שו"ת אהלי יעקב | הלכות רפואה בשבת- הגדרת פיקוח נפש | מו"ר הרב יעקב אריאל שליט"א

It is highly recommended that religious doctors and religious nurses work only in religious settings. The problem is, for their residency, they need a specific place, like Tel Hashomer, which is the most advanced hospital in the country, to work in and get better training. So, there’s no harm in minimizing it as much as possible, right? So yes, the doctor brings a computer from home, a tablet, and works with it. So that solves only part of the problems, but fundamentally, the solution is for the hospital to be prepared in advance to prevent problems —everything that can be prevented should be handled in advance. Rabbi, if one needs to be hospitalized, if one needs to go on Shabbat, if one needs to go to the hospital on Shabbat, go to the nearest and best hospital. You, you have a life-threatening situation, so you will go to the nearest or the best place. You are worried about yourself now, it is a life-threatening matter, it could be for a woman in labor who chooses the first hospital, so she can prefer a hospital. For her, a religious hospital ; if she has issues, she needs a hospital that is something more advanced. A woman in labor knows hospitals, knows which ones are uh, which hospitals are, yes, uh, that, meaning that it is a specialized room there, it is not, not less good than any, any other place, it is a very high level. Birth is something they know well, everything is fine, just don’t eat on Shabbat, only what is needed, what is required. But starting an IV I won't go into details, there's no choice, an IV injection needs to be done in order to to put in, to put in there, any patient entering the hospital, the first thing they stick in him they stick something in him that can later be connected to devices. This is the first thing they do. It’s impossible to do, impossible to do it without drawing blood. This, there is no choice . I cannot, I cannot do it on Friday, the attack happened on Shabbat, so that’s an example of having to do it. But they do it even when it’s not required. What? They do it even when it's not required. It’s routine. The one doing it doesn’t know what you need; you might end up in a department where you need it, but what, what does he know in the ER? The ER doesn’t know yet, doesn’t yet know what the need is, and whether it’s required or not. The instructions are, by right, to stick it in upon entering the hospital. So that’s already a patient in danger —I mean, you could say something like that—it’s like a patient in danger, not just that there’s no danger. A person who comes to the ER, who comes to the ER? A person doesn’t come to the ER just like that; they come to the ER No, they come to the ER, it’s just that they don’t know if it’s a life-threatening situation yet. Whoever comes to the ER comes because it is a life-threatening situation. Because the medicine knows, why do you come to the ER? Go to other clinics, what The ER is not a big treat, afterwards you are there for seven or eight hours until you are received. Who , who likes the ER? It’s much better to go to a clinic, which might solve the problems, but phones and things can be handled at home; you only go to the ER when you have a serious medical condition. But, but, uh, if they take my vitals on Shabbat, which are, I know, like things that are standard, but they are not... It could be that it is necessary, and therefore... So, if it is done by a non-Jew, there is no problem with Torah prohibitions. In a case where there is no danger, it is permitted to be done by a rabbinic prohibition, and therefore, it is true, for rabbinic prohibitions even when there is no danger, if he is sick, we do it, but with Torah prohibitions, that is the serious problem. We said now, a...Drawing blood, based on the Torah, if it is not necessary, but if it is necessary, but how do you know in advance? You know from the triage. Therefore, there are things that cannot be avoided. Like specifics, Religious hospital staff try to minimize Torah-prohibited acts; for rabbinic acts, they are lenient and do everything, actions that one would do on a weekday, they should behave normally. You said those are rabbinic, permitted even for the sick, where there is a perceived danger on a weekday, things that are not possible to skip, it is possible to forgo them, but still, the matter of blood pressure , pulse, and so on is important. A blood test is already different; a blood test is a Torah prohibition, they draw blood, they need the blood. The question is whether a blood test is needed for everything, no? So here the question is how much they need...In order to prepare for a hospital, one must be prepared with every single detail. For example, if the sick person wants them to play music for him or something like that, if he needs it, he needs...Very much strengthened, This is by the law of saving a life. I will tell you something, a Hasidic story: The Rebbe of Modzitz, no, his grandfather wanted to undergo, wanted to have a knee surgery in Berlin, A knee surgery is a difficult debate, it was necessary...To anesthetize him, so he said: No, don't anesthetize me, I will focus on a musical composition and through that, I