“i just came back from EY after learning in the mir for 3.5 yrs. why on earth do you care if ppl smoke? how is it a chillul Hashem if everyone in israel does it? mind your own business and let people smoke.”
What exactly did you learn in the mir during your 3.5 years? “Mind your own business…” that’s the way a menschlech yeshivah bochur talks to someone expressing concerns about the smoking problem in E”Y, especially among yeshivah boys???? And if everyone in E”Y started using illegal drugs – that would also NOT be a chillul Hashem, because everyone does it???
Doing something that has clearly been proved beyond all doubt to be dangerous to our own health, as well as the innocent victims around us, is something that concerns ALL of us. It is not something to look away from, or mind our own business. If smoking does not bother you, fine. If you continue to “smell” the smoke from people who do not believe it causes lung cancer, emphysema, heart problems, strokes, and just plain stinks, or if you smoke yourself, you can most likely expect a nice visit from the local pulmonologist in about 25 years, when presumably you have gained some knowledge and perspective. For your sake (and ours), I sincerely hope you will not be in need of any long-term treatment. It is not pretty. my uncle died of emphysema and every breath was excruciating torture for him in the last weeks.