El Al flight lands on Shabbat due to 'pikuach nefesh'

Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef grants permission for El Al flight to land in Israel after Shabbat due to health of one of the passengers.

The Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, on Friday afternoon permitted El Al flight LY008 from New York to land in Israel after the start of Shabbat, due to pikuach nefesh, the principle in Jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious consideration. The permission was granted due to fear for the life of one of the passengers aboard the flight, who is suffering from a serious illness.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)