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the aseret Dr. Deena Zimmerman
hadibrot SIX

ח ָ צ ְ ר ִ ת אלֹ

Life and Death in the Hand of the Tongue

he Covid-19 epidemic is slow down the process including the murder.” Thus improper use of the
presenting the world with closure of schools, businesses and tongue via hurtful speech produces
Tsituations that have not been general lockdown. something within the spectrum of the
faced in decades. prohibition of murder.
Some of these measures protect us,
A potentially fatal infectious disease but many of them are also for the Improper use of the tongue is listed as
is spreading throughout the globe protection of spreading the disease to a direct commandment in the verse
ְ
and we are as yet unable to prevent others. In this manner, the pandemic found in Vayikra 19:17: לי ִ כ ָ ר ך ֵ ל ֵ ת אלֹ
ָ
ָ
it via vaccination or treatment other leads us all to be cognizant of our ך ֶ ע ֵ ר ם ּ ַ ד ל ַ ע דֹמ ֲ ע ַ ת אלֹ ךי ֶּ מ ַ ע ְּ ב. One explana-
than supportive care. This transfers obligations to others and the concept tion of the first clause is that it con-
classic halachic discussions regarding of the commandments Bein Adam tains the prohibition of gossip and
plagues in the past from the realm of leChavero (between one person and the second clause is an obligation to
the theoretical to the practical. another). save others. There is no vav joining
Modern medicine has not yet given us Tradition holds that the Ten Com- the two causes of the verse, so it is
a solution to the pandemic, but it has mandments, the receiving of possible that they reflect two separate
given us the knowledge at this point which we celebrate on the holiday commandments.
to understand the method of disease of Shavuot, were divided equally On the other hand, they do share the
spread. between two tablets, five com- same verse, and thus commentators
mandments on one and five on the such as the Netziv, Rav Naftali Tzvi
The primary mechanism is a droplet,
meaning that virus particles con- other. The five on one side are com- Yehuda Berlin, finds a connection
tained in bodily fluids sprayed via a mandments between Man and G-d between them. He uses the juxtaposi-
sneeze or cough will infect another and the other are the command- tion to point out that if there is a need
person if it reaches their respiratory ments between Man and Man. The to share information to save others
tract via their mouth or nose. Mechiltah of Rabbi Yishmael on Yitro then one is permitted to do so. Thus,
points out the symmetry between in the context of Corona, it would be
The virus can live on surfaces as well, the commandments. Lining up com- halachically proper to report someone
but will only infect another via hands mandments 1-5 with command- who is endangering others by violat-
bringing it to the mouth or nose. ments 6 – 10 puts lo tirzach – do not ing the terms of quarantine.
This knowledge leads to the impor- murder, parallel with the first com-
tance of the implementation of public mandment “I am the Lord your G-d.” While praying for this pandemic to
health interventions such as main- In this Midrashic explanation, one end, and for the speedy recovery of all
taining a physical distance between who murders a human who was cre- those infected, let us think for a few
people (keeping them too far apart ated in G-d’s image diminishes the minutes about our tongues, our hands
for the droplets to reach), wearing image of G-d. and our obligations to others. Both
masks (reduces the distance of drop- literally and metaphorically, let us
let spread and minimizing contact For the vast majority, murder seems frequently wash our hands and cover
between the hand and the mouth) far-fetched. Perhaps, for this reason, our mouths, using them not to hurt
and hygienic measures such as hand our Sages give day-to-day circum- others but to help them.
washing. stances where we might touch upon
this prohibition. For example, the
As the disease rapidly spread around Talmud (Baba Metzia 58b) states, Dr. Deena Zimmerman is pedriatrician
the world, even more drastic mea- “One who embarrasses his fellow in and Director of yoatzot.org, a website for
sures needed to be implemented to public, it is as if he has committed women’s health and halacha

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