No one knows if the lockdowns are practical or not. While they seem to have slowed the spreading of the disease initially, more medical people are saying that in the long run, more people catch the COVID, because more people are home with each other in closed capacities.
People are scared. They are all afraid to die, which is natural, but they seem to have lost their common sense. There are illogical closures and actions. In the checkout line, at Osher Ad, some customers act like are murdering them, if you stand too close, but they are willing to stand right next to the cashier, who is much more dangerous than a customer as he sees hundreds of people a day.
In the synagogue, everyone sprays on the hand gel, like they are drinking scotch, and no one knows if what we are doing is helping or not. Every five minutes they are taking another hit of alcohol.
One thing is for sure. The Health Department and Bibi tell us we are in a pandemic. And during a pandemic, while the Halacha does not change, the circumstances have changed and we must adjust.
For the first time, we have two classes of people. Those under 60 and those over. The disease attacks those over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions much more seriously, so the two classes of people must behave differently. Younger people are supposedly not under much risk at all, but they are carriers! So you can’t go to see Grandma and Grandpa anymore, you might be killing them to come over for Shabbat. So the new lockdowns will stop a lot of Shabbat visits. Now, no buses on Friday and they won’t start until Sunday morning. So if you go for Shabbat if it is allowed, you have to stay over two nights. Not practical for many.
I have some friends over 60 that have not come out of their house for five months. This, of course, is an over-the-top reaction, but the media and the government have done a great job in scaring everyone, so everyone is scared.
Now we turn to the Jewish holidays. Praying in synagogues used to be good for you, now the great leaders have decided maybe the germs are spread in the synagogue. There must be 10 men for a minyan, and so the numbers have been going up and down from 10 to 50
The main thing that has not been addressed in the lockdowns is the economic cost of putting most people out of work. Adam Smith, the great economist, said the unseen hand makes the system work. The government’s very powerful hand of stopping the economy may throw us into a major depression that will take years to recover from if ever.
People die every year. In some countries (including Israel) the death rate is not significantly different than any “normal” year. This is not true in some countries where the death rate may be twice the normal rate, but we cannot have an economy that will survive where everyone stays home on welfare.
In addition, there are many other injuries and side effects when people are forced from their regular routine. My rabbi has had a great deal of illness because he broke his regular routine.
Without science or proof of the right course of action, we are blindly going down the route of lockdowns and it is INSANE. Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing that doesn’t work over and over and expecting different results. Government, please look into the mirror.
Doctor’s Orders
Because of an ear infection, Little Moishie Rothman had to go see his pediatrician Dr. Feldman. Dr. Feldman directed his comments and questions to Little Moishie in a professional manner. When he asked Little Moishie, “Is there anything you are allergic to?” Little Moishie nodded and whispered in his ear. Smiling, Dr. Feldman wrote out a prescription and handed it to Moishe’s mother. She tucked it into her purse without looking at it.
As the pharmacist filled the order, he remarked on the unusual food-drug interaction Moishie must have. Little Moishe’s mother looked puzzled until he showed her the label on the bottle. As per the doctor’s instructions, it read, “Do not take with broccoli.”