חנניה ווייסמאן Chananya Weissman

The Corona Vaccine Looks Suspicious

31 Reasons Why I Won’t Take the Vaccine

  1. It’s not a vaccine. A vaccine by definition provides immunity to a disease. This does not provide immunity to anything. In a best-case scenario, it merely reduces the chance of getting a severe case of a virus if one catches it. Hence, it is a medical treatment, not a vaccine. I do not want to take a medical treatment for an illness I do not have.

  2. The drug companies, politicians, medical establishment, and media have joined forces to universally refer to this as a vaccine when it is not one, with the intention of manipulating people into feeling safer about undergoing a medical treatment. Because they are being deceitful, I do not trust them, and want nothing to do with their medical treatment.

  3. The presumed benefits of this medical treatment are minimal and would not last long in any case. The establishment acknowledges this, and is already talking about additional shots and ever-increasing numbers of new “vaccines” that would be required on a regular basis. I refuse to turn myself into a chronic patient who receives injections of new pharmaceutical products on a regular basis simply to reduce my chances of getting a severe case of a virus that these injections do not even prevent.

  4. I can reduce my chances of getting a severe case of a virus by strengthening my immune system naturally. In the event I catch a virus, there are vitamins and well-established drugs that have had wonderful results in warding off the illness, without the risks and unknowns of this medical treatment.

  5. The establishment insists that this medical treatment is safe. They cannot possibly know this because the long-term effects are entirely unknown, and will not be known for many years. They may speculate that it is safe, but it is disingenuous for them to make such a claim that cannot possibly be known. Because they are being disingenuous, I do not trust them, and I want no part of their treatment.

  6. The drug companies have zero liability if anything goes wrong, and cannot be sued. Same for the politicians who are pushing this treatment. I will not inject myself with a new, experimental medical device when the people behind it accept no liability or responsibility if something goes wrong. I will not risk my health and my life when they refuse to risk anything.

  7. Israel’s Prime Minister has openly admitted that the Israeli people are the world’s laboratory for this experimental treatment. I am not interested in being a guinea pig or donating my body to science.

  8. Israel agreed to share medical data of its citizens with a foreign drug company as a fundamental part of their agreement to receive this treatment. I never consented for my personal medical data to be shared with any such entity, nor was I even asked. I will not contribute to this sleazy enterprise.

  9. The executives and board members at Pfizer are on record that they have not taken their own treatment, despite all the fanfare and assurances. They are claiming that they would consider it unfair to “cut the line”. This is a preposterous excuse, and it takes an unbelievable amount of chutzpah to even say such a thing. Such a “line” is a figment of their own imagination; if they hogged a couple of injections for themselves no one would cry foul. In addition, billionaires with private jets and private islands are not known for waiting in line until hundreds of millions of peasants all over the world go first to receive anything these billionaires want for themselves.

  10. The establishment media has accepted this preposterous excuse without question or concern. Moreover, they laud Pfizer’s executives for their supposed self-sacrifice in not taking their own experimental treatment until we go first. Since they consider us such fools, I do not trust them, and do not want their new treatment. They can have my place in line. I’ll go to the very back of the line.

  11. Three facts that must be put together:

  • Bill Gates is touting these vaccines as essential to the survival of the human race.

  • Bill Gates believes the world has too many people and needs to be “depopulated”.

  • Bill Gates, perhaps the richest man in the world, has also not been injected. No rush.

          Uh, no. I’ll pass on any medical treatments he wants me to take.

  1. The establishment has been entirely one-sided in celebrating this treatment. The politicians and media are urging people to take it as both a moral and civic duty. The benefits of the treatment are being greatly exaggerated, the risks are being ignored, and the unknowns are being brushed aside. Because they are being deceitful and manipulative, I will not gamble my personal wellbeing on their integrity.

