If a person believes based on expert medical advice that wearing a mask on a quiet sidewalk is unnecessary, should he wear it anyways because of the chillul Hashem it will cause in some circles if he doesn’t? Does the answer depend on his motivation (convenience vs. making a political statement)?
Wherever a Jew walks outside, he is representing more than himself. Mayor de Blasio’s remarks prove this point. While there was zero justification for him to tar all Jews with the same brush, and his critique contains unquestionable anti-Semitic undertones, that doesn’t negate the fact that society judges our actions collectively rather than individually.
If, therefore, there is a national guideline that insists I have to conduct myself a certain way, that becomes my overriding obligation regardless of opinions and so-called medical experts.
There was a wedding that took place in London the other week. It was in a private garden with only 50 people present. There was, allegedly, some form of social distancing. The family in question had consulted medical professionals and – equipped with that information – asked a leading rav who granted them permission to proceed.
Ultimately, the police turned up, broke it up, and the next day the wedding made national headlines. The bottom line is that it was in contravention of government guidelines. The question I have for the rav in question is: “Would you have granted permission if you knew that it would cause such a chillul Hashem?”
It comes back to the same point. No act is committed in isolation. We must hold ourselves to a higher standard and we will always be held to that standard. We walk with a tzelem Elokim – and it is with that awareness that we must always conduct ourselves.
— Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet, popular Lubavitch
lecturer, rabbi of London’s Mill Hill Synagogue
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If the state of New York requires everyone who goes outside to wear a mask, then under dina demalchusa dina, a Jew is obligated to obey. At the present time, when the public flouting of restrictions by religious Jews has created a terrible increase in hostility, every additional refusal to follow the requirements increases the chillul Hashem.
The wearing of masks is to reduce the risk to others as well as to oneself. The number of religious Jews who have died is tragic and frightening. The least we can do is follow rules and not come up with explanations why they shouldn’t apply to us.
— Rabbi Yosef Blau, mashgiach ruchani at
YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
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Aside from the chillul Hashem and eivah (hatred of Jews) not wearing a mask could elicit, it is important to wear a mask for an additional reason. Let me give an analogy: Five people are in a boat. Four of them feel that a certain hole in the floor of the boat will result in sinking the boat. One claims he knows that it won’t cause the boat to sink.
Would we say that everyone can do as he feels and the one who feels it will not sink the boat can drill away? Of course not. Since his action will affect others, he must respect their opinion. However, if he is in his own boat and will affect no one else, he most certainly can drill away to his heart’s content.
Similarly here, since not wearing a mask can affect others, he must respect the majority opinion and wear a mask. However, if he is in a totally segregated area where no one else will possibly be affected, this consideration no longer applies. The other considerations still apply, however, if others can observe his conduct.
— Rabbi Zev Leff, rav of Moshav Matisyahu,
popular lecturer and educator
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As responsible citizens, we are obliged to follow the laws of our government. We are currently required to wear masks and practice social distancing when in public in order to lessen the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. These practices have been mandated for the health and well-being of all of us.
Those who do not follow the rules, regardless of motivation, are thereby endangering the health – and possibly the lives – of themselves and others. When people obviously identified as Jews spurn the regulations, this casts a bad light on themselves and on the Jewish community as a whole.
After a throng of chassidic Jews recently attended a funeral, the mayor of New York made unfortunate comments about the “Jewish community.” Kol Yisrael areivim zeh lazeh. We are all responsible for each other; our individual actions reflect on our people as a whole.
If one is walking in an area where there are few or no people nearby, it should be fine to remove one’s mask since no one is endangered thereby. However, when one is in a public setting where multiple people are present, one should certainly wear a mask and observe social distancing.
The consequence of violating the rules is not only a matter of chillul Hashem; it is endangering the health and lives of oneself and others.
— Rabbi Marc D. Angel, director of the
Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals
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About 30 years ago, a religious fellow pulled into a gas station in Israel and realized he didn’t have any cash. The station was owned by Israeli Arabs, and the religious fellow asked the owner of the station if he could give him a check.
The owner said okay, at which point the owner’s son said, “Why are you doing that?” The owner replied, “Because I recognize religious Jews, and their word is good.” The son responded to his father, “I also recognize the religious, and they’re not so trustworthy.”
The point is: When a religious Jew walks out on the street, there should be a very clear understanding in his mind that “I am a representative of Hashem. I wear a yarmulka. I am supposed to act in a dignified and highly-refined manner. I am from the chosen nation.”
Unfortunately, in our long exile, we’ve become very comfortable and, often, the sense is more like, “We own the streets of Boro Park” rather than “We’re visitors here on shores that are not our own.”
Certainly when it comes to violating what is considered behavior that is damaging to others, it would behoove us as the chosen nation to act far better than average.
I think it is a very, very sad situation if we’re not fully aware of this duty.
— Rabbi Ben Zion Shafier, founder of The Shmuz