RELIGION : Can Shave for Masks, Jews Told
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JERUSALEM — Israel’s chief rabbi has asked religious Jews to carry scissors so they can remove their beards to fit into gas masks if Iraq threatens Israel with chemical weapons.
Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu ruled that orthodox Jews need not follow a biblical ban on shaving beards if their lives are in danger. Under Jewish law, saving a life takes precedence over all other requirements.
Some religious scholars believe the Bible meant for beards to distinguish Jews from non-Jews. But beards could interfere with the seal of the gas masks that Israel would issue to defend against an Iraqi poison gas attack.
A poll in the Yediot Aharonot newspaper today showed Israelis evenly split on whether the state should issue gas masks. Fifty-five percent said distribution now would cause anxiety.
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