  2. There is an intense propaganda campaign for people to take this treatment. Politicians and celebrities are taking selfies of themselves getting injected (perhaps in some cases pretending to get injected), the media is hyping this as the coolest, smartest, most happy and fun thing to do. It is the most widespread marketing campaign in history. This is not at all appropriate for any medical treatment, let alone a brand new one, and it makes me recoil.

  3. The masses are following in tow, posting pictures of themselves getting injected with a drug, feeding the mass peer pressure to do the same. There is something very alarming and sick about this, and I want no part of it. I never took drugs just because “everyone’s doing it” and it’s cool. I’m certainly not going to start now.

  4. Those who raise concerns about this medical treatment are being bullied, slandered, mocked, censored, ostracized, threatened, and fired from their jobs. This includes medical professionals who have science-based concerns about the drug and caregivers who have witnessed people under their charge suffering horrible reactions and death shortly after being injected. When the establishment is purging good people who risk everything simply to raise concerns about a new medical treatment – even if they don’t outright oppose it – I will trust these brave people over the establishment every time. I cannot think of a single similar case in history when truth and morality turned out to be on the side of the establishment.

  5. This is the greatest medical experiment in the history of the human race.

  6. It is purposely not being portrayed as the greatest medical experiment in the history of the human race, and the fact that it is a medical experiment at all is being severely downplayed.

  7. Were they up front with the masses, very few would agree to participate in such an experiment. Manipulating the masses to participate in a medical experiment under false pretenses violates the foundations of medical ethics and democratic law. I will not allow unethical people who engage in such conduct to inject me with anything.

  8. The medical establishment is not informing people about any of this. They have become marketing agents for an experimental drug, serving huge companies and politicians who have made deals with them. This is a direct conflict with their mandate to concern themselves exclusively with the wellbeing of the people under their care. Since the medical establishment has become corrupted, and has become nothing more than a corporate and political tool, I do not trust the experimental drug they want so badly to inject me with.

  9. We are being pressured in various ways to get injected, which violates medical ethics and the foundations of democratic society. The best way to get me not to do something is to pressure me to do it.

  10. The government has sealed their protocol related to the virus and treatments for THIRTY YEARS. This is information that the public has a right to know, and the government has a responsibility to share. What are they covering up? Do they really expect me to believe that everything is kosher about all this, and that they are concerned first and foremost with my health? The last time they did this was with the Yemenite Children Affair. If you’re not familiar with it, look it up. Now they’re pulling the same shtick. They didn’t fool me the first time, and they’re definitely not fooling me now.

  11. The government can share our personal medical data with foreign corporations, but they won’t share their own protocol on the matter with us? I’m out.

  12. The establishment has recruited doctors, rabbis, the media, and the masses to harangue people who don’t want to get injected with a new drug. We are being called the worst sort of names. We are being told that we believe in crazy conspiracies, that we are against science, that we are selfish, that we are murderers, that we don’t care about the elderly, that it’s our fault that the government continues to impose draconian restrictions on the public. It’s all because we don’t want to get injected with an experimental treatment, no questions asked. We are even being told that we have a religious obligation to do this, and that we are grave sinners if we do not. They say that if we do not agree to get injected, we should be forced to stay inside our homes forever and be ostracized from public life.

    This is horrific, disgusting, a perversion of common sense, morality, and the Torah. It makes me recoil, and only further cements my distrust of these people and my opposition to taking their experimental drug. How dare they?

  13. I know of many people who got injected, but none of them studied the science in depth, carefully weighed the potential benefits against the risks, compared this option to other alternatives, was truly informed, and decided this medical treatment was the best option for them. On the contrary, they got injected because of the hype, the propaganda, the pressure, the fear, blind trust in what “the majority of experts” supposedly believed (assuming THEY all studied everything in depth and were completely objective, which is highly dubious), blind trust in what certain influential rabbis urged them to do (ditto the above), or hysterical fear that the only option was getting injected or getting seriously ill from the virus. When I see mass hysteria and cult-like behavior surrounding a medical treatment, I will be extremely suspicious and avoid it.

