Life vs. Life
One of the most beloved ideals we uphold is the utmost value that we place on human life. What do we do when we have to choose between two innocent lives?
Let me set out an example: Someone is driving along a narrow cliff road. That person is coming around a bend at a reasonable speed. At the same moment a cyclist is rounding the same bend on his bicycle from the opposite direction. Then, at the worst possible time, the cyclist loses control and heads straight into the path of the car. The driver’s only two options are:
attempt to brake (but will still hit the cycler with deadly force), or
navigate the car off the cliff (which will cause certain death).
Although there is fault on both sides (the driver should have slowed down more and the cyclist not lost control), neither party meant to harm the other. Whose life should the driver choose?
COVID and the Preciousness of Life
From newscasts I have seen it would seem that Orthodox Jews, who value the preciousness of life above Shabbat or any other value, are not adhering to the most basic CDC regulations, such as the wearing of a mask and gathering together en masse without protection? Is there a reason in Orthodoxy for this?