In the post on this topic here, we quoted the Ramban as saying, "What place do doctors have in the house of those who carry out the will of God, after He promised that `He will bless their bread and their water, and remove illness from their midst'?...
We pointed out that this was not the standard accepted practice and that likely, even the Ramban did not intend to render a halakhic opinion for his day and age and surely not ours. The Tur and Shulchan Aruch rendered the final halakha as being, "the Torah gave permission to doctors to heal people and it is a mitzvah and is covered under the general rule of preservation of human life;" and the ended with some choice words for those who can heal people, but don't, "and if a doctor refrains from healing someone, he is a blood spiller". (YD 336:1)
We mentioned that one Yom Kippur the Chazon Ish was not feeling well and his doctor told him that it was forbidden for him to fast on Yom Kippur. Nonetheless, the Chazon Ish fasted. There were those who found this behavior to be out of sync with his approach to this halakhic question, since he himself would insist that others in that situation must eat, since that was the ratzon Hashem. The Chazon Ish explained his behavior as follows. During the entire year we behave in the regular, normal fashion. However, on Yom Kippur we are a tefach taller (Mod. spiritually). In which case, we behave in accordance with the Ramban. (Maaseh Ish vol 3 page 175).
What must be noted however is that, the Chazon Ish did not let anybody else get away with fasting on Yom Kippur in such a situation, even for established talmidei chachamim. The stories of the Chazon Ish traveling to sick and weak people's bedsides on Erev Yom Kippur to insist that they eat on Yom Kippur and brooking no argument from them, are legion, as can be found throughout the multiple volumes of Maaseh Ish (among other places). In addition, the following should not come as a surprise to anyone. There was at least one occasion, where the Chazon Ish determined that his condition was such that he himself could fast, as long as he stayed in bed all Yom Kippur and did not daven at all. Which is fact what he did and when appropriate, advised others of the same, saying the mitvah of the day is affliction (inui) and not tefila.
We pointed out that this was not the standard accepted practice and that likely, even the Ramban did not intend to render a halakhic opinion for his day and age and surely not ours. The Tur and Shulchan Aruch rendered the final halakha as being, "the Torah gave permission to doctors to heal people and it is a mitzvah and is covered under the general rule of preservation of human life;" and the ended with some choice words for those who can heal people, but don't, "and if a doctor refrains from healing someone, he is a blood spiller". (YD 336:1)
We mentioned that one Yom Kippur the Chazon Ish was not feeling well and his doctor told him that it was forbidden for him to fast on Yom Kippur. Nonetheless, the Chazon Ish fasted. There were those who found this behavior to be out of sync with his approach to this halakhic question, since he himself would insist that others in that situation must eat, since that was the ratzon Hashem. The Chazon Ish explained his behavior as follows. During the entire year we behave in the regular, normal fashion. However, on Yom Kippur we are a tefach taller (Mod. spiritually). In which case, we behave in accordance with the Ramban. (Maaseh Ish vol 3 page 175).
What must be noted however is that, the Chazon Ish did not let anybody else get away with fasting on Yom Kippur in such a situation, even for established talmidei chachamim. The stories of the Chazon Ish traveling to sick and weak people's bedsides on Erev Yom Kippur to insist that they eat on Yom Kippur and brooking no argument from them, are legion, as can be found throughout the multiple volumes of Maaseh Ish (among other places). In addition, the following should not come as a surprise to anyone. There was at least one occasion, where the Chazon Ish determined that his condition was such that he himself could fast, as long as he stayed in bed all Yom Kippur and did not daven at all. Which is fact what he did and when appropriate, advised others of the same, saying the mitvah of the day is affliction (inui) and not tefila.
I had read that Ramban more as a lament that such people don't exist anymore. IOW, if we had maaminim like R' Chanina ben Dosa, we wouldn't need all these doctors.
ReplyDeleteNot that we today should bet on getting that level of hashgachah peratis. After all, at times such cures would be nisim geluyim (not "merely" neis nistar).