  14. The drug companies have a long and glorious history of causing mass carnage with wonder drugs they thrust on unsuspecting populations, even after serious problems had already become known. Instead of pressing the pause button and halting the marketing of these drugs until these issues could be properly investigated, the drug companies did everything in their power to suppress the information and keep pushing their products. When companies and people have demonstrated such gross lack of concern for human life, I will not trust them when they hype a new wonder drug. This isn’t our first rodeo.

  15. Indeed, the horror stories are already coming in at warp speed, but the politicians are not the least bit concerned, the medical establishment is brushing them aside as unrelated or negligible, the media is ignoring it, the drug companies are steaming ahead at full speed, and those who raise a red flag continue to be bullied, censored, and punished. Clearly my life and my wellbeing are not their primary concern. I will not be their next guinea pig in their laboratory. I will not risk being the next “coincidence”.

  16. Although many people have died shortly after getting injected – including perfectly healthy young people – we are not allowed to imply that the injection had anything to do with it. Somehow this is anti-science and will cause more people to die. I believe that denying any possible link, abusing people who speculate that there might be a link, and demonstrating not the slightest curiosity to even explore if there might be a link is what is anti-science and could very well cause more people to die. These same people believe I am obligated to get injected as well. No thanks.

  17. I am repulsed by the religious, cult-like worship of a pharmaceutical product, and will not participate in this ritual.

  18. My “healthcare” provider keeps badgering me to get injected, yet they have provided me no information on this treatment or any possible alternatives. Everything I know I learned from others outside the establishment. Informed consent has become conformed consent. I decline.

  19. I see all the lies, corruption, propaganda, manipulation, censorship, bullying, violation of medical ethics, lack of integrity in the scientific process, suppression of inconvenient adverse reactions, dismissal of legitimate concerns, hysteria, cult-like behavior, ignorance, closed-mindedness, fear, medical and political tyranny, concealment of protocols, lack of true concern for human life, lack of respect for basic human rights and freedoms, perversion of the Torah and common sense, demonization of good people, the greatest medical experiment of all time being conducted by greedy, untrustworthy, godless people, the lack of liability for those who demand I risk everything…I see all this and I have decided they can all have my place in line. I will put my trust in God. I will use the mind He blessed me with and trust my natural instincts. Which leads to the final reason which sums up why I will not get “vaccinated.”

  20. The whole thing stinks.

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See www.chananyaweissman.com for much more.

A MUST-READ Personal Letter About the Vaccine: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It!

A powerful letter

Chananya
Dear Chananya,
Thank you once again for your more sane, Torah and chazal-oriented approach to what has happened to the world.
I have read a couple more of your recent articles…and I have been effectively excluded from attending an outdoor minyan because of the shield (-only) I wear…and that others were “uncomfortable” with it (never asking whether I had good reason, a background, or suggesting simply that I should stay home if I couldn’t breathe with the other type of mask).  I am boycotting a local grocery as well also because of how I was treated because of the shield by an opinionated staff member who was hugely disrespectful.
Unfortunately, so-called medical science has not learned its lesson in 80 years and more.  Yes, we know that Nazis, yemach shemam, conducted experiments on humans during the Holocaust, the greatest inhumanity to man.
But there was also an experiment, 30 years and more in its duration, on North American soil, both in the US and Canada.  Perhaps you heard of (or saw pictures representing the effects of) the drug Thalidomide.  Children were born with shortened or no limbs in the 50s and 60s.  That was the visible damage drug of its time.  Unfortunately, there was a drug with greater-reaching, with far more invisible effects, marketed to otherwise healthy women from the 1940s-1970s, known as Diethystilbestrol, or DES.
I offer a quote from a friend’s email:

“A friend of mine is a second generation DES (Diethylstilbestrol) survivor/victim.  She wonders whether her experiences and that of other DES second and third generation people might be of interest to this group.  She is willing to share her story. The pressure placed on women to take DES from 1941-1971 is relevant to the current situation for multiple reasons.