will be in another world. It's a pity, the memory is... Very long, only a few people know this melody, it was for Yom Kippur, 20 stanzas, truly a work that, he was absorbed in the work and did not feel the pain. Well, gentlemen, that is the Modzitzer Rebbe, not me and not you. The same applies to a person who ate or drank poison, obviously it is life-threatening, swallowing different objects is all life-threatening. Something stuck in his throat, If he ate fish with bones, it is less, not certain it is a throat emergency, it depends on the bone, if it is choking him it is different, but if it is just pricking him, one can wait. I once had a bone stuck in my throat on Shabbat, I traveled by violating Shabbat, and they said it was a minor scratch and that's it. Regarding a dog bite, gentlemen, a dog: If it is a known healthy dog, it is not dangerous; an unknown dog has a great fear of rabies, rabies is a very dangerous disease. Like all animals, all animals I don't know, cats, mice, a bite from an animal has a fear of infection, unless it is his animal, and the owners know it is healthy. Regarding animals, if it's a scratch or a bite that's a deep wound, you must fear infection; if it's from their claws, it's a dangerous infection, you must pay attention to that. So, if it’s a neighbor's dog that you know is healthy, and it hurts a little but it’s not life-threatening, what if it's an unknown dog? Any unknown animal bite is considered a life-threatening situation, it would be better to... It would be better to drive electric cars if I have an electric car at home. Dog bite. An hour in the first car, a normal bite . Not a normal pain. A normal dog bite is very painful, but is it a normal wound? Did it bite you or what? Put some ointment on it and that's it. When should you perform a Rabbinic law? A dog, a dog is a deep scratch. But if there is blood, you can't perform a blood ritual. If blood came out, put some ointment on. No, not like that, later is fine. But a snake is a snake; it’s a venomous snake, and they are not to be taken lightly. I once had a situation where my nephew came to me on Shabbat, and he said it was at home. He saw snakes in the house. He said: "I don't know, is it a viper or a harmless snake?" I said: "I know, if it has a triangular head it’s a viper, if not, it’s..." I don't know. That’s about the best you can do with snakes, you want to analyze it? Have you heard Rashi in the Torah? Why are you asking questions? Take a stone, throw it at its head, Then talk to me. First, kill it. You're asking questions while in danger. That didn't happen in the city. What, are there no snakes? Are they not common? They are also found in gardens, you have to be afraid in certain seasons. In the spring season, when it starts to get warm, that is a very dangerous time. You must not let children walk barefoot, gentlemen, they will get hurt. Even sandals are not safe; wear shoes, because you might accidentally step on a snake. A snake hides in the grass; children run around in the same places, the places they hide are where snakes hide too. So you don't need to—well, you need to be alert. Snakes are active in certain seasons; they are mostly active in the summer, in winter they sleep more, but even on a warm winter day they suddenly wake up, especially in the transition months, Iyar and Sivan, the most severe months. True, snakes are good, they eat rodents and are beneficial, they are good. But on the other hand, you don't know them, you don't know exactly which snake it is. Vipers are found in the country even in cities, they are found in...In villages, they cause more fear on the ground floor, on the ground floor it's more of a risk. Now, scorpions, a bit like bees; there are yellow scorpions and black scorpions, the yellow one is more dangerous, the black one less so. A bee, a bee sting isn't so dangerous, even a wasp sting is painful but not life-threatening, but some people have sensitivities, there are very sensitive people. People feel a sting, maybe a wasp sting less so, but what’s called a bee is something else. It starts to swell, it can be dangerous to fear, if there was a swarm, a person approaches a swarm of things by mistake, also things that are a danger. Many stings are dangerous, one wasp is not terrible, many stings are dangerous. And bees are more dangerous, they are more, also poisonous. You don't know, for you everything is in doubt. By the way, if you go to the hospital it’s proper to take and catch that animal, kill it, so the hospital knows what it is about. They recognize it, they know it’s dangerous, what kind of creature it is; they know what diseases are there, what must be brought. If it’s a mouse bite , kill the mouse and come with it to the hospital. Even on Shabbat? Even on Shabbat. Even on Shabbat? Yes, yes, on Shabbat, because you can—for them it’s dangerous—you can only if it’s an animal that you know is healthy, otherwise...you don't know. Is it a high fever? Of course. A high fever? It depends, a person knows himself, he knows if it's the flu or a cold...he knows the runny nose, the cough, the fever, a high fever can be 39 or more, he knows it’s a fever, what will the hospital give him? Give him some medicine for a week. At