Hachana L'Shabbos Shiur with Rabbi Simcha Bunim Berger - Medicine on Shabbos

Okay, good evening. Another week in Kadusha Shabas. Thank you anytime for spreading the word of Shabases and to all of Okay, here's the question. Are you allowed to take medication on Chabas as a preemptive measure so you shouldn't get sick? Are you allowed to take medication? You're fine now. Would you like one over here, too? Thank you. Here you go. Okay. He's going to he's go he's he's feeling lousy. He knows he's feeling that the flu is upon him, but he hasn't, excuse me, he doesn't have the flu yet, but it's it's happening. In the meantime, he has not yet been. Can you already start taking the medication? This needs a little bit of explanation. Okay, let's take about three or four minutes to give you some of the background. First of all, as to the and as well as to the lumbus. Okay. What is the regarding medication? Are you allowed to take medicine on shabas? If you if you're not, why not? Is it the arisa biblical or don is as follows. There's nothing wrong in the to take any medication. The prohibition is and the reason what's wrong with medication? Well, how do they make medicine? They make medicine usually by crushing things. If you notice on a pharmacy, what's that symbol that they always have in front of a pharmacy, right? >> Right. The mortar and the pestle, right? Because that's the way they would they would crush the medication. That is an isa called taking big objects and grinding and making small objects is one of the 39as. It's one of the cidura deas how you make bread. You grind. You make anytime you're taking big things and making them small. That's why when you make a salad, an Israeli salad, and you chop the things into little pieces, there that's a problem. But we're not talking about that tonight because usually the shroom also don't talk about the it's always we're always going on the advancing shabas. So here's the story. The isser of taking medication is rabbitical. What's the isser? What are you doing wrong? The terror says if you take medication, you take medication today, this week you have enough, next week, one day down the road, in a month, in 3 months, in two years, I couldn't care when, but you might run out of the medicine and you might crush and make some of your own. So theim said in order to make a fence around is shabas about shabas. The Rabunan activ introduced gazerus to be able to keep shabases in this sense. The Rabonan said that the Raban said that taking medication you can see right over here taking medication on shabas is user except if you're a what does that mean? Let's explain. There are different tiers for the situation of a person when the Rabanon made their gazer and when they didn't make the gazer. When a person doesn't feel well, but he can still go on his or her work. Go you'd still go to work and you wouldn't call in sick. I'm not feeling well. a person would say but it's not I don't want to take want to use one of my days off [snorts] on this. So that level of sickness is called me means to say that comes from the word that he's but he's not bedridden. That's the person that made the gazer. That's the category of a person where you're basically yourself. You are who you are in the sense you can do all the things that you normally would do but you're for them said we're making a gaz. However, if a person's a means sick but it means more than just sick. It means that the person isn't himself. He can't that's called the words called Mishkov. If you looked at our introduction in English, that means to say he'll fall into bed, which means he won't be able to do the things that he normally does. He's bedridden. That's called a Now in there are many levels. There's a and then there's which means there are who are sick and [clears throat] god forbid that type of person even the prohibitions are and not just it's a mitzvah you have to save the soul and the the nephesh the life of a Jewish person you want keep him alive and you have to keep him alive and the prohibitions of Shabas were not said when there's a that's called [snorts] but not every got but it but they still can't function like a regular like their regular self they're also called and for them the ra never said that you can't take medication so we have at this point a category. We've got four different categories. A regular healthy person, regular healthy, there's nothing wrong. He wants to take some medication preemptive. We'll soon see vitamins. Nothing wrong with me. I'm not a cola whatsoever. But doctor say I should take vitamins. And Feinstein was asked in the ignorris misha, can I take the medication? Can I take my vitamins on Shabas as well or do I have to skip Shabas? He's not sick at all. Then you've got category number two, not feeling well. We're calling that mash, which means he's weak, but he's not bedridden. Okay, that's category number two. For him, he can't take medication. If a person has a toothache, right? But he or she can still do all the things they need to do with that toothache. So it's a mush according to that they can't take medication on shabas because there's a gazer. But if the toothache is so bad that the husband, the wife, the man, the woman, whoever