I once heard a talk from a major Rosh Yeshiva at a large gathering. I was quite shocked to hear him misunderstand a Gemara. He said that learning Torah makes you a better person and quoted Yoma 86 to that effect. But let us see what the Gemara actually says:
אביי אמר כדתניא (דברים ו, ה) ואהבת את ה' אלהיך שיהא שם שמים מתאהב על ידך שיהא קורא ושונה ומשמש ת"ח ויהא משאו ומתנו בנחת עם הבריות מה הבריות אומרות עליו אשרי אביו שלמדו תורה אשרי רבו שלמדו תורה אוי להם לבריות שלא למדו תורה פלוני שלמדו תורה ראו כמה נאים דרכיו כמה מתוקנים מעשיו עליו הכתוב אומר (ישעיהו מט, ג) ויאמר לי עבדי אתה ישראל אשר בך אתפאר
Abaye said: As it was taught in a baraita that it is stated: “And you shall love the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 6:5), which means that you shall make the name of Heaven beloved. How should one do so? One should do so in that he should read Torah, and learn Mishna, and serve Torah scholars, and he should be pleasant with people in his business transactions. What do people say about such a person? Fortunate is his father who taught him Torah, fortunate is his teacher who taught him Torah, woe to the people who have not studied Torah. So-and-so, who taught him Torah, see how pleasant are his ways, how proper are his deeds. The verse states about him and others like him: “You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified” (Isaiah 49:3).
אבל מי שקורא ושונה ומשמש ת"ח ואין משאו ומתנו באמונה ואין דבורו בנחת עם הבריות מה הבריות אומרות עליו אוי לו לפלוני שלמד תורה אוי לו לאביו שלמדו תורה אוי לו לרבו שלמדו תורה פלוני שלמד תורה ראו כמה מקולקלין מעשיו וכמה מכוערין דרכיו ועליו הכתוב אומר (יחזקאל לו, כ) באמור להם עם ה' אלה ומארצו יצאו
But one who reads Torah, and learns Mishna, and serves Torah scholars, but his business practices are not done faithfully, and he does not speak pleasantly with other people, what do people say about him? Woe to so-and-so who studied Torah, woe to his father who taught him Torah, woe to his teacher who taught him Torah. So-and-so who studied Torah, see how destructive are his deeds, and how ugly are his ways. About him and others like him the verse states that the gentiles will say: “Men said of them: These are the people of the Lord, yet they had to leave His land” (Ezekiel 36:20). Through their sins and subsequent exile, such people have desecrated the name of God.
The Gemara is saying that learning Torah is no guarantee of anything. Torah COULD make you a better person and SHOULD make you a better person but not necessarily. It depends what you do with it. We are being exhorted to make sure that if we learn Torah, we also behave in a way that will make Torah beloved to those who observe our behavior. There are those who learn who might NOT behave properly and they cause a great desecration of the name of Hashem. (The Gemara earlier had just been talking about the severity and nature of desecrating Hashem's name.)
So wherever a person stands on the question of wearing masks and adhering to medical guidelines, I have really one question: How are people reacting? Does ignoring the guidelines make people say "WOW!! Torah is AMAZING!!! Look at how a thousand guys crowd into a small room with no masks and dance together, spreading germs. I LOVE Hashem and want to be JUST LIKE THEM".
Or is it the cause of tremendous consternation to many Jews and Gentiles alike?
I would like to see proof that a] there is NOTHING to worry about and no need to follow any guidelines [the other side doesn't need proof. A possible danger is Jewishly considered a danger. 30 MILLION people having gotten the virus in six months is ample reason for concern]. And b] that this is not causing people to hate/be resentful/ be angry at religious Jews. If someone will claim that it is Anti Semitism then what about all of the Jews who are disgusted and turned off by their behavior. Are the Jews [many of them Torah observant, some even Talmidei Chachomim] Anti Semites?
In short - are we bringing honor to the Torah and Hashem or the opposite when we flout the rules?? Is there even a conversation about this???
I cannot tell you how much this pains me.