home, drink tea every day. The same thing. For the flu, there is no solution, these things can lead to pneumonia. Therefore, be careful, don't be careless. You young people don't get vaccinated, only adults? Now I reminded myself that I need to get vaccinated. Take the winter to get a flu shot, because in an adult it complicates, leads to pneumonia, that's already dangerous. But look at the person, if he feels...Runny nose, coughing a lot, even more when you feel that all your lungs hurt—that’s already dangerous. Then it’s worth going to the hospital. But if it’s a common cold, a person knows himself, he knows he’ll sit at home for a few days and it will pass, God willing. So you need to use common sense for everything. With kids, it’s very common; the fever rises very quickly and drops very quickly. Ah. If a little one has a fever, don't run straight to the hospital. A child has a little fever; if the fever doesn't go down after a few days, then you need to, but if the fever goes down after two or three days...If you see the fever is high, over 40 degrees, even convulsions , you need common sense. In children, a normal fever is a standard phenomenon, the fever goes up, the fever goes down. Even adults have a fever from colds and the like, that’s just standard stuff. If you see that it’s not, that it’s unusual, you should be concerned. Wait, low fever sometimes happens with pneumonia, a low fever. But usually with pneumonia, you feel worse, your lungs hurt a lot. Regarding the accumulation of blood in the body, or one with an infection. We are not doctors; anything you see that is unusual, not normal, sit and...A person , a person knows themselves. There isn't a person who hasn't had the flu a few times in their life; they know what the flu is, what something else is, if it's a stomach ache, diarrhea, or if it's already something else. Each according to their own intuition. There are those who run to the hospital for every little thing, but regular people, if it's a stomach ache, we lie down a bit, eat for half a day, drink lukewarm water, it will pass. If it doesn't go away that day, then, well then...Use common sense, that’s all. Every person in the world has common sense; they know, they feel if it’s not a normal fever, if there are sudden tremors, they feel it’s something else, everyone can know based on their experience. Rabbi, what do you do with children? A child doesn't know how to distinguish every time. A child doesn't know; you are the father, you know how to distinguish. A child gets a fever, and like that, after a day it goes down. If it’s been a few days, there are tremors, the fever rises, yes, but young children are sensitive to fever. Also stomach aches, Rabbi. Because there are stomach aches that can lead to trouble. If it passes or doesn't pass. Try to figure it out. If it is a severe pain, you will say so. He cries all night. And you calm him down, he falls asleep afterwards. Gentlemen. If a young mother doesn't know yet, then she will ask, a more experienced mother . You don't run to the hospital for everything, even a sick day, every pain a child has, you don't run to the hospital unless there is something unusual. One should be cautious, sensitive, precise. A little bit of something entering the body. A problem with the eyes, that is dangerous. There is a point here: our Sages saw a connection between the eye and the heart. I said, you said, it is a point of law, and although doctors don't know the connection, that doesn't mean that because they don't know, it doesn't exist. Especially since the eye itself is certainly a risk of losing it, and losing it is a matter of life and death . But it could just be a severe infection, and any infection in the face is already close to the brain; it could lead to an infection like meningitis. Therefore, infections in the head area are problematic. So, in the eye itself, perhaps it's not such a danger, but it is an infection. But angina. Well, angina, whoever knows themselves knows; you can gargle something, and after two days it passes . If it doesn't, it’s a more developed infection, it’s already close to the head, so you need to be smart. All things require knowledge; there are things a person knows will pass, and there are things they see aren't passing, that is something more serious. How do we act? It’s hard, there are knowledgeable doctors, even on Shabbat. It is clear that professionals decide; the doctor says it's a danger, the patient is in danger , what do you understand? And the opposite: the patient says it's not dangerous, the doctor says it's not dangerous, but the person says, "I feel that it is." There is a rule among the sick, "the heart knows its own bitterness": when a patient feels that something is serious, even if it really isn't, they feel it is serious, and their feelings are taken into account. Here we have seen that the patient's consciousness has great significance. Health and illness are very much tied to the patient's mood; if the patient feels that something is serious, or if the patient treats it as not serious, that itself is healing. This is the power of healing. The body is in the soul, today this science is known as psychosomatic, meaning there is a connection