it is, they're in bed. Honey, get out of bed. I can't get out of bed. I've got I I'm got a migraine headache, right? So they're totally for that then the arises you can't do because it's not but you can't call them the regular person who they are. They've changed their status. They're a that's the Rabbi say the lumbus says when you're a I'll say it in Yiddish you're not the same person you are that's that Michael that's not you what are you doing in bed you're never in bed so when that happens right so you're not you said there's no gazer for such a person but if you're you just you're toughing it up that's not so good regarding this because then you're just a If you're just then said, I can't let you do that. We're not waving the and then you have the next status which says that's even higher. What's our question? We've got a fellow who's in between on his way to be being enough. He's not there yet, but he might. It looks like he might get there. Be at this stage where he is right now. He's not allowed to take medication cuz he's only a mush. Can he take the medication now to stop himself from becoming a because when he'll become the you'll say he's allowed to do I really need to wait for that to happen. Does the at this point in time he's only a so if he's only a me then how can he take medication? You're right. He can't. But he's on his way to going to next category to cross over to become a when he'll be the of course he'll be able to take medication. Do I need to have that happen in order for him to get the medication or can we already be there so I don't have to wait till he gets to that situation? Is the sh that's the question. Beautiful. He knows he's going to get sick because of the sickness right now. Can you already take a medicine to stop this way? So it's interesting what's going to happen if I take the medication. I won't be category number two. I won't be the it's the way I had said it the first time. You're going to be there anyway. How about if I can take the medication and stop me from getting there? When I get there being the you'll let me take the medication if I can stop myself. So then you can meaning the medication will stop me so I won't get there. So I'll prevent it. Can you do that or not? Those are the so the over here in the kyo this is by the way written we have to give a big thank you for the for who puts together this this pamphlet weekly. So they write the following they found that it's we're going to go to page one. Okay. Page one. One on top, three on the bottom. One is the first. He's got a small headache. Maybe I'll give you an example. The oncoming of a migraine. Some people get really bad migraines. Some the You know, each person, some people get migraines where they they get nauseous, they get lights in front of their eyes, and they're in bed and they can't move. And there are medications that a person can take and stop the migraine from at least the severity of the migraine. So, but the person doesn't have it yet and it's shabas. That would be an example. So, he's he's already not feeling well and he knows he's getting there. Does he have to wait? It's gonna happen. This comes from the safer Irish. It's a Rabbi Canor who is a R in safer we that's when it's M. topic if he's not yet next paragraph the was a of the he was the status of arishan he I'll tell you the following story a fellow was in jail a Jewish person was in jail and he had no kosher food the only way to get him kosher food would be ask a to bring it to him and the would I I think based on the Shiloh would be carrying and being over and is dabon to bring it to him at the stage that this person is right now Shabas in the morning he doesn't have any food now he's not sick but if we wait the jail is going to be closed m shabas so he ain't going to get food until Sunday morning which means he'll basically be fasting for 24 hours can you ask a now on Shabas in the morning to bring food to this person in jail to this Jew in jail. What do you want to say? >> Oh, so I was bothered by that must be we're talking about a case where it's some type of dabon that's why they're stelling sue this case. I have the baz here but we're not going to have time to go through it tonight in >> Would it be place can't carry place or like I don't know what the issue is. >> Um he doesn't say that. It doesn't say. It seems like it's an iss Shabas. It seems like that's what we're talking about. You're talking about an issue. If you don't bring in the morning, he could he's not going to get food until tomorrow until Sunday morning. Even though you see it's a mirror to be able maybe it's considered but right now on Shabas in the morning he still hasn't he whatever he had to eat he had up until now. So only now going forward will this problem be a problem. He is not yet since it hasn't started yet. You cannot even though you know even though you know he will become he will be sick afterwards. But in the meantime we have a good Yiddish word for that. It's called forig forig means in the meantime he's not a but he will be but he isn't now you can't do it however says you can't do it right you can't do it only when he is you can't go out and do to stop him from getting there. If so, it would be logical to say that taking medication before the onset of this should be prohibited. If we're connecting the dots, apples to apples, you would be ulcered. You would not be able to allow a person to take the medication. That's what's mat mash from the rad. However, he brings a morai who is also a rishan that seems to say differently. Move ahead a few pages, three on top, seven on the bottom. It looks like this page over here. This is what the morai looks like at the side. Let's read a little bit of this morai. >> Yeah. >> The question over here is if a guy makes a fire, it's cold outside. 