 First of all, DES was prescribed for mothers attempting to avoid miscarriage.  However, many of these women did not have a history of recurrent miscarriage and yet, physicians prescribed the medication for them.  In other words, women without reproductive issues were influenced to take DES to prevent a problem that did not exist. Similarly, healthy people are now being pressured to partake in an experimental substance for a virus with a 99% recovery rate.

Next, DES was also marketed and prescribed as safe despite that the manufacturers were aware of possible carcinogenic effects. In the case of the experimental COVID vaccine the pharmaceutical companies and their political as well as health official allies are downplaying the fact that the biological substance may have severe side effects. Worse, in the current context people are compelled to partake in an experimental vaccine without being appropriately, ethically and morally notified about their role as subjects in a research study.

A third similarity is demonstrated by the way that DES was marketed and prescribed as safe without regard for possible long term effects. Unfortunately, severe side effects became apparent only after millions of women and their children were exposed to DES. It took years for the medical establishment to finally acknowledge a link between maternal cancer of the reproductive system and the drug.   The damage was intergenerational and also affected the children born to mothers who had used DES.  So far the next two to three generations suffer from devastating conditions including but not limited to cancer and malformations of the reproductive organs, primary and secondary infertility, and premature births.  In some cases, the actual harm of this apparent medication took decades to manifest. This past week on Jan. 11, 2021  the chief coroner of Ontario, Dr. Dirk Huyer, lectured during a Webinar for nurses who are members of the RNAO.  He indicated that the experimental vaccine contained “a little bit of genetic material” that will enter into the body’s cells.  There is not yet enough evidence to demonstrate the long term effects of mRNA or as the official stated “a bit of genetic material” on future function. Similar to the DES fiasco, pharmaceutical companies and their allies are influencing citizens to expose their bodies to a substance without ensuring that the experimental vaccine is safe for the participant and generations to come.”
Further, once DES was discontinued for use with threatened miscarriage, it was still used as a (sic!) “morning after” pill–to prevent unwanted pregnancy!  Even later, it was still being used in so-called Third World countries–to fatten cattle and poultry to achieve a higher market price–so it remained in the food chain, again for monetary gain.
In case you have not guessed, I am the woman referred to in the above quote.  I have buried a daughter, Rachel, a.h., born at 22.5 weeks gestation, had multiple other miscarriages for my, B”H, 3 living children, a rough total of 9 pregnancies in all, attributable to the DES my Mother, a.h., took, trusting her doctor, though without history of miscarriage.  Rachel would have been 35 years old this past December.  Needless to say, between the marker birthday and the parallels above, my anger is triggered.  My youngest was born at 32 weeks gestation but she, thankfully, had the benefit of what those extra weeks offered in her development inside and she is 30 years old today.  Many DES daughters never got as far as being able to conceive.  The statute of limitations then was a paltry three years from discovery.  With the non-vaccine–the manufacturers are indemnified, so there is no challenging them for damages or wrongful death.
Further, I have had family members and friends subject to covid-related regulations and death, a half-sister who passed her 90th birthday in isolation due to a positive test in her nursing home and who died shortly thereafter… having given up… but symptom-free.
It is a shandeh that the “Emperor is naked” and the few who speak out to say so are censored or categorized as crazy and not to be believed for challenging the panicked, so-called ‘norm’, even as they are the ones willing to question, research, and risk their jobs.
Thank you for the work you do.  I think I need to get some fresh air…
Yom Tov,
Joyce Solomon