between body and soul that our Sages knew. And what it says is to create a spiritual and physical connection, there is a connection between spirit and body. Our Sages knew this, they always knew this, and prayer affects the mood, there is yes, for the patient to feel that everything is being done. The fact that the patient feels it is healthy for them helps their health; when a patient feels it is serious, then also, if they are not ill, that itself makes them ill. Therefore, our Sages gave priority to the patient's request. But again, if the doctor says it's nothing and the patient says it's dangerous, do not listen to the patient over the doctor, but rather, that the doctor is not dangerous. Does the patient say it's dangerous? True, it's not more dangerous than the fact that the patient themselves, will make themselves ill. When they think they are ill, it creates an atmosphere, and then all body systems function in such a way that they really become ill. Therefore, we take the patient's will into account, but not for everyone; that is, the patient says: "It's nothing, what do you understand?" The doctor says it is dangerous, how is it nothing? What is the level of trust in non-Jewish doctors on Shabbat? True, in the Gemara there was no trust in a non-Jewish doctor, and the authorities in recent generations also had a lack of trust in non-observant doctors. They felt in their speech that they might be pretending, a gentile, what is a Jew? There was a concern. Today, the medical profession in the world is a profession accepted as being neutral to all sorts of other mental states. A doctor treats every patient, whether they are an enemy or a loved one; from their perspective, it is a patient and they treat the patient as professionally as they can. They don't necessarily use their heart, they only use their profession. Most of the medicine in the world is, built on professional doctors . They are not angels, they are human beings. Certainly, if an enemy patient falls into the hands of a doctor, they don't...it's clear, they know: my profession now is to take care of their body, and that is the doctor's duty and it is accepted. Doctors treat people in a professional way. A profession is a profession where one rises above all sorts of personal considerations and says something important. Medicine, this...it used to be less so, and therefore there was concern. Since medicine was not as precise a profession as it is today, they were wary of a non-Jewish doctor, or a secular one. Today we are not concerned , on the contrary. On the contrary, the Jerusalem hospitals acted accordingly. Jews on Erev Yom Kippur would want Dr. Wallach, the founder of Shaare Zedek Hospital, who was quite elderly. I remember, I still saw him He was close to 100. He would walk around the Shaare Zedek hospital; you saw him, we saw him praying in the synagogue. A doctor from that generation. In Jerusalem, the custom on Erev Yom Kippur was that everyone would come; whoever was good would not go to a secular doctor. He is also a G-d-fearing doctor, also a doctor. He gave an answer; the Rabbi said it is forbidden, it is forbidden to ask him. He is suspect; they say he is biased, he is stringent on Yom Kippur. Every secular doctor is objective; the Rabbi decided he isn't objective on Yom Kippur, he might be too strict. That is how they knew in Jerusalem that the Rabbi forbade it, forbade going to him. But the Rav of Brisk had many other things; the Rav of Brisk had leniencies in general, outside of the Rav’s, leniencies that the public hadn't heard of. Not regarding the sick, they said without "shiurim"(small measured amounts) and... True, the whole matter of "shiurim" is a Brisk innovation because he was moved by the simple fact that it’s just a custom; the Brisker approach is good, you see the difference between a pregnant woman and doctors—these are two different types of rulings. The whole attitude toward a pregnant woman is different than toward a regular sick person. Yes, Ah, So today, people are accustomed to relying on a secular doctor. If so, generally, a religious doctor is preferable. Regardless, I have...Specifically someone who is religious understands better what needs to be done. I once came to a religious doctor, I was fasting. He sensed something, he said: "I want to tell you , it might be that for you, if I tell you that...""...that you are forbidden to fast, it will make you feel like a truly sick person.""For you, since you know you want to fast, if I tell you that you are forbidden to fast, it will give you...perhaps if I tell you to fast...""