Sure, Dump the Mask – Just Remember, the New Interns Start in 1 Week & Their Last Semester Was Online

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5TJT.com

Yes, it is true.  The new interns are starting on July 1st, and they really did do their last semester on line.

And yet people are asking:

“Must we still wear a Mask?”

“Can we fully go back to shul now?”

“Is it still safek Pikuach Nefesh?”

These questions and more are being posed throughout the frum community in New York, and the reactions are quite varied.  Some point to the dwindling cases of COVID in New York to justify a return to the old normal.  Others point to Florida, Texas and Eretz Yisroel to remain vigilant and cautious. A major Jewish newspaper chose to print pictures of a regular wedding with no social distancing whatsoever.  Many of its readers were horrified.  “Do they not give a hoot over those of us who are at risk?”

Some Five Towns residents are maintaining the backyard minyanim –  even wanting to make them permanent.  In the meantime, many of the shuls are struggling to get minyanim.

One Five Towns resident justified the BY minyanim, “First and foremost it is safer.  Secondly, the whole family is davening together.  Thirdly, I hate masks.  It’s closer. There are no mishebayrachs and no speeches. It is much shorter this way and I spend more time with my family. There is no talking and there is more kavanah.  Need I say more?”

Although it is hard to argue with many of these points – were it not for COVID-19 – this sentiment can destroy Yiddishkeit.  There is a huge need to support the shuls – which are part of the very fabric of maintaining all we hold dear. Shuls are called a mikdash me’at for a reason.

So where should we go from here?  Is caution being thrown to the wind?  Will more people in our community die, rachmana litzlan, if we assume that the pandemic is over and that we should return to normal?

Because of the very strong sentiments behind this issue, the rest of this column will be viewed as controversial. Let’s begin with five observations, some of them, perhaps contradictory of each other at first glance.

1. Hashem runs the world. Ain od milvado.  We must keep this in mind before we embark upon any decision.
2. Hashem wants us to do proper hishtadlus – to take proper protective measures.
3. It is a mistake to allow observation number one to color to or ignore observation #2.
4. The metzius in our times is vastly different than what it ever was throughout Jewish history. Interstate and international commerce and travel has changed the dynamic entirely.
5. Decisions, especially those that affect lives and especially those that deal with public policy, must be made with reason, logic and facts, not emotion. Anyone who doubts this should reread Rav Yisroel Salanter’s Igeres HaMussar.

This author would like to suggest that there is very little historic halachic precedence to the concept of “reopening.”  In past epidemics when people stopped dying, that was generally a good indication that the danger had passed. Thus, any special protocols taken on were stopped upon seeing that there were no more deaths or illnesses. The possibility of resurgence was not even considered.  This explains the paucity of halachic literature on the issue.

It is different now.

We have seen the resurgence happen in Eretz Yisroel.  We have seen it happen in California, Texas, and Florida.   It is very likely that it can happen here too, if we let our social distance guard down and as soon as the comingling of people returns.  Let us bear in mind that there is, as of yet, no vaccine and, as of yet, no very strong and effective medicine to treat those that are affected.

Let us also keep in mind that our particular lifestyle is such that we are affected at twice the rate as the general populace is affected.  This coonclusion is culled from a comparison of COVID-19 in the frum community in England to the rest of the community.  The most logical distinction is indoor minyan attendance.

The studies also show that outdoor outbreaks are significantly less prevalent than indoor ones – by a 19 to 1 ratio.   It is this author’s view that the eight Mitzvos involved in preserving the lives of the immuno-suppressed among us are still very relevant.

[To clarify, it is this author’s view that we should still be maintaining social distancing and wearing masks if feasible in the indoor minyanim.  For those at greater risk – they should continue with the outdoor minyanim.  The reason is that there is an uptick in at least 3 major Jewish communities that will be coming face to face with the New York community. This is also the advice of most doctors that the author has surveyed as well as two Poskim.]

Hashavas Aveidah

One Mitzvah, believe it or not is Hashavas Aveidah. The verse in Parshas Ki Seitzei (Devarim 22:2) discusses the mitzvah of hashavas aveida, returning an object, with the words, “Vahasheivoso lo, and you shall return it to him.” The Gemara in Sanhedrin (73a), however, includes within its understanding of these words the obligation of returning “his own life to him as well.” For example, if thieves are threatening to pounce upon him, there is an obligation of “vahasheivoso lo.” In other words, this verse is the source for the mitzvah of saving someone’s life. It is highly probable that it is to this general mitzvah that the Shulchan Aruch refers to in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 325.

Lo Sa’amod Al Dam Rayacha

There is a negative mitzvah of not standing idly by your brother’s blood as well. This is mentioned in Shulchan Aruch (CM 426:1) and in the Rambam. Collectively, if we avoid indoor gatherings we can ensure that we do not stand idly by our brother’s blood – where we would have otherwise caught something and bring it back to an immune-suppressed parent or grandparent.

Lo Suchal l’Hisalaym

There is yet another negative commandment associated with the positive commandment of hashavas aveida, and that is the verse in Devarim (22:3), “You cannot shut your eyes to it.” This verse comes directly after the mitzvah of hashavas aveida. The Netziv (Ha’amek She’eilah) refers to this mitzvah as well.

V’Chai Achicha Imach

The Sheiltos (Sheilta #37), based upon the Gemara in Bava Metziah 62a, understands these words to indicate an obligation to save others with you. The Netziv in his Ha’amek She’eilah understands it as a full-fledged obligation according to all opinions. He writes that he must exert every effort to save his friend’s life—until it becomes pikuach nefesh for himself.

