Reply To: Speaking Out Against Smoking in Yerushalyim

To Daniel Breslauer Thank You for your post. Your story shows why something must be done about this. The reason I wrote this post is because of the difficulty I have breathing when I inhale cigarette smoke. Obviously your case is much worse. It reminds me of a freind I had in high school who father was a chain smoker when he was a child and do to that he developed a severe case of asthma. People that smoke in public are harming other people. How much suffering do innocent bystanders have to go through. When you harm another person you are a Mazik. Smokers in Israel have no regard for their fellow Yid. You can’t have the attitude that everyone does it so it is ok. It is interesting in the link you posted the Gedolim only talked about smoking itself no one mentioned about the effects it has when done in front of others or the issurim Bain Adom Lchavero involved. It must be that it is pashut that you should have common sense to know that you don’t blow poisonous gasses into other people faces. We don’t need Gedolim to tell us this any person who is a frum jew and especially someone that learns the whole day should be able to deduce this on their own.

On another front once again you don’t know who I am. I am not sure why you even assume I am a bachur. As you are all testament due to your commenting on this site, you all use the Internet. I have been using the Internet for years it is part of my daily life. Almost every one that I know in the Mir has an American line and with it the Internet. It is the only way to stay connected with the world especially when you can’t speak Hebrew. What someone does on the Internet is their own nisayon. It is not my place to tell someone what they should do or not. But when someone is doing something that affects you as well as others, shouldn’t there be a chiyuv to speak up. I personally can’t take people smoking in my face anymore.