Chananya Weissman Psychoanalyzes the Corona Tyranny Toadies

A Short Thought and More Mask Police

*
I had another doozy of an experience earlier today. I davened mincha outside an actual shul, but I was on a park bench on the street, outside the shul limits. Someone approached me after davening, introduced himself, and asked me to wear a mask in the future, as that is the practice of the shul. I told him there is no such thing in halacha and I am not bound by it, plus I’m outside the shul area. He asked me to do it “out of respect” for the other people.
I told him to pretend I was beating my wife or abusing children and look the other way. That was not the answer he was expecting. He said even people who already had corona wear the mask out of respect and I can talk to the rabbi if I want. I told him I’m not a confrontational person, I’m minding my own business, and I’m happy to have a conversation with anyone, but I’m not going to wear a mask.
I also noted that there were about 20 people at the minyan, which is against the current arbitrary guidelines. Why is that? Do they only follow some guidelines and not others? “Yes!” he answered. I told him that obviously doesn’t make any sense. If anything, having more people there is a greater danger than having one person without a mask, so it’s really just about bullying and controlling people. I said the real reason this bothers him is because if more than 10 people daven there, it doesn’t make anyone look foolish, but if they’re wearing masks and I’m not playing along, it makes them all look foolish.
He suddenly found himself in a hurry to go somewhere and scurried off. Score one for sanity and the good guys.
Chananya

Bottom Line: Choose the Worst Israel Instead of the Best Galus!

The Best Galus Ever

I like to keep things simple. The arguments in favor of residing in galus over Israel inevitably boil down to two tracks:

1) Life in galus is better.

2) Life in Israel is worse.

The rest is commentary. People will only move to Israel, or choose to stay there, if they crunch all the objective and subjective variables, and determine that life in Israel is a better deal. There is no need to catalog all the variables; we know them.

Instead, I would like to present the greatest sales pitch for galus in history. Imagine a scenario in which life in galus could not be any better, while life in Israel could not be any worse. It would look something like this:

Economic: Getting by in Israel is virtually impossible. The economy is completely in the tank, extreme poverty is widespread, and there are severe food shortages. Survival is only possible due to an influx of foreign aid, which of course comes with strings attached.

In galus, however, the Jews live with great prosperity and don’t even need to work. Their standard of living could not be better. They are free to live in the most upscale neighborhoods, tax-free, without even having to worry about zoning laws.

Political: Israel is completely ruled by gentiles. In fact, it wouldn’t even be known as Israel. Not only are Jews an extreme minority with little political influence, there are no Jews there at all! Although Jews are allowed to live in Israel, they have no say in how the country will be run. Furthermore, the gentiles who rule the land are diametrically opposed to Jewish values, and any Jew who does live there would need to keep an extremely low profile. He would be grudgingly tolerated at best, and would need to be perpetually wary of his neighbors.

In galus the Jews enjoy political power at the highest echelons and can be openly Jewish with impunity. Although there are some resentments, in general the Jews are respected, admired, and feared by the gentiles. No one would dare lay a finger on them.

Spiritual: Life in Israel is a spiritual wasteland. There are no rabbis, no shuls, no yeshivas, no Jewish education, no communal infrastructure of any kind. How could there be? There are no Jews! But to make matters worse, the spiritual environment could hardly be worse. The gentiles who rule the land are morally bankrupt, far worse than the gentiles in other lands. Raising a proper Jewish child would require separating from society as much as possible, with no support group.

In galus the Jews would still be vastly outnumbered, of course, but they would be able to live in their own spiritual cocoons. They would be guided by tremendous tzaddikim and Torah scholars, among the greatest who ever lived. Jewish education would also be completely free. Their religious rights would be fully protected; in fact, Jewish leaders would be recognized as holy by the gentiles and held in the highest esteem. Naturally, Jewish communal and family life would be ideal.

If a Jew could choose between living in the Israel or the galus described above, the correct choice would be obvious.

Israel.

This is not a theroetical question. This actually happened. When the Jews first came to Egypt, and for many years before things turned bad, this was the situation. Yosef was the ruler. Yaacov was the spiritual leader. The Jews enjoyed freedom and prosperity without a care in the world.