...it’s not so serious, it gives you a good feeling,""...a feeling that you need to eat will worsen your condition." A religious doctor who understands the approaches of a G-d-fearing patient. But when they make general statements, when they make general statements, they have a rule: a pregnant woman is better off not... That's it. There are things doctors say according to the fact that pregnant women are fasting; doctors say pregnant women should not fast. That is true, that is how he learned medicine, that a pregnant woman cannot, she needs to maintain her health, to drink every day , to eat every day. There is...The fetus is in her womb and it is sensitive; initially, it is very sensitive to fluids and all other things. Fasting is not healthy, that is . That is the A-B-C of a doctor who learned medicine properly; people come and tell him, "We are Jews, we fast," and he asks, "Good, you keep Shabbat, but in medical school I learned otherwise." We have our own experience, Israel says pregnant women have fasted for generations, healthy pregnant women . Heaven forbid, pregnant women who have some issues certainly do not fast, that is clear. Even on Yom Kippur? Even on Yom Kippur, it is difficult, there is a bit of the issue of "shiurim " and the like. What are just problems? An unusual pregnancy. Does a pregnant woman know if she is healthy or not healthy? A pregnant woman feels everything is fine, she has no strange sensations. She feels she is pregnant, yes, certainly, it is not...she is not like a normal woman, she knows she is pregnant. But if she is well, walking, working? What does she need? She needs more rest, she needs more suitable food , but she feels good. Fasting. Although it is recommended as much as possible to be in the synagogue, a cooler place, it could be [in the] synagogue for the duration of the day, it is better to be in the synagogue or at home, it is a protected place. And this...This is the instruction for a healthy pregnant woman. A pregnant woman who has other problems, another attempt or if there is an experience from previous nights, or she has a lot of vomiting, she has a lot of...there are cases where she feels, feels the fetus, already, its movements are not different. A woman knows there are things she feels that are not normal. We recognize that there are truly exceptions; we say at least start in portions, and if that is not enough, then drink and eat. There is an exception in Jerusalem, there was a very great rabbi among the Jerusalem decisors, he was strict with pregnant women fasting, something happened to him once that he saw a pregnant woman and she passed away. She passed away, or she passed away, it happened, he said from here. I said to him: I am not allowed to show people [ like that], But this is Jerusalem, that he This is a personal story. It happened once. Maybe he truly needed to be more careful there; she felt a bit unwell, he thought he should have given her, yes, allowed her to eat. He, he was stringent and he learned from it, but we know from experience: a healthy woman can fast. On the condition that she is in the synagogue, just maybe I said at the beginning, at the end, she should rest if she feels unwell. What does it mean, unwell? Any fast, any fast is not good, but being unwell is worse than fasting, because a woman knows, she didn't come to a wedding, she has never fasted. She fasts the regular fasts, and she knows when it is the difficulty of a fast, and when it is something else. When she sees it is something else, specifically feels dizzy or black before the eyes, her husband...she is very, very pregnant, not pregnant, everyone is very pregnant , stop, yes. What is the practical difference if it is overridden? According to the Rambam, Shabbat is overridden, but there are those who disagree with the Rambam, they say it is merely pushed aside. Here there is a distinction, Even if it is pushed aside , not everything is permitted. Something that is not necessary, no, no . There is a Gemara in the tractate, the issue of "permitted" also applies to impurity, to impurity in the public. If there are impure priests, impure priests working in the Temple, [it is] permitted for the public, so if it is " permitted", So uh It is more permissible. If impurity is [only] pushed aside, then only if it is a pressing need. Even there, also regarding "permitted," there is a house of the father, There is an impure father's house, another pure father's house, it is the same watch, there is a pure father's house, why do you need, why? If there is a pure father's house, who works if it is "permitted" in public? Even if it is "permitted," you have one father's house in the world, you need the impure father's house, So it is not true that everything is " permitted." Limited, they need, need, need, they also need heating, they need . So, the boundary is very vague, bottom line. What. Also here there is a change, it is very fundamental, he is very expansive in Halacha on this issue . He permits, he relies on the Rambam regarding heating, And he permitted lighting [a fire] for a sick person even in Tammuz, In Tammuz, Tammuz, now this year, it is Tammuz. We are still in the year, meaning the last month, you know, the past month was one of the hottest on Earth. Something is happening, although the summer, until the last month, was quite a comfortable summer. Last month something happened, a month, But it’s a warm summer, a summer that is a summer. So now, hope that...They don't see weather, it will be hotter. So the ...To light a heater in Tammuz? It's possible it's hot, what is needed? But it adds, the law...It is permitted. As the Magen Avraham says, he permits a sick person who needs it to light a heater in Tammuz, so a heater is also heating because it is needed. Needed it , Right? Whoever is not sick, not sick, needs it, it gives him more heat, feels better, feels