CARE FOR OUR HEALTH
There are 613 precepts in the Tora. One of them is to “take care of our health.” As Maimonides explains, this precept requires us to not only to seek healing when we are sick but also to prevent possible diseases. Maimonides, who was a pioneer of preventive medicine, writes extensively on the importance of diet and physical exercise to keep ourselves in good shape and about the significance of hygiene. Today it is known that good hygiene is what primarily allows the prevention of contagious diseases.
HOW ARE DISEASES TRANSMITTED?
There are viruses, such as HIV, that are transmitted through the blood and other bodily fluids. Other diseases, like tuberculosis or measles, are caused by pathogens which are transmitted through the air. And still others, such as the influenza virus (flu) and the coronavirus are transmitted through respiratory droplets. If a person with the flu coughs or sneezes the pathogen can infect those who are nearby. Viruses and bacteria can also be transmitted through the surface of objects, a door-knob or even a cellphone.
But perhaps the most common way to get sick is through direct contact — by touching or shaking the hands of a person who is ill.
2,000 years ago our rabbis discussed a similar matter: the transmission of ritual impurity (Heb: tum-a).
ידיים עסקניות הן, ונוגעות מבלי משים במקומות מזוהמים, משום כך גזרו חכמים על סתם ידיים שיהיו שניות לטומאה
“The hands are permanently active” they said” “And, involuntarily, the hands touch contaminated parts of our body. And that is why the Hakhamim established that when one is not aware that his hands have touched something impure, the hands must still be considered impure.”
Jewish law therefore states that hands should be washed permanently, even if one is not aware that they have been in contact with something impure (except when one is certain that since he washed his hands he did not touch anything impure).
THE ENEMY IN YOUR HANDS
Dr. Colleen Kraft, a microbiologist, says:
“During a viral pandemic, we are often our own worst enemies. Point in fact: We touch our face with our hands, including our nose, eyes, and mouth — areas with mucous membranes, an average of 15 to 23 times an hour.”
This helps us better understand why hand hygiene is the most important precautionary measure to avoid the flu or the coronavirus. According to Dr. Kraft, the lack of hand hygiene has proven to be the most important factor in the spread of infectious diseases (see more here ).
Since taking care of one’s health is a Mitzva (a biblical precept), I believe that it is our halakhic obligation to learn how to minimize the risk of contagion.
Here are some guidelines:
1. GREETING, IN HEALTH AND IN SICKNESS: In times of coronavirus, when we greet other people with a handshake it is important to wash our hands, or to apply an alcohol based hand sanitizer to our hands. Although most people are healthy, with the coronavirus it is not possible to know if individuals are contagious since the symptoms (fever, sneezing or coughing) may not be evident and the virus can still be transmitted. In my opinion, the best thing we should do temporarily is to greet by waving one’s hands, blowing a kiss across the air, or engaging in a “namaste”-style greeting, avoiding direct physical contact as much as possible.
2. DEREKH ERETZ: Now, even if health-wise it is the prudent thing to do, if I leave the room to wash my hands immediately after shaking somebody’s hand, there is a good chance that person will be offended. Therefore, where the situation makes it impracticable to wash one’s hand after a handshake, it is particularly important to avoid touching our own face and to avoid shaking another person’s hand until we have had a chance to wash with soap.
3. NO KISSING HANDS: Today, in his daily class, Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Hayim told us that rabbis should temporarily discourage people from kissing other people’s hands. As anyone knows, this is an honorable gesture toward Talmide Hakhamim or elders, but the present circumstances call for avoiding this beautiful practice due to the higher risk of transmission. I think we should also discourage the custom of greeting someone we honor by shaking his hand and then bringing our own hand to our mouth and kiss it. In our community many people perform this gesture out of respect and affection, when they greet the Kohanim, after the priestly blessing.
4. THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR: If you are sick, if you have a fever or you think you may have the flu, you should stay at home and talk to your doctor. Because if you go to a public place you can spread the virus, involuntary, to many people around you.
5. TEMPORARY ONLY: We pray and hope B”H that all these measures will soon be unnecessary. We pray and hope that this virus will disappear, as it seems to be happening in China, or that a vaccine will be found soon.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yosef Bitton