At the same time, Israel was known as Canaan, ruled by the most wicked idolaters in the world. They were so spiritually bankrupt and morally corrupt that they deserved to be utterly destroyed. There was famine in the land, and everyone was beholden to Egypt for their food. The inhabitants were also well aware of Jewish ambitions to ultimately kick them out and take over the land. Conditions for a Jew could hardly be less favorable.

Nevertheless, Yaacov would not have left Israel were he not compelled by divine decree and heavenly machinations. Same for his family, which comprised the entirety of the Jewish people. Yosef would not have left Israel or remained in Egypt if not for circumstances beyond his control. They were expected to live in galus at all times with one foot out the door, ready to return to Israel at the earliest opportunity. They were expected to give up the best life in galus for the most difficult life in Israel, and to view that as the greatest priority, the greatest blessing.

Home is home, and if it isn’t everything you want it to be, you need to be there to really change that.

Despite all the complaints, many of which are justified, life in Israel has a lot going for it. Despite the deep attachment many Jews have to galus, despite the yetzer hara to remain there no matter what, life in galus is no paradise for an authentic Jew. It never can be. It’s an exile, an unnatural habitat, a temporary dwelling where the Jew may be tolerated and exploited for some time, but where he is never meant to feel at home. He doesn’t belong there.

When a Jew remembers this, keeps one foot out the door, and desires to return home at the first opportunity, there is no need for the galus to be rough. However, when he mistakenly interprets God’s kindness in softening the exile as a sign that he should plant both feet there, the kindness needs to be removed.

One final time, as has happened so many times in history, the Jews have planted both feet in their temporary dwellings, mistaking a comfortable life in galus as preferable to an uncomfortable life in Israel. The kindness is being removed and once again things in galus are turning very bad very fast.

It shouldn’t have to be this way, and it still doesn’t need to be this way. We can learn the lesson without having to learn it the hard way. We can turn things around and finally get it right.

Tell shmutz la’aretz that you appreciate the hospitality and will remember the good times, but it’s time to just go home.

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www.chananyaweissman.com

Copies of Go Up Like a Wall are available from me at no cost upon request, and on Amazon for the minimum price they allowed.