that it finishes the whole issue. Where did it disappear, where are the boundaries? Not clear. Halacha is very expansive, as the Magen Avraham says, exactly how many...So he said that it turns out there is almost no practical difference, even for him. But an air conditioner on Shabbat in a car. On Shabbat. Air conditioner in a car. They need to travel, people, what about in the car? Leading... Why need to travel? So to travel? Is it permitted by a Jew, or by a non-Jew? For Shabbat, even by non-Jews, small ones? Sick, the sick person himself is sick, it is better that he, that he, that he shouldn't do it himself, he is sick, but definitely the Halacha is that it depends on the "Gedolei Yisrael ." There are illnesses, the authorities ...what is "Gedolei Yisrael"? Are " Gedolei Yisrael" meaning the great sages of Israel? Or the great ones, not the small ones, the great ones? A bit strange, sounds like "Gedolei Yisrael" is actually specifically the great ones of Israel, the Torah scholars? That is to say, a Torah scholar there? There is a sick person that this travel is for, so if you do it, you say to a Rabbi that he should talk? That's why I said, there are Rabbis who act [a certain way ], it solves their problem, as if you know, the Rabbi acts, needs, for us, needs an ambulance driver, all. Shabbat , Gedolei Yisrael. This specific point is not analyzed in Halacha. It is true that until today they do it, they only understood Chazal to say the opposite: that one who violates Shabbat while doing it out of knowledge of Halacha, does it better for the sake of Heaven. Knowing: I know that it is forbidden, violation of Shabbat, more aware of the severity, and on the other hand, knowing that I am now acting for the sake of Heaven. This lightens, this lightens the transgression. A person who thinks Shabbat is permitted to be violated, he is violating Shabbat, so a wise man knows that he is not violating Shabbat. I would say more here, that it turns it into a kind of work that is done by itself; He is not doing a prohibited act on Shabbat, Now using the phrasing this way, only to emphasize that it gives a different status to the whole of Shabbat. You don't say that when you want to save a non-Jew, when you want to save a Gentile. A Jew is preferred over a non-Jew. No, when you save a Gentile, you say, " This is a Gentile who we are saving," so yes, that is said. Because there, you don't really want to save him; you only want to because it won't cause animosity and the like. So the Rabbi applies it to someone who basically isn't interested in the patient himself, he isn't a relative, but the Rabbi says it’s the same principle. I say it’s a bit similar, yes. Even though a person who desecrates the Sabbath for a Jew, he wants... He wants to... To heal him, that is, it’s for his body, the Rabbi says that because he is doing it for Heaven’s sake, it softens the...the action. Is it permissible to desecrate the Sabbath through a non-Jew, if the non-Jew asks for a high price? Medicine costs money. The Halachic authorities permitted the doctor, The more expert, the more experienced he is, he takes the money. It’s not, it’s not, it doesn't matter. He is a professional, he studied a lot, He has a lot of experience, therefore he charges more money. It is known, the greater the doctor, the more money he takes; it is legal, it is allowed. That is this profession, a profession that a person works at, because it requires expertise . When you are an expert, you take the money. A non-Jew can also ask for money , like any paid service, but if he asks for a higher price than usual because it is the Sabbath, If he is more expensive than a Jew, It is better to prefer a Jew. Both are equal, but he is more expensive, charging more than is customary. If he exploits the Sabbath, then he is even worse, that is certainly not permissible. Rabbi, what if the Jew lives further away? If I have to travel to them, but the Jew is further away? Is it permitted to desecrate the Sabbath and drive further for that? Which is better, going to the near one or the far one? But if the near one is more expensive than usual, go to the far one. Ah, a small point about doctors’ shifts; this is a very serious problem. A shift starts, usually in a hospital it goes in 300s, from seven to seven, evening shift from seven in the evening, morning to morning, night shift. Three, no. Depends if it’s doctors or others. Doctors are 12 hours, no, this is... From seven to three, from seven to three. Are these doctors or nurses? From seven to three, to seven, nurses to three. At night, yes, at night it's long, from seven to seven, night from 11 to seven. They say nurses are three shifts and doctors are two shifts, that is... It could be, it could be three shifts. Usually it is: 7 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon, 3 in the afternoon to 11 at night, and from night to 7 in the morning—that, that is the division. So the start of the shift is hard in the evening. Now, it is certainly possible to arrive on Friday in the winter. I heard, on Friday evening I can get here before five, so there are two hours—no, you see, Does that cause you a problem? Yes, those same two hours, those two hours at home we do