When I teach people about the tradition of Judaism, and I need to explain what are Mishnah, and Talmud, I say something like: First there was the Torah. Torah has lots of instructions, but they're not always so clear. So the wise, beginning with Moshe, were forced to invent interpretation strategies.

I'm writing this in reaction to the fear that has been generated about Corona virus. Many of those to whom I've spoken are of two minds. I've heard and share respect for the necessity of being very careful in the face of a disease that is extremely contagious and whose effects are not yet well understood.

Remember the joke? An old curse says, "May you live in interesting times." Thanks to the corona virus we're in the middle of as "interesting" a time as any of us can remember.  However, it's good to be mindful of another adage to set against the "curse:"