32
According to R' Dr. David Shabtai, in a 2013 Times of Israel blog post, there is no such source:
The religious exemption exists to protect people whose religion forbids vaccination, to allow religious practice without governmental intervention. The basis for this exemption is to protect people whose religion prohibits vaccinations.
This is not true for ...
21
Rather than guessing, read it directly from the source.
Some have also suggested that a natural product, derived from the
Cannabis plant, for a life-threatening condition, does not require
certification. This is factually incorrect. The OU certified product
comes in three forms: pills, oils and vapor. While the cannabis plant
is inherently ...
15
Someone asked this question online to Rabbi Yitzhak ben Yosef (posek and rabbi of Ramat Gan) here, and he responded as follows:
בהחלט שאלה נדירה ביותר.
לכאורה כל תינוק הוא פטר רחם וצריכים שני הילדים פדיון צריך לבדוק האם הם פטר רחם דהיינו שלכול רחם יש פתח נפרד.
This is an extremely rare case. Seemingly, each infant is the"opener of the womb" and ...
15
Human blood is not included in the prohibition (Shulchan Arukh YD 66:10). There is a concern when consuming any permitted blood that no one think you are consuming forbidden blood. A classic solution to this is including fish scales in a cup of fish blood (ibid. :9). It seems to me that a transfusion bag serves this purpose sufficiently. Even were one to ...
14
In Sefer Nishmat Avraham- Even Haezer Siman 23 this very question is asked. The Tzitz Eliezer sums up as follows: A husband may produce sperm for examination after his wife has been thoroughly tested. However the way the sperm should be halachically obtained is as follows:
1) The simplest way would be a post-coital sample; this would be permitted by almost ...
14
Shemiras Shabbas K'hilchasa 32:62 -- one is allowed to inject vaccines where there is a concern that the patient will become dangerously sick.
If a doctor feels that this is urgent, then even biblical transgressions such as driving a car or writing a script are allowed, where necessary.
In footnote 160, there, Rav Neuwirth cites what he wrote earlier, in ...
13
Summary - Abortion is generally prohibited, but is permitted in certain cases. All opinions agree that one is permitted - perhaps even obligated - to abort if the mother's life is in direct danger due to the pregnancy - perhaps even up to actual birthing. If the mother is not in direct danger, but will have negatively impacted health, most opinions hold ...
13
Tiferet Yisrael (Boaz) on Avot 3:14 cited and translated here.
12
As I mention on my post on this very topic, Rabbi Slifkin reported the following:
I once asked Rav Gedaliah Nadel z”l, one of the foremost talmidim of the Chazon Ish, about the Chazon Ish’s medical knowledge. He told me that the Chazon Ish’s knowledge came from reading medical journals.
12
The Shulchan Arukh (YD 268:1) rules (like the Tur, quoting a Gaon; see too Tosfot Yevamot 46b) that a male whose genitals have been removed ("Nikhrat haGid") doesn't need Milah or Hatafat Dam Berit, and can just go to the Mikva directly (like a woman). The Arukh haShulchan there explains this is because there is nothing to circumcise, and the Gra notes that ...
11
In short, you need a Jewish person to do the circumcision לכתחילה. The basis for this is Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah Siman 264:
"Every Jew is eligible to perform circumcision, including someone who is himself uncircumcised because his brothers had dies as a result of circumcision. If an adult Jewish male is present who knows how to circumcise he takes ...
11
According to the majority of poskim, he is a man despite whatever surgery he had and he would certainly be allowed to give his wife a get. According to the minority view of the Tzitz Eliezer, he would not have to give his wife a get, because the marriage dissolved when he "became a woman."
He obviously does not meet the qualifications for a Shoteh.
See R. ...
11
ABSOLUTELY.
DO NOT DRINK IF IT IS MEDICALLY CONTRAINDICATED!! NEVER EVER EVER!!