V’Ahavta l’Re’acha Kamocha

The Ramban, Toras haAdam Shaar HaSakana (p42-43), understands the verse of “And love thy neighbor as yourself” as a directive to save him from danger as well. The Ramban specifically discusses the issue of medical danger.

VeNishmartem

There is also the Mitzvah of “veNishmartem me’od b’nafshosaichem (Dvarim 4:9) — the Mitzvah of protecting our health and well-being.

Rak Hishamer

The verse later on (Dvarim 4:15), “Rak hishamer lecha” is understood by most Poskim to actually comprise a second Mitzvah (See Rav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita Shaar HaTeshuvos #25) — to take special care in our safety.

VeChai Bahem

There is also the Mitzvah, “V’Chai Bahem – And you shall live by them” (VaYikra 18:5).

Idna D’Rischa

From a theological perspective, we have perhaps entered what Chazal term as an “idna d’ris’cha.” One of my rebbeim, Rav Dovid Kviat, zt”l, once explained that there are two manners in which Hashem judges the world. He judges with both midas hadin, the attribute of strict judgment, and with midas harachamim, the attribute of mercy.

Generally speaking, Hashem judges us with midas harachamim. However, there are times in Jewish history known as an idna deris’cha, periods of divine anger. The Gemara in Menachos (43a) tells us that generally Hashem does not punish people for abnegating a mitzvas asei, a positive mitzvah in the Torah. We are only punished for violating negative prohibitions. However, in a period of divine anger, we are punished for negating positive mitzvos too.

Rav Kviat, zt”l, explained that there is an idea found in Sefer Devarim (31:18) of “hester panim,” where Hashem, so to speak, hides His face. “I shall surely Hide My Face on that day.”

In an idna deris’cha, Hashem ceases to judge with midas harachamim; He judges instead with midas hadin. Midas hadin is almost unfathomable to the mortal mind in terms of its sheer strictness. No one wishes to be judged with the midas hadin.

Decisions with Logic and Not Emotion

So why are so many people negating the advice of medical professionals?

Rav Yisroel Salanter writes, “HaAdam chofshi b’dimyono v’asur b’muskalo – man is unfettered in his imagination, but bound in his use of saichel.”  Proper Hishtadlus means that decisions should be made with logic and not emotion. A first step in understanding how we should be making decisions in the knowledge vacuum that we are currently experiencing involves studying and analyzing what experts call, “the description-experience gap.” This studies how people make decisions when they do not have certain experiences but only go with their gut feelings. [See https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_2504668/component/file_2520389/content].

Some factors affecting improper decision-making are: 1] lack of proper sampling data because people have never experiences the low-probability event themselves 2] the recency effect – where greater weight is assigned to more recent experiences 3] the desire to give in to short term temptation 4] biases toward either better or salient memories.

An example of the description-experience gap is the measurable difference in opinions on vaccination between doctors and patients.   According to a Harvard study (see http://library.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/ft/rh/RH_Decisions_2004.pdf), “Parents who research the side effects of the DTaP vaccine on the National Immunization Program Web site will find that up to 1 child out of 1,000 will develop high fever and about 1 child out of 14,000 will experience seizures as a result of immunization. Although doctors have these same statistics at their disposal, they also have access to information not easily available to parents—namely, personal experience, gathered across many patients, that vaccination rarely results in side effects; few doctors have encountered one of the unusual cases in which high fever or seizures follow vaccination. If the importance assigned to rare events differs as a function of how one learns about their likelihood, then doctors and patients might well disagree about whether vaccination is advised.”

The Igeres HaMussar

In this author’s view, this is how to understand Rav Yisroel Salanter’s Igeres haMussar – where the saichel is the additional information and the dimyon is the limited information of just going with the description and the 4 factors mentioned above.

The Maharsha

There is also a fascinating Maharsha in Yevamos 62a that asks on the Gemorah where Moshe Rabbeinu broke the luchos on his own accord without consulting with hashem – yet Hashem agreed to his actions.  Moshe Rabbeinu made a Kal v’chomer argument:  “If someone is a Ben Naichar (Moshe had a kaballah from hashem that this refers to someone estranged from Hashem) he may not partake of the Korban Pesach.  That is just one Mitzvah of the 613.  Here, however, they made an Aigel – violating all 613 – should I not therefore break the luchos?”

The Maharsha asks why he did not make the kal vachomer argument – earlier when he was first informed by Hashem that Klal Yisroel sinned.  The Maharsha answers by quoting the Baal HaIkkarim (4:15) that it was nirah l’ainayim – his experience of it made a far greater impression.  Although Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l in a responsum disagrees with this Maharsha – because how can one doubt Hashem – this concept of the description – experience gap clearly answers Rav Moshe’s animadversions and is the pshat of the Maharsha and the Sefer HaIkkarim.

With such dangers facing klal Yisrael, we must take steps to ensure the safety of our immuno-suppressed brethren in whatever way we can.  It is this author’s view that the outdoor minyanim should be maintained until a vaccine is developed and those that go with the indoor minyanim should continue to practice full social distancing as much as possible (but we see from the pictures published in that paper that this is very difficult to maintain).  In the winter, the minyanim could be modified to include only shmoneh esreh and leining when it is extremely cold– but that is for another discussion.

The author can be reached at [email protected]