Israel's rabbis are asking the public to fast next Wednesday as a means of fighting the rising spread of the swine flu virus.
Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar officially issued the call, and was joined by former Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, currently the spiritual leader of the Shas party, as well as others.
Next Wednesday is erev Rosh Chodesh Elul -- the day preceding the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul. Fasts are not permitted in Jewish tradition on the first day of a new month.
The use of spiritual weapons to wage war against physical problems is not new, and this is not the first time the rabbis have called for a public fast to move the Heavens toward Israel's favor. Several months ago, Rabbi Amar called on the public to spend a day in fasting, introspection and prayer in response to the then-emerging swine flu epidemic.
The rabbi said that a similar epidemic led the Amoraitic sage, Rav Yehuda, to declare a fast day when a plague struck the pigs in his area. He added that at a time of danger, Judaism teaches that each individual must "return to G-d" and review his actions to see how and where he may have sinned.
A new report issued by the Health Ministry said that up to 3,000 Israelis are suspected of contracting the H1N1 virus last week, as compared to just under 2,000 in the last week of July, and barely 1,000 the week before that.
According to the report, more than half of those who are considered carriers of the disease are young people, under the age of 30.
Two more people died of swine flu-related complications this week, one a 40-year-old man admitted to hospital with kidney failure and a slightly elevated temperature. During the week his condition improved, but on Thursday he died of a heart attack. The other victim was a cancer patient who also contracted the virus.
The fatalities bring the H1N1-related death toll in Israel to seven. Only two of the victims were completely healthy prior to contracting the illness, however; most suffered from chronic or underlying conditions.