Corona Vaccine VERSUS Bitachon

“God Watches Over Fools” Explained

The concept of שומר פתאים השם is being touted as a reason to take the experimental vaccine and not worry.  We are being told that because “most experts and the greatest experts” have decided that the risks are minimal, and the dangers of not taking the vaccine are severe, we must listen to them and vaccinate.
Unfortunately this ruling is based on fundamentally flawed reasoning and a complete distortion of the concept of שומר פתאים השם.  Here are links to two excellent in-depth treatments of the concept in Halacha, the main principles of which I will summarize below.
There are two opposing principles in Halacha which must be reconciled in all situations so that we can live healthy, balanced lives.
1) We have an obligation to protect our lives and wellbeing from danger.
2) We must trust in Hashem to protect us.
If we take extreme, abnormal measures to protect ourselves from danger, we demonstrate a lack of trust in Hashem.  Such measures have unintended consequences that compromise one’s mental health and ability to live a normal, productive life.  We are not supposed to be hypochondriacs or live with paranoia.
Indeed, such fear is a sign that one is a sinner (see Berachos 60A).  The righteous live with purpose and confidence, and put their trust in God.
On the other hand, we are not allowed to expect God to protect us without taking reasonable measures according to the situation.  Behaving in such a fashion requires miracles (of the more open variety) to be protected, and we are not allowed to rely on such miracles.  Even if a reckless person is protected, it detracts from his merits.
The shiurim I provided above illustrate these fundamental principles through a variety of halachic sources. According to the poskim, the following variables all impact the balance between what are considered reasonable risks to take, what is considered dangerous enough to avoid, and when to rely on God:
1. Is it a definite and immediate danger?
2. Is the behavior one that all of society has accepted as normal?
3. What is the likelihood of being harmed?
4. What are the benefits of the behavior?
These criteria must be weighed to determine the proper balance of appropriate risk, appropriate protective measures, and trusting in God.
A few examples will help illustrate this and provide clarity for our situation.
1. It is more dangerous to ride a car or fly in a plane than to go for a walk or stay at home.  However, the dangers are extremely remote, all of society has accepted these modes of transportation as normal, the likelihood of being harmed is close to zero, and the benefits of these modes of transportation are great.  Therefore, these risks are entirely acceptable and one should rely upon  שומר פתאים השם.
2. One is more likely to suffer an injury from playing sports or riding a bike than other forms of exercise. Some sports, like tackle football and boxing, have an extremely high risk of injury, including serious injuries, and are not advisable.  Others have less risk of injury and extremely low risk of serious injuries.  Bike riders, for example, have a greater risk of being hit by a car or suffering a head injury even with a helmet, but overall, with proper precautions, these risks are minimal.
At the same time, these activities have important health benefits, they provide a recreational and social outlet, and in the case of bike riding an inexpensive mode of transportation as well.  The risks involved are low and entirely acceptable, and therefore here too one should exercise caution but otherwise rely upon שומר פתאים השם
When it comes to activities with greater danger, the benefits must also be greater to justify the risk.  For example, one should not go into a jungle to hunt wild animals, for the danger is great and the benefits are minimal at best.  However, one may hunt animals for the sake of his livelihood or the performance of a mitzvah.  These primary benefits justify additional risks.
Similarly, we know that some workers will die during the construction of roads, bridges, tunnels, and other critical infrastructure.  However, the benefits to society far outweigh the risk to any individual worker, and therefore one is allowed to work in construction and rely upon שומר פתאים השם.
With these examples in mind, let us consider the current situation.  The coronavirus is real; we know quite well by now that it can cause long-term health problems and even death. We would be wise to take reasonable precautions to protect ourselves from it, as we would with any illness.  At the same time, we must avoid measures that are extreme and unduly harmful in their own right. We must find a reasonable balance, and then rely on שומר פתאים השם.
Some noted rabbis have urged people to take the experimental vaccine.  They claim that the risks of the vaccine are minimal, the risks are accepted by society, the benefits are great, and the dangers of not taking it are severe. Therefore, one should take it and rely upon שומר פתאים השם.
Unfortunately this is a faulty application of the concept.  The risks of the vaccine are largely unknown and cannot possibly be fully known for many years.  Many thousands of doctors all over the world have raised serious red flags about it, and their opinions cannot be cavalierly disregarded.  Not only are they being disregarded, those who express concerns are being mocked, censored, and punished.  That is hardly reassuring, nor the manner in which new drugs and treatments should be introduced under any circumstances.
In fact, governments are threatening to restrict the basic human rights of people who refuse to take the vaccine  This should be considered far more scary and dangerous than the coronavirus itself.
The benefits of the vaccine are hardly overwhelming.  At best they reduce the chance of developing a severe case of coronavirus if one is infected.  The same benefits can be achieved by boosting one’s immune system and other treatments that have proven to be highly effective and safe.
