The Coronavirus Downward Spiral

Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet - image for illustration purposes only (VIN)

Things are deteriorating rapidly. The stock market plunged an unbelievable 2250 points at the opening bell this morning. That is after the Fed lowered its prime rate yesterday to zero. It had no impact. In fact I’m surprised they wasted an economy boosting tactic on this. There is not much left in their arsenal.

The world is in a state of panic. It’s almost like watching a movie where aliens are about to attack the world threatening annihilate us. People are storming the stores and stocking up on goods as though we are about to be attacked with nuclear weapons. All sporting events have been canceled, Broadway has closed. Public events of all kinds have been canceled. Schools (both public and private) are closing all over the country. Churches and many Shuls are closing. Restaurants are closing. Bars are cosing. Entertainment venues of all kinds are shutting down. People over the age of sixty are being asked to self quarantine. I can’t imagine what will happen if predictions about increased numbers come true. Which medical experts assure us WILL HAPPEN!

What seems to be scaring people most is what is happening in Europe.  The shut down in places like Italy is severe. And that has not seemed to slow down the spread of the virus. Over 300 infected people there have died over the weekend!  There is no cure and no treatment for a virus that is contagious long before symptoms of any kind appear. Contagious at greater distances that at first believed. And no one has a clue whether this disease will dissipate as we transition to summer – the way flu viruses do.

It was strange not going to Shul for Mincha and Ma’ariv yesterday. And even stranger not going to Shul this morning for Shachris - and not hearing Kriyas HaTorah. And then having the depressing thought that this will be the status quo for the foreseeable future.

As noted yesterday, all CRC affiliated Shuls in Chicago have been shut down. Agudah type Shuls have stayed open albeit with certain restrictions based on the advice of medical experts.  I understand the desire to keep things going in the world of Torah study. I agree that it should not stop under most circumstances.  But these are not normal times. And nobody says we should God forbid stop learning Torah at this time. In fact I think it should increase. But not as a group in public places where there is an increased risk of exposure.

The same thing with Tefila B’Tizbur – davening with a Minyan. As valuable as that is in terms of a prayer’s effectiveness, it is not a Chiuv (Halachic requirement). Even on a rabbinic level. Especially when danger to one’s health is involved.  So that even though the Agudah type Rabbis have made these decisions in consultation with medical experts and applied the restrictions they have recommended, why not err on the side of caution? Why expose people to even the possibility of a disease that can very easily turn deadly? Even if it is only slight?

And then there are the ‘Ostrich people’. Those who stick their head in the sand and  refuse to even acknowledge there is a problem. They go on about their lives as though nothing has happened. There is in fact entire communities that are reacting this way - endangering neighboring communities with their behavior by accelerating the spread of the virus. 

That is apparently the case in Ramat Bet Shemesh - Bet. For those that do not remember, this is the community that a few years ago called a 7 year old Religious Zionist girl a whore during a dispute over a school bordering between their neighborhood and a Religious Zionist neighborhood. 

Here in pertinent part is what one resident of that area said about it on the public page of a Facebook group to which I belong:  

I drove through RBS B yesterday and it was business as usual. Stores open, crowds of people closely mulling about, shopping, etc.  We, who live adjacent to them and are endangered by their behavior, have a right and obligation to raise hell. This has nothing to do with the will of God, it borders on criminally negligent homicide. 

Well, I don’t know if I would go quite that far. But it does show a high degree of arrogance, stupidity, and callousness. All of which can be traced to a Hashkafa of isolationism that refuses to see value in anything outside of their own world.

I realize that this is not the time to be critical of others. We should all unite in asking God for His mercy. But when it comes to Pikuach Nefesh there is no better time than the present to Shrei, ‘Gevalt’! And to somehow make that community understands that what they are doing is dangerous to both themselves and to others.