I first heard about Ebola when I visited the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2000. At the time I was told that this “bush virus” was extremely dangerous and that the no treatment existed. Rumors circled that the army would lay siege to a village with Ebola and quarantine the whole village until the virus was gone. It was a controversial claim, but one that had quite a few backers.
I’m not sure exactly what Zaire’s army did with earlier Ebola outbreaks, but the virus’ reemergence today on an international scale has gotten the entire world’s attention.
Much debate is currently centered on this tragic outbreak of Ebola. Aside from the questions of how best to treat Ebola, another concern is whether quarantine is necessary for all peoples that have traveled to the Ebola region, or come into some form of contact with an Ebola patient. The health concerns have led to uncertainty and varying opinions about travel bans and protective gear.
Everybody agrees that we must end the outbreak as soon as possible. But there is considerable disagreement about which drug might be most effective (they are all experimental at this point), whether passengers should be screened at international airports, and how much protection healthcare workers and caregivers should be utilizing.
So how scared should we be? What precautions should we take? Should we go into severe isolation mode?
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In this week’s parsha, Noach, we read the famous story of the Flood. The people were up to no good, so G-d brought a flood to destroy them. Only Noach and his family survived. They were protected from the raging waters by an ark that the Almighty had instructed Noach to build.
When the flood was over, the Torah records G-d’s instruction to Noach: “Go out of the ark.”
Now, why would G-d need to instruct Noach to leave the ark? Wouldn’t he already be itching to get out of what was essentially a yearlong prison?
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Perhaps Noach’s reluctance to leave the ark is a sign of his disillusionment from society. He had seen the ultimate decay of humankind. Maybe he had given up on humanity. Perhaps now he was resigned to live a life in insulation from the terrors of immorality. He was resolute that if he wanted to remain sacred, he would need to isolate himself from the earth and all it represented.
Yet, Hashem tells Noach to disembark from the ark. G-d’s message is to engage the world and elevate it to holiness.
Yes, before and during the flood, Hashem’s desire is to separate Noach from the world. Yet afterwards, he is commanded to reengage.
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We too face the raging waters of the flood. We face the virus of improper deeds and immorality. We have two choices. Disengage or engage?
And the Torah’s message is that it depends when and where. If we are in direct contact with sin, we must abstain and remove ourselves. Even barricade ourselves in a secluded ark, if necessary. However, when the danger is removed, a life of reclusiveness and segregation is not the Torah way.
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I’m not a doctor and certainly not a medical scientist. Yet, when it comes to spiritual maladies it’s important to know that both isolation and attachment are ideals to embrace – each in its own place.