Quote:
Originally Posted by Basilissa
Exactly!
Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
And do not forget that He sent them do wreak havoc as He intended:
Isaiah 54:16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
Amen, Brother!
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It's good to see the Prophets being brought into the picture, but you cannot simply pull from the great man of G_d Isaiah and use it to fit your own purpose.
Obviously, there was nothing that we would recognize as resembling medical science in the days of the authors of the
Torah or those of the Sages whose interpretations of
Torah were collected in the
Mishna and the Talmud. The rudimentary understandings of the great twelfth century physician scholar
Moses Maimonides (aka Rambam) did not encompass vaccinations, either. Nevertheless, far from condemning vaccinations, the Jewish tradition contains principles that are both well established and almost universally understood to be applicable today and
support vaccinations against infectious diseases.
The analysis begins, as it usually does, with the
Torah.
Deuteronomy contains a number of lessons that relate to a person’s obligation, his duty, to care for himself and his neighbor. In that last book of
Torah, Moses is portrayed as summarizing the history of the Israelite experience from Mt. Sinai to the river Jordan and giving three farewell orations to the assembled people. In the first of these speeches, Moses urges the people to take the “utmost care,” to watch themselves scrupulously, to be “most careful.” (
See Deut. 4:9, 4:15.)
Later, in his second discourse, Moses reminds the people that indifference is prohibited, in favor of, for example, an obligation to make a parapet for a roof, so that the owner would not “bring bloodguilt” upon his house should anyone fall. (
See Deut. 22:8.)
Subsequently,
rabbis interpreted Moses statements as G_d’s commandments to protect one’s health, to guard against disease.
The Talmudic concern with the well-being of a child was broad and deep. For instance, a parent was obligated to teach his child how to swim, lest the child be in danger if he was traveling by boat and the boat began to sink. (
See BT
Kiddushin 29a.) The overarching concern was the child’s needs.
The rabbinic discussion also considered whether the requirement to protect health was a negative or a positive mandate. The former would only require staying away from danger, but the latter would require affirmative conduct to protect one’s health. Rambam, in his summary of Jewish law, the
Mishneh Torah, concluded that the duty was a positive one, and required proactive measures to mitigate a foreseeable harm. (
See Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De’ot 4:1;
Rotzei’ach 1:6, 14.) Similarly, the
Shulchan Aruch,
Joseph Caro’s mid-sixteenth century restatement of Jewish law, reaffirms that
there is a religious obligation to take affirmative steps to prevent an anticipated danger to oneself or to others. (
See Shulchan Aruch, Chosen Mishpat 427:8.)
While this all likely seems foreign to a Christian chick, take it from someone whose life has been devoted to G_d since my earliest days. It's ok to get the shots, girl. Join the modern world. I can actually force families to vaccinate if I choose to litigate. (Won't Vaccinate? LITIGATE!) That action protects kids - it doesn't hurt them.
Take it easy, babe. Let's go grab a drink.
Michael Hezekiah, Esq
Atty at Law