26° here in my shabas kesh. Okay, back in the old country way back the times of the morai a would make a fire. Some of the Eden would go stand next to the fire to warm up and he made it on Shabas. Mhm. And other people would be pushim said the go made it on shabas. You can't have hano from that heat. Morai wants to weigh in in his opinion as to whether or not you're allowed to do it. Why yes, why no? Watch what he says. From the time I was a child, I would be shocked. There would be those rim the people who prohibited Jews and said you're not allowed to go to the fire that the made for you on Shabas. Right. I you know I was mean I was shocked. They were people who were pish from they were very holy people known as the very shabas they went and warmed themselves up tell you why that is the says that is going to skip a line right When it comes to cold weather and getting cold, everybody becomes sick. Being exposed to cold, the change of weather causes sickness across the board. The and even if you're not, so means not warming yourself up with the fire means you're going to get sick. Right now, you're healthy, but if I don't let you go to the fire, you'll be sick. What does this sound like? You can take medication. You can do something. A who made a fire for a Jew is means he did the fire for you. That certainly beer. You couldn't tell a guy to do that. But the is saying it's okay to do that. Why? Because it's because it stops illness. Let's see it inside. take these these types of cases and apply it to the zera that was specific to maybe that zera by the medicine was made for differently than this. >> You're asking who says we should connect them. Give me a moment and we'll see. That's a good point. I'm going to get there. We do say the Gmorra says that you can do something at least I'm going to I'm going to skip down a minute. I would even be if I don't tell the guy to do it. He's doing it on his own. Right? He brings a person has a little bit of a the eye is bothering him. He's allowed to put something on his eye. So therefore concludes the it's the last words in this paragraph. My shall be from the people who warm themselves up. They'll have a oig shabas and they'll be warm and they'll stay healthy and you certainly even though the guy made the fire for you but his lumbus is because if not you'll get sick and you can be Mona yourself to have a durabon. So we're comparing the durabon. Let's go to the next page. a question that was asked in this specific forum. Here's the question. Page four, eight on the bottom. [sighs and gasps] A person has to have a medical procedure where they're going to cut him. They're going to do, let's say, do some type of autopsy where they're taking where they're taking out some not autopsy from, right? What is it called again? Biopsy. There you go. That's the word I was looking for. Thank you. biopsy. Here it is in Hebrew. Right. Right. [clears throat] Is can and they want you to start taking antibiotics a day beforehand. So the antibiotics are working before you do the biopsy >> and the the procedure is being done on Sunday. >> So if you have >> what's that? >> That's not in America. And the only way it's Sunday is a regular day. And the only way to do this on Sunday is if you start taking the medication on Shabas. The fellow asked and tried to get it moved to Monday. This way they can avoid the shabas issue. The hospital says we don't do these things on Mondays. If you want to do it, it's on Sunday and that's it. Can he take the medication? shell biopsy that's here in the Hebrew like you cut off some fresh skin or some right to bit to check it the you shouldn't have any zoom you have to take antibiotics and you have to start the day beforehand and one day before five days four days after a total of five days they tried everything to move it off what could you do chuva You did the right thing to try to push it off since you have to do this. So it's when he's taking this medication, is he healthy or not healthy? Of course he's healthy. Are you allowed to take medication if you're healthy or not? We said you have to cross the threshold of but yet over here we're seeing that it's that's 100% mut. We're saying you're passing like the morai and so says look at what he says. We're going to go forward to this is already towards the end of the book. It's on the booklet. It's on page 10 on top which will be 19 on the bottom. Okay. Trua this is what the page would look like. Trua a medication. pneumonia. He wants to take some medicine preemptive so that he doesn't he or she doesn't get pneumonia or any other type of thing once he gets ill certainly it's going to be