Kiddush, Sabbath, the atmosphere of the Sabbath, Shorten it before the Sabbath. Right, a hospital, will you do Kiddush there too? A hospital isn't, it isn't home, it isn't a home environment with kids, but a Shabbat table, sit, Shabbat, Shabbat...But it's because she wants to be, Oneg Shabbat is an important mitzvah. There, Sabbath, not on, on Friday, on Friday hour, and...A hospital until the shift ends. Here we do, when a stranger says it, it’s part of the...the point that our Sages emphasize, not to cause someone to come . If a nurse knows That every–I’ll tell you that she has it twice anyway, every second or third Shabbat, she has this problem that she has to be away from the Shabbat evening Kiddush, it will weaken the motivation to be in this profession. So, so to not cause them to come now, they are considerate of them, but only rabbinic labor, yes. Core What would be forbidden on Shabbat ? That's one [done by] a non-Jew, it’s permitted. Here, here the problems start, Because a shift is stuck for everyone, all the nurses. I had a deep argument, the hospital director was right about the year-round scheduling. There are many religious doctors and many religious nurses. I talked to the hospital director, I said: "Listen, religious people are leaving." The problem is they can only come by driving. There you have the scheduling. Get a non-Jew. He says: "I don't hire non-Jews, I hire whoever I want." I said: "No, hire Druze, immigrants, immigrants from Russia, non-Jews, Arabs that you can [hire], whom the Shin Bet knows aren't agents." There are non-Jews in your hospital, many non-Jewish workers. "No, I’m not willing to look for more," I wanted a deep argument with him. So what did they do? He wasn't willing. No, what did the doctors and nurses do, were they like that? I don’t know how many nurses asked me; every time I went out and couldn't do it, dozens of times they talked, I was with nurses, I said [use] non-Jews. Bicycles. Regular bicycles, not regular bicycles. But if they live, say, Givat Shmuel, mother of..., to the daughter, traveling from Givat Shmuel to the hospital by bicycle is dangerous. True, it’s a road there, it’s not as it was, it’s narrow, it’s not... Not like in a car, you have to get off a bit. I, I’m not saying it's the main point, I said what's dangerous, with [traffic] signs, nothing happens. "Ah, you’re from the rabbis, are you here to sue me?" I said: "Please, I’m at the hospital, the scheduling is the rabbi's [business], why are you pressuring me?" Pressure the hospital. Every time, dozens of times I talked about it, every time it’s hard. I said if she lives nearby then by bicycle, also in Gush Dan, still by bicycle she can. Arrive. But if she lives far away, then the rabbi would tell her to move house, so I have no solution for you. So switch hospitals, the rabbi would rule. What? Switch hospitals, she must. Yes, there's no choice, or else come there early, that’s...A Jew is forbidden. If there is no hospital in the area, then do not work. A solution through a gentile, that is the solution; there is no permission for soldiers on Shabbat. Now, I am not saying there are no religious nurses or religious doctors; visiting the sick comes up, I need to ...I don't have to be there on Friday, I can...do they need me there? Right, I will make Kiddush and act on my own. We have strength, we have...Doctors, nurses, there are rabbis who said it is permitted, who said it is permitted in an exceptional case. Example: The hospital, that a gentile driver will come to pick [me] up, that...They are so aware of the gravity of the matter, a Jewish driver arrived—what is this? Do not travel with him! I have a shift, they are waiting, should I not come? Whether a doctor or a nurse, everyone ...which...The previous shift, a shift and she is in distress, it is lacking, a nurse is missing, nurses are working, working for the sake of the soul. An exceptional case: When you ordered a gentile and a Jew arrived, travel with him. But because you have no other choice, you have to get to the hospital . But initially, the solution is only through a gentile. Is an electric vehicle like a gentile? Is an electric vehicle like a gentile, if it comes to that—yes, it is like a gentile, but the Rabbi... Although a gentile is preferred here, forgive me, and this requires its own discussion. A gentile is "Amira,""Amira "(asking a gentile) is explicitly mentioned in Eruvin. "Amira" is "Amira, " asking a gentile is easier. What a Jew does as his own labor, [it is] forbidden on Shabbat. An electric vehicle, only its activation has a rabbinical issue. Afterward, the electricity is already working as we said before, so it is not significant. You have one rabbinical labor, a gentile driving is...every single thing is a Shabbat violation, it's like a gasoline car, maybe? Right, a gentile? But this gentile that you are asking, you tell him to do one labor, you are telling him to do a million Torah-prohibited labors, instead of one . What is better, that we tell a gentile to do a million Torah labors—that is done by asking, it's easier—or that a Jew...Only its activation is rabbinical and after that, it is not. What is better? We need to ensure that all gentiles— we need to ensure that all