Immediately after the statement about "obligation to drink on Purim", the Gemara tells a tale of one rabbi who got drunk and very nearly killed someone. Most rabbis say that's just a cautionary note to moderate your drinking, but the Baal HaMaor says the Gemara is refuting the ...
11
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ruled that one may violate שבת for the injection of morphine.
See שמירת שבת כהלכתה, chapter 32, footnote 150, where Rabbi YY Neuwirth writes that he heard from Rav Shlomo Zalman that since זריקת מורפיום (morphine injection) does not have any healing properties, and it's just for the relief of pain, it should be forbidden; however, ...
11
R’ Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe OC 1:82) writes that if the medication itself tastes nice, then one should recite a beracha. R’ Ephraim Greenblatt (Rivevos Ephraim 4:54:39) writes that R’ Yosef Shalom Elyashiv held that if one mixed the medicine into something that tastes good, one would need to recite a beracha on it.
R’ Dr. Avraham Avraham (Nishmas Avraham ...
10
In an article titled "The Study of Medicine by Kohanim," Dr. Edward R. Burns concludes:
The overwhelming majority of authoritative rabbinic scholars prohibit
the study of medicine by a kohen in any school where the dissection of
human corpses is required. If a student is given permission to learn
anatomy by observation of dissection without ...
10
There are really two parts to your question. One is: do the rules of Chametz apply regardless how it is ingested?
http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-mitzvos-cosmetics.htm
On Pesach, one may not consume, own or derive benefit from items that
contain derivatives of the chameishes minei dagan - wheat, barley,
spelt, oats, and rye.
The second part of ...
9
This text was not authored by Maimonides. Upon the original author's request it first appeared as a Hebrew translation, from the original German, in a journal called 'Ha-me'asef' (המאסף - May 10, 1790, Berlin 242ff.; complete issue here). The piece was titled "Prayer For The Doctor..." and explicitly reads "authored by Sir, Hofrath and Professor, [Markus] ...
9
There are different groups/individuals who discuss these ideas. Certainly, this use of the term "energy" has nothing to do with the scientific definition of the word. This "energy" idea has pagan roots and is known by many different names- In Hinduism the terms prana and chakra are used. In Chinese systems the terms are Chi or Qi. And there are many other ...
9
Although Judaism prohibits abortion, including for non-Jews it doesn't necessarily prohibit all abortion. Certainly in the context of saving the life of the mother, abortion isn't only permitted, it is required.
That being the case, a question of a secular law which permits, but doesn't require or even sanction, prohibited behavior is much more of a ...
9
Ohr Someach clearly states:
Jewish law forbids euthanasia in all forms, and is considered an act
of homicide. The life of a person is not "his" - rather, it belongs to
the One Who granted that life. It may be therefore be reclaimed only
by the true Owner of that life. Despite one's noble intentions, an act
of mercy-killing is flagrant intervention ...
9
Even when the circumstances are not life-threatening (neither for the choleh nor for others), but the medication/immunization would prevent illness (choli she'eyn bo sakana), non-kosher medication may be taken if there are no kosher alternatives, provided that it is shelo k'derech achila (not in the manner of eating; e.g. swallowing pills).
From the Star-K:...
8
I was in a shiur Rav Moshe Heinemann gave 3 years ago about halachos of pregnancy and childbirth, and he said that it is completely permitted and people just haven't gotten used to the idea yet.
8
Here is one answer I found
Question: Is a physician or dentist permitted to diagnose and treat illness in close members of his own family? Does the ruling apply equally to parent, sibling, spouse, child, aunt, uncle, cousin, nephew, niece etc.? Is a physician permitted to perform a complete physical examination on his close relative? May a physician or ...
8
Rabbi Bodner (Halachos of Refuah on Shabbos) writes (page 242) that insomnia is classified as a מיחוש בעלמא, an "ailment" that isn't serious. (though if someone suspects that they suffer from chronic insomnia, they should see a sleep specialist after Shabbos)
The rules for מיחