*** This Halacha deals with topic of Yichud. Yichud is the concept that a man may not be secluded with a forbidden woman. Please read all the Halachot on this topic as there are conditions and exclusions that must be fully understood before accepting Lema’ase. ***
A person has the status of ‘Onen’ between the time of death of a close relative and their burial. So the question was asked if whether or not a person is exempt from the laws of Yichud while he is an Onen. This is brought up because an Onen is preoccupied and is in a state of anguish. An Onen would not usually subject himself to impropriety. We do not believe the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) would defeat his fortitude and bring him to sin. However, even though an Onen is not expected to fall to temptation, nevertheless, the Chachamim say that an Onen must abide by the laws of Yichud. Maran, clearly writes this in Yo’re De’ah. So, the laws of Yichud apply even in a case of Onen, because there is no control over the Yetzer Hara under any circumstance.
There was a dilemma in Israel during the times of the Persian Gulf War. At that time, many missiles were being fired into Israel, and it was believed these missiles were laden with poison gases. To safeguard everyone’s heath during these attacks, the government reverberated sirens to alert the people of Israel and signal them to bunker down and seal themselves inside a building. So to protect themselves from harm, the Israelis shut themselves inside the nearest building available. It was therefore quite probable to find one self in a problem of Yichud. So the Rabbis were asked if such a situation was in violation of the laws of Yichud? The people wanted to know if they needed to be careful when scurrying to lock down, or if such a situation would negate and provide exemption from the laws of Yichud.
The Chachamim brought down a general rule on Yichud. They said that Yichud may not be negated for any reason whatsoever. They base the logic of this statement on the Halacha above pertaining to an Onen. An Onen is not exempt because the Yetzer Hara knows no bounds and will strike at any time. Likewise, the Yetzer Hara might seize the moment and set upon someone even while in a terrifying scare of a chemical attack. This is how the Geonim, Rav Elyashiv and Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlit"a answered this question. However, they also both agreed that there is leniency when confronted with Pikuach Nefesh (preservation of life), when there is no other choice. If it is a dangerous situation and there are no other options, then of course the rules of Yichud are waived.
Yichud is a serious matter. The above cases teach us that we must abide by the rules of Yichud even in an instance of extenuating circumstances. We must be careful as the Yetzer Hara will take advantage of a weak and unexpected situation. We must always be vigilant and follow the serious laws of Yichud.