gentiles have an electric vehicle. That way you won't need [to worry], only in the hospital it will be allowed, yes, yes, yes, and then the permission becomes very wide, people start driving. Rabbi, but a woman who lives a half-hour walk away, she is forbidden to use an electric vehicle. She needs a regular bicycle, a half-hour walk depends on the weather in the winter, in this heat, on a hot day. Back, back, back, only if they ask, it reaches you. They need me there, even there, only when an unforeseen incident occurred, but not initially. There were periods because...That they feared they would lose [their jobs], that it is very important to have gentiles, so they permitted them to do it themselves. But the violation is not for one Shabbat, but a permanent violation. Gentlemen, here it was...An occasional incident, you want to arrive and here...It has been like this for years. I cannot say this is a one-time occurrence. I said: I apologize, find a gentile for my sick patients. Thai, all sorts of gentiles, and there's a shortage of gentiles. There is also, in Ariel one can find many Russian gentiles. Should she try to swap a shift with a non-religious woman , what does the Rabbi...? I am not saying it is forbidden, but it is not a solution. You almost benefit, Sabbath has begun. If you do this, you will find a solution. You will do as we said: this is a gentile doing it for Heaven's sake, preventing a Torah prohibition. One says: You benefit from the fact that I swapped what the Rabbi said earlier, it is forbidden, because the Rabbi said that a religious woman does it for Heaven's sake. But when it happens suddenly, I say: You cannot change it, you have to go home. A Jew. A Jew, now it's 6:00 AM, the shift starts at seven, the previous nurse will leave if I don't arrive. A nurse will be missing, in the hospital one missing nurse in the ward is very significant. It is significant. It is a life-threatening situation, certainly. But it is better if she does it, because she does it for Heaven's sake. So it is better? Or is it not that important? Or is it precisely because of Heaven's sake that she will do it better than a gentile? Will the Jew not do it for Heaven's sake? Yes, True. We are not saying that because she is religious, she will take the whole Sabbath, no. You have to follow the other path, but not swap from the start . No, So this issue, this one, is it correct according to one of the opinions? Someone wrote, a Rabbi wrote, that a Jew is [permitted] to... He doesn't say that, I have seen it, I know it, he doesn't say exactly what, but Nishmat Avraham says that in paragraph B he says only a gentile. In Shmirat [Shabbat] it is not written like that, it says nothing, it just says a nurse should remain on the Sabbath eve, he doesn't say how, but it implies a gentile. Maybe it is permitted there because of exceptions. Rabbi, if the permission is because people won't come to this job, it is better that [in] the week... They are police officers, it is a bigger problem, police officers who are gentiles, the police cannot work there. Arabs are good in a certain place, but it is not good if there are too many. Too many. Also the police cannot work based on identifying a Jew or a gentile —that is a serious problem. The army also cannot work, So what? Soldiers are soldiers. True, there was a battalion, it was an exceptional battalion. It is possible there were also Jews, most of the battalion were Bedouins, but they are there. The army recruits Arab people, not that they are Arabs, but those who volunteer. Now, others volunteer. The army cannot tell you: You are a Jew, you are a gentile, do this, do that. The army cannot act like that. The army is less so, the police are not . The police as well, it is... No, I'm saying the army is less like one has to drive on the Sabbath, the police are... Regarding swapping shifts in the police , I told the police Rabbi, speak with the transport officer to arrange in advance only electric vehicles. That the police will have electric vehicles. That urgent needs can be met, but there an administrative way that brings police to work that that So that is a certain legal solution So what do they do But this way, but police, if a person every Sabbath every Sabbath police will come and He will have no self-respect left, imagine that, so there won't be a policeman So what there can be done This is the hard question I struggle with: Is it because...like this, no, there are no police, so, ah, should we permit driving on Sabbath? Again we returned: the solution of...not every vehicle, one must buy it, the cheapest is 150 thousand shekels, not every Jew who is a policeman can afford such an electric car, now they can lower his. Gentlemen, there are questions here that have no solution. The instructions are clear, so why are there so many problems, Therefore the electric car is not...it's a solution only at the end of time, a Jew who is poor has no solution. Biblically forbidden Biblically, even though it is preferable in terms of the Sabbath, that pressing the pedal is no longer just one, there is one prohibited act of igniting And not every press Pressing, there is no need in a gasoline engine vehicle, every press is a biblical prohibition