Sugyot on Coronavirus סוגיות של וירוס הקורונה

(1) These are the troubles of the community about which we fast and sound [trumpets]: About haters of Israelites making troubles for Israelites; about the sword (foreign troops); about a plague; about evil (dangerous) animals; about [the two main types of] locusts; about blight; about chlorosis; about collapse; about sicknesses; about [the lack of] provisions; and about the rain.

(1) Seeing that the maintenance of the body in a healthy and sound condition is a God-chosen way, for, lo, it is impossible that one should understand or know aught of the divine knowledge concerning the Creator when he is sick, it is necessary for man to distance himself from things which destroy the body, and accustom himself in things which are healthful and life-imparting. These are: never shall man partake food save when hungry, nor drink save when thirsty; he shall not defer elimination even one minute, but the moment he feels the need to evacuate urine or feces he must rise immediately.

(1) 1. All cases of saving a life supersede Shabbat, and he who hurries in these matters is praised. Even if there is a fire in a different yard and there is concern that it will move to this yard and cause danger, we put it out to ensure that it does not spread.

(8) Likewise, one has a positive duty to remove and guard oneself of any life-threatening obstacle, as it is said "beware and guard your soul". If one did not removed said obstacles, one has cancelled a positive commandment and transgressed "do not bring bloodguilt" (Deut. 22:8).

(4) There is no difference between a roof or anything else that is dangerous and likely to cause death to a person who might stumble. If, for instance, one has a well or a pit in his courtyard — — he must build an enclosing ring ten handbreadths high, or put a cover over it, so that a person should not fall into it and die. So too, any obstruction that is a danger to life must be removed as a matter of positive duty and extremely necessary caution.

(9) The sages prohibited many things because of danger to a person. And some of them are explained in the Tur. Additionally, there are other things and these are they: A person must never put his mouth to a pipe spouting water and drink; he must not drink from rivers or ponds at night, for fear that he might swallow a leech without seeing. Rama: I have already written these in Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah 116:5

(1) The commandment of a parapet: To remove stumbling blocks and obstacles from our dwelling places, and about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 22:8), "and you shall make a parapet for your roof." And the matter is that we should build a wall around the roofs and around the pits and the ditches and that which is similar to them, so that no creature should stumble to fall in them or from them. And included in this commandment is to build and fix every wall and fence from which it is likely that there come a mishap from it. And that which verse mentioned "for your roof," is [because] the verse spoke in the present (using the most common example). And the language of Sifrei is "'And you shall make a parapet' is a positive commandment" (see Sefer HaMitzvot LaRambam, Mitzvot Ase 184).

(2) It is from the roots of the commandment [that is is] since even though God, may He be blessed, supervises the details of people's [lives] and knows all of their deeds, and [that] everything that happens to them - good or bad - is through His decree and His commandment according to their merit or their guilt, and like the matter that they, may their memory be blessed, said (Chullin 7b), "A man does not [so much as] bruise his finger below (i.e. on earth), unless it is announced about him from above (in Heaven)"; nonetheless a person must guard himself from the accidents that are customary in the world. As God created His world and built it upon the foundations of the principles of nature and decreed that fire should burn and that water puts out the flame. And so too, nature requires that that if a large stone falls on the head of a man, that it will smash his brain; or that if a person falls from the top of a high roof to the ground, that he will die. And He, may He be blessed, graced the bodies of people and blew into them a living soul with a mind, to protect the body from all incidents, and [then] placed the two of them - the soul and the body - within the sphere of the [natural] elements, and [these elements] will move them and act upon them. And since God subjugated the human body to nature - as so did His wisdom require - from the angle of its being physical, He commanded him to guard [himself] from an accident. As nature, to which he is subjugated, will act upon him if he does not guard himself from it.

(3) However there will a few people that 'the King will desire their glory,' due to their great piety and the clinging of their souls to His ways, may He be blessed - these are the great pious ones 'who were of old, the men of fame,' like the great and holy forefathers and many of the sons that were after them, such as Daniel, Channiah, Mishael, Azariah and those similar to them, to whom God delivered nature into their hands. And at their start, nature was master over them and at their end - due to the greatness of the elevation of theirs souls - 'it was reversed,' as they were the masters over nature. As we know with Avraham, our father, that they dropped him into the fiery furnace and he was not injured; and [with] the four (and [with] the three) pious ones mentioned that they placed 'into the burning fiery furnace [...] and [not] a hair on their head was singed.' But most people have not merited this great level due to their sins, and therefore the Torah commands us to guard our dwelling places and our locales, lest death encounter us in our negligence. And we should not endanger our souls by reliance upon miracles; and they, may their memory be blessed, said (Sifra, Emor 8) that a miracle is not performed for anyone who relies on a miracle. And according to this approach will you see most matters written in every place. Since even in Israel's fighting of a war commanded by the word of God, they would [still] organize their war and equip themselves and do all of the [required] matters, as if they were completely relying on natural processes [to win the war]. And so is it fitting to do according to the matter that we mentioned. And the one who does not argue with the truth from a perverse heart will concede this.