mut even on shabas can I now on shabas start a medication to preempt that I don't this See where I'm reading from. This is what it looks like. Why do you have to go ahead and wait for the person to get sick to take the medication? If you can stop it, if I can stop it from coming, what do I have to wait for it? vitamins. When a person is and which type of are we talking about? We're talking about when a person's in a sus. I'm not going to get into the details of that right now, but the point is the lumbus is the same. Just like regarding the isser to push away in the aris and shabas but you don't have to be in the mat of sak it could be the suffic and you can already be shabasa on a don level I don't have to be in that state of that I'm in bed already in order for me to do the don a suffic if I get into that state already the bunan is already waved so therefore to summarize Indeed, it would be permissible by and by and also that it would be permissible to have a person take medication. So this way they don't get into the mat of being a and being aishk even though now they're not. And let's finish off with a piece from Pinkis. It's the last piece in this booklet over here which talks about, you know, you've heard probably many times shabas refu. Let's go all the way to the back of the book. It's on page 12. This is what it looks like right over here. It's the last page. There you go. You've heard of the concept of shabasu. How does the rafu happen? Thanks to shabas kesh al shabas infuses us with a higher level of kadusha, a purer and more healthy life. Pure and healthy. Let's see what he says. on Shabas. It's a time where who keeps Shabas introduces a higher reality into this world which is Malus of Hashem. How so? Very simple. It sounds deep but it's really very simple. A whole week you see Jewish people going, coming, doing anything, whatever you want. And then on Shabas, everything is different. They dress differently. They're not driving cars. They're not talking on telephones. You look when you walk into a Jewish community, especially like here in Muny, the roads on a Friday night are empty. You can walk in the middle of the street, right? You can go five minutes all the way down 306, you don't see a car. Then a random car comes by. What happened for a person who for their first time somebody from Alabama who never came to my saw on Friday, where's everybody? Is like you know what happened to everyone? Three hours ago, everybody was driving around. It's Shabas. Why isn't anybody doing because it's Shabas? And so what did Shabas? The aster said you can't do this. So you see the malus. You see the kingship. You see that there's if god forbid no Jewish person anywhere kept chabas and just went about their way would chabas be indicative would you see shabas? No. We're megalish shabas in the world through refraining from doing the malas and from doing the positive of dressing shabistic acting shabasik which means we bring the malus of hashem to where it becomes palpable where you can see and feel that there's a shabas so this understands his means practical Shalom. If you bring Hashem's into the world, then you're bringing shalom into the world. Shabbat shalom. You're bringing the peace that comes along with Shabasu. If you're bringing peace into the world, you're bringing Schlamus into the world. If you're keeping shabas and that itself is refu it's an opportunity for health because you're bringing a higher reality of puress of kadusha of and the more you're connected to the abish the healthier you are because you're connected to the the of bishop And then you rest in peace is because of how much they spoke about this mitzvah until they said it's even more important if you don't have wine for kdesh and you don't have money for candles buy the candles and don't make the kesh even their which is shabas candles comes First, [snorts] it's the it's connecting together with the he says when you have a couple and each one of them are arguing. He says Ruain does what Ruvane wants. Raul does what Raul wants. And each one when they're pulling in the wrong direction, they're who they are and not their nicest version. But that's why there's fights. But when Shabas comes and everybody, it's not what I want, it's what the Aisha wants. You know, in a relationship, two people can relate like this. What does he want? What does she want? And then they can ask themselves, what does Hashem want? Then they relate like this. So they've picked themselves up. It's not what I said. It's not what she said. Each person thinks what does Hashem want. Then Ruain stops being ruin and shim and stops being and together they transform into having that type of infusion of higher life of Malus of Shabas. Shabas Malcasa Shabas Malcas is Shabas. that that brings the to a person that's the it's not a just about keeping the shabas that makes the shabas holy it's about the avira means the attitude and the air the kaducious hash shabas which brings the higher level of life a shabas that's connected to the Then it's it's itself is the medication needed when a person stops being an individual and connects himself and herself to each other through each other through the a then wishing everybody a good purpose.