Dear Editor, I write this appalled, ashamed, and frankly infuriated at what has become commonplace in frum communities in recent months. Ever since Covid-19 vaccines first became widely available in April, there has been vigorous debate, particularly among frum people, whether one should subject themselves to the shot. I fully understand the hesitation by many over the shot. Many are worried that the lack of long-term studies of the vaccine’s effects on the body could be hiding severe detrimental side effects. Others who have already recovered from a Covid-19 infection don’t want to get a vaccine for a virus that they have already been infected with and presumably have developed antibodies against. On the more extreme end, there are people who think that they’re not allowed to take it because of religious concerns, and on the far fringes are those who believe that the vaccines cause certain illnesses, like Lyme disease. I, for one, am fully vaccinated, but I get the hesitation, and I don’t think people holding off from getting the shot are necessarily anti-vaxxers, anti-science, or crazy. What does boggle my mind, however, is the lying and deception that has become so sadly commonplace as a result of people’s vaccine hesitancy. What lying and deception, you ask? As anyone who has tried traveling abroad in recent months likely knows, there is a huge black market for fake Covid-19 vaccination cards. I personally know approximately a dozen people who have obtained forged vaccination cards so that they could go on family vacations abroad – to Israel, the Caribbean, you name it. They’re galloping across the world based on a lie. Why does this bother me so much? No, it’s not because I’m a paragon of truth and honesty – I am far from it. What is so troubling to me is the examples being set for children by their parents. Lying to get what you want? Is that really how we want to raise our children? Is that the chinuch we want to ingrain in them? Lying and deception is sanctioned by the Torah in certain very specific circumstances, such as in a case where it could help avert an unnecessary fight between people or to maintain shalom bayis. But it surely is not sanctioned so you can go visit your favorite tropical island. Our children have been exposed to a lot of really negative things over the past year and a half, including learning to buck the advice and guidance of our leaders and rabbanim, but in the long run, those terrible lessons just might pale in comparison to the churban of us teaching our children by our own example that lying to further our own interests is perfectly okay. Hashem’s stamp is “emes” – truth. Emes is integral to our way of life, it is crucial in our being mechanech our children al pi derech hatorah. To throw it away so that our plans aren’t hampered by vaccine mandates and travel restrictions is putting our physical pleasures over the primacy of the Torah. And when we put pleasure over the Torah, we are in deep, deep trouble. Y. Jacobson – Monsey NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN. DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION YOU WOULD LIKE TO […]
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