Syag excellent post
Thank you
The only minor quibble is regarding “Finances is NEVER a good reason to put any lives at risk. Suffering long term health and emotional damage from losing everything on the other hand is a legitimate reason to weigh which is the lesser of two tragedies. But people saying the economy overall is worth more than a life are nutcases.”
I’m conflicted (and I’m not sure I disagree with you given the middle sentence there ) . It is a common refrain that “saving a life trumps everything*” but that isn’t completely true. Fro example in regard to pidyon shevuim, do we give everything to save a person? shulchan Aruch YD 254:4 says this is assur because of “tikkun olam” (Now it depends on what the reason for this tikun olam is: (Gemara gives two reasons too much pressure on the community or to prevent further kidnappings. distinction wopuld be if a individual can afford it so there is no pressure on the community can he do it. Achronim seem split as to how we pasken ) As to how much it relates to a virus but clearly “”saving a life trumps everything” is not 100% true.
It is clear to me that preventing the overwhelming of the hospital system was worth the shutdown. I donl;t think reasonable people can disagree on that.
I am not so sure about shutting the economy overall” to save ” a life” I am even less sure about where that line would be drawn 2 lives ? 100? 1000?
Again I dont think we disagree, because the “financial pressure” the Gemara discusses isnt (I dont htink) money to go to disneyland or something like that. Without an economy society can’t function leading to many problems including, as you put it, “Suffering long term health and emotional damage” I think (hope) the people who say “the economy overall is worth more than a life ” mean it that way
* yes except 3 cardinal sins