(4) From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Sukkah 3b) that the obligation of a parapet is only in a house that is being used as a residence, but a storehouse or a barn and similar to them [as well as] any house that does not have four square ells is exempt from [requiring] a parapet. And so [too] synagogues and study halls, because they are not made for residence. And [also among its laws is] that which they, may their memory be blessed, said that if the public domain is higher than his roof, it is not in need of a parapet, as it is stated, "if the faller should fall from it" - and not into it. And the measurement of the height of the parapet is ten hand-breadths.

(5) And they, may their memory be blessed, forbade many things (see Mishneh Torah, Murderer and the Preservation of Life 11:5 and 7) in order to guard ourselves from injuries and bad accidents, as it is not fitting for a person who has intelligence to endanger himself. And therefore it is fitting that he should put into his mind all of the things that can possibly result in injury. And the one who transgresses [these prohibitions] is rabbinically obligated in [getting] lashes of rebellion. From these [prohibitions] is what they said that a person should not place his mouth under the drainpipe and drink, lest he drink a leech. And they [also] forbade (Chullin 10a) uncovered waters because of the concern, that a poisonous [snake] not have drunk from it. And the measurement of it is [the amount of time] required for the [snake] to come out from the edge of the vessel and drink. And they said about this matter that there are liquids that are susceptible to [the concern] of being an 'uncovered' [liquid] and there are those that are not susceptible to being an 'uncovered' [liquid]. And from this concern itself, they forbade gnawed figs, grapes, pomegranates, squash, pumpkins and cucumbers - even if they are [many] (see Mishneh Torah, Murderer and the Preservation of Life 12:2 and 4). And they said that all fruits that have moistness and are found to be bitten are forbidden. And so too did they forbid that a person not put coins into his mouth, lest there is dry spit of one infected with [skin diseases] upon them - or that there be sweat [upon them], since the sweat of a person is a death potion, except for that from the face. And the rest of its details are elucidated in Bava Kamma and in sections of Sanhedrin and in Yerushalmi Shekalim 1 (see Mishneh Torah, Murderer and the Preservation of Life 11).

(6) And this commandment is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females. And one who transgresses it and leaves his roof or his pit without a parapet has violated this positive commandment and also violated the negative commandment of "you shall not place blood in your house" - as we will write in this Order (Sefer HaChinukh 447), with God's help.

(23) In any city where these ten conveniences are not found a disciple of the wise is not permitted to live: a physician, a surgeon, a bath-house, a comfort-station, running water, as a river or spring, a house of worship, a school teacher, a recorder, a collector of charity, and a tribunal with police powers.¹Sanhedrin, 17. C. G.

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(1) The Torah has granted the physician permission to heal,¹B.K. 85a derived from the words, ‘And to heal he shall heal’ (Ex. XXI, 19). and it is a religious duty²Ned. 41b, Asheri s.v. רפואת. The apparent contradictory terms ‘permission’ and ‘religious duty’ on explained as follows: True healing is the result of efficacious prayer. But not every person merits such consequences. Man, therefore, has to rely upon natural cures too, through the permission granted the medical man to administer treatment, who in turn is religiously dutibound to perform his duty — TaZ. In this sense TaZ explains the passage in Ber. 60a bot. On the question of cures in the Talmud, cf. R. A. Eger a.l.; M.K. 11a, Tosaf. s.v. כוורא; Kol Bo(G) § I, sec. which comes under the rule of saving an endangered life.³T.H., derived from Yoma 83a-b. Cf. O.Ḥ. § 328, 4. If he withholds [treatment] he is regarded as one who sheds blood;⁴Derived from Y.Yoma VIII, 5(45b). Cf. O.Ḥ. ibid. par. 2. and even if there is someone else who can heal him; for not from every one does one merit to be healed.⁵Y. Ned. IV, 2(38c). Nevertheless, on should not occupy himself with medical treatment unless he is an expert and there is none other greater than he; for if not so, he is regarded as one who sheds blood.⁶This follows a fortiori from all other laws and teachings of the Torah which only an expert is permitted to deal with. Cf. San. 84b; Kid. 82a, Mishna. If one administered medical treatment without the permission of the Jewish Court,⁷Or nowadays without a medical diploma — A.H. he is subject to payment of indemnities, even if he is an expert; and if he administered medical treatment, having the permission of the Jewish Court, and erred, causing [thereby] injury [to the patient], he is exempt by the laws of man and is held responsible by the laws of Heaven.⁸Tosef(Ẓ). B.K. VI, 17. This applies only if it was the result of his negligence. Otherwise, he is regarded as not having committed any sin — A.H. If he caused injury intentionally, even after having permission of the Court, he is held responsible by the laws of man — ShaK. If he caused death and it became known to him that he acted inadvertently, he is banished⁸Tosef(Ẓ). B.K. VI, 17. This applies only if it was the result of his negligence. Otherwise, he is regarded as not having committed any sin — A.H. If he caused injury intentionally, even after having permission of the Court, he is held responsible by the laws of man — ShaK. on account of him.⁹Tosef. ibid. according to version of N in T.H. Cf. W.G. a.l.