Governments and health experts around the world are trying to stop the spread of the coronavirus by calling for “social distancing.”

Here in Israel, and in many other countries, we are being asked to remain at home and far enough away from one another in order to thwart full-scale, widespread mortality from the deadly virus, particularly among the elderly and other vulnerable folks.

What are our biblical obligations in regards to social distancing? How should our behavior affect our individual rights vis a vis our interpersonal relationships in our society and nation? The Bible gives us the answer.

Only in Israel

There is no country in the world where a person can be legally persecuted for not helping another person, except one. Without a law, this kind of uncaring, non-action has become the norm in many societies. At best, the so-called “Good Samaritan” laws in some countries allow protections for volunteers from being sued by the people they are trying to help.