!
How about chassidim eating the rebbes Shireim? Does this practice help spread viruses?
I thought they already solved the swine flu issue with the “Kabbolim” and their Chelm Airlines fly-over.
DOes any one have a copy of Dr. Youngster’s report. Of course he made a comment because he wrote a report, but does it compare the levels of bacteria on the mezuzos to other commonly touched surfaces? Did he trace any infection to someone kissing a mezuzah, or is it conjecture because there was bacteria on the mezuzah? I do not see haw it is different then touching any other surface in the hospital.
I recommend that all shuls, schools, yeshivas, etc. use fantastilk or some other cleanser on the mezuzahs and doorknobs!!
Shomer Mitzvah lo yeida davar ra.
I totally agree with #9 should the doctors give this advice for the Tal Aviv gays they should not kiss each other. the doctors should not mess around with our holy Mezuza that Jews Kissed for generations.
No touching of handles of stores or houses, no touching tokens in train stations, no touching any railing on city buses, no railings on stair cases, actually walking with gloves in airports or supermarkets and public parks, and maybe go around with a gas mask all day while exposed to the public.
I touch the mezuza with the inside of my finger, and I kiss it on the outside. like my Ruv advised me to do on Pesach.
what about us men going to the mikva every day?
this sounds pathetic! why mezuzos out of e/th else?! wherever you go you have risk of picking up this virus! and if you want to be careful then make sure to keep purell, or any other cleanser on you so your hands can be cleaned every so often…..simple as that…you just have to be more hygienic these days…
The guy who’s afraid to kiss the mezuzah should be afraid to push a shopping cart with all the germs that stick on them or a gas pump ..
Good idea not to touch any thing in public places; certainly putting your mouth to your lips after touching is not a good idea. The flu is flu but it is no joke for people with compromised immune systems or underlying chronic illness such as cancer and diabetes. Common sense. Besides, it is a Torah injunction to “Vinishmartem meod lnafshosechem”.
Saving a life precedes all.
simple solution. place your hand on the mezuzah, and then kiss your hand. (not the part that touched the mezuzah)
The Tzitz Eliezer says the same thing. So you can stop mocking now.
I have read that the H1n1 virus can live on surfaces for over 24 hours. One of the ways of transmission is to touch a contaminated surface and then later touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Therefore it is important to wash hands frequently and properly and to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, as well as to stay away from people who are coughing or sneezing or with runny noses. The problems with mezzuzot is people touching their mouths/lips and if people who aren’t properly and frequently washing their hands. Of course, all the other things people mention, such as door knobs, faucets, etc. can also be a source of transmission.
touching is only a problem if u put ur fingers in your mouth afterwards.
The solution is simple as mentioned above.. Touch the mezuza with the front of your hand and kiss the back of your hand.. Same with the sefer torah in shul
Just blow the mezzuah a kiss, bacteria can travel on your hand from one point to another, and you may forget later that you touched the mezuzah and inadvertantly touch your mouth, nose or eyes and contract the virus, or if you have an open cut on your hand you may contract it that way. It’s not worth the risk during an epidemic which is what the swine flu is.
I can solve the problem for all of you.
Take up the age-old tradition of wearing gloves, cotton, or other washable fabric.
Wear gloves whenever you step outside.
it says: to TOUCH the mezuza, it does not say anywhere about kissing
Whats lost in all this discussion is that kissing, touching or waving at a mezzuzah is not a mitzvat asseh…its a minhag…a nice minhag but just a minhag…if you have any health concerns, just wait until the flu season is over to resume the minhag
How many people have actually contracted, or are suspected of contracting a the virus from kissing a mezuzah? How many chasidim are alleged to have gotten infected after kissing the Rebbes hand that was kissed by 1000 other chasidim? i would guess approximately zero. As to the “tests” done in a hospital, full of sick and diseased people, I would ask: Are the mezuzahs systematically disinfected, i.e., wiped down daily with lysol, pinesol, 409, etc, like all the door knobs, railings, and other fixtures in the hospital, or are they ignored for months at a time so a chiloni doctor can say his test results show chareidim are spreading disease? History says the latter is much more likely. The answer to such concerns is simply putting the mezuzahs on the hospitals regular disinfection schedule, not ceasing to kiss the mezuzah. Logic distates that mor people touch the doorknobs than the mezuzah, the good doctor is not worried about the door knobs. For his “study” to be valid, he would have to compare the amount of bacteria and other residue on the mezuzot, the door knobs, the bathroom faucet handles and the cafeteria tables, barring such comparison, the study is meaningless. The study is even more meaningless because the sources cite the amount of bacteria on the mezuzot and swine flu is not caused by bacteria but rather by virus that have a relatiely short life outside of the infected host. If no-one has ever been infected by kissing seferim, sifrei torah, rebbe’s hands, and mezuzot until now, it’s highly unlikely that it’s gonna change due to the conclusions of some chiloni doctor. Kiss the mezuzah and don’t worry about. shomer mitzva lo yodaya davar ra.
Rav Henkin AH years ago in his writings advises not to kiss the sefer torah with your lips due to germs.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe ZTL just touched the mezuzah and did not kiss his hand, at times he would just look at the Mezuzah. the same for the poroches on the aron kodesh he would always just touch and hold it, not kiss it. He would touch the sefer Torah with his own talis. If I recall correctly he would refrain from holding on to hand rails when going up or down stairs.
No more touching money.
…and what about the man who coughs into his hand, runs up to be the first to shake the Rav’s hand because he isn’t feeling well and has to go home asap; and then everyone else shakes the Rav’s hand?
Just use hand sanitizer!! Especially if you’re sick or around sick people. And wash your hands. You won’t believe how much less people would get sick if everyone just washed their hands more.