The risk of coronavirus cannot be compared to smallpox, which killed as high as 20 percent of some populations, nor can the benefits of this vaccine — which are minimal and achievable through other means — be compared to the smallpox vaccine, where there was no alternative.
Indeed, considering the low likelihood of developing a serious case of coronavirus without any intervention, the ease with which one can reduce the likelihood through safe and proven means, and the many unknowns and possible dangers of the vaccine, one cannot in good conscience urge people to take the vaccine and rely on שומר פתאים השם.
Just the opposite!  One should boost his immune system, demand that safer, proven treatments be readily provided as the primary option, then live with normalcy and confidence, and trust God to protect him.
If, down the road, one or more vaccines are truly proven to have tremendous benefits that far outweigh the risks, and are far superior to alternatives, they should be recommended.  We are not there yet.  Not even close.
In the meantime, compelling people in any way to take this vaccine, or restricting their basic human rights for choosing not to, is extremely unethical and must be challenged.  The restrictions that have been imposed upon us to this point are tyrannical and have caused overwhelming suffering and even death in a variety of ways.
We must be allowed to earn a living, spend time with our loved ones, socialize, and live our lives without hysteria and paranoia.  No political leader or rabbi has the right to take this away from us.
I will conclude with two particularly interesting sources that I stumbled upon just yesterday in my regular learning purely by “coincidence”.  They come from Yerushalmi Terumah Chapter 8.
There is a lengthy discussion about the dangers of leaving wine, water, and certain foods exposed.  It begins with the Mishna on page 42A, and I encourage those who are capable to look it up.
At the time there was a clear and present danger of snakes poisoning their liquids in particular, and the Gemara outlines the balance between reasonable precautions and risks in different situations.  Although poisonous snakes are not a concern for us today in most places, the principles are extremely relevant.
The Gemara on page 42A relates that Rabbi Ami had guests, and apologized for not serving them the pasteurized wine he had, for he had left it uncovered.  Rav Bibi said “Bring it and I will drink it.”  Rabbi Ami replied “One who wishes to die should go die in his own house.”
Rabbi Ami had both scientific and halachic cause for concern, and considered his wine forbidden to drink.  Rav Bibi was not concerned, and considered the small benefit of drinking the wine worth the risk that it had been poisoned.  The flow of the sugya indicated that the halacha was with Rabbi Ami; the dangers were serious enough and likely enough to outweigh the benefit.
Significantly, Rabbi Ami allows Rav Bibi the right to take inappropriate risks, just not under his roof.  This too is illustrated throughout the sugya.  Chazal outline the boundaries of Halacha in these areas, but do not impose societal restrictions or limit people’s right to take chances — even inappropriate chances.  People are left with the right to decide for themselves what risks to take.  One’s freedom and independence to make such decisions must remain sacred.  (For those who wish to split hairs, according to the Torah we are allowed to leave our homes without a mask even if there is an infinitesimal chance that we might be carrying an infectious illness.)
An even more remarkable source appears on page 43B. The Gemara relates as follows: “Rabbi Yanai was extremely afraid of snakes, and he would raise his bed atop four buckets of water (to prevent snakes from climbing onto his bed).  One time he stretched out his hand and found a snake by him.  He said ‘remove them from me, שומר פתאים השם.'”
The Penei Moshe explains that Rabbi Yanai cried out for someone to remove the snake, and that God had watched over him.  (This is in fact cited in one of the shiurim linked above.)
The other commentaries, including Rav Eliyahu from Polda, Rabbi Shimon Sirilio, and Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky all explain as follows: “Remove the buckets of water, for I might as well just trust in God.”
Rabbi Yanai had taken extreme measures to protect himself from snakes, measures that were considered by others to be over-the-top.  Despite these measures, he could not completely eliminate the danger, and Hashem showed him that the benefits of taking extreme measures do not justify the effort, expense, and other costs.  One should use normal measures to mitigate the risk — measures that do not upend his life and mental condition — then focus on living his life and rely on God.
This is what we should all be doing, and this is what we should be demanding our elected officials allow us to do.  We should not be taking experimental drugs to lower our risk of catching a serious case of coronavirus from 0.0001 percent to 0.00001 percent.  We should not be plunging one third of society into poverty.  We should not be restricting people’s basic rights to leave their homes, see their loved ones, socialize, pray, learn, and live their lives.
It is immoral — it is downright cruel and a violation of human rights — and it is completely against the Torah and our tradition.
We must take reasonable, proven precautions whose benefits are fully justified, then we must live our lives like normal people and rely on God to protect us.
If you believe this is correct, please share these words as widely as possible, organize, stand up, speak out, avoid unnecessary experimental drugs, and take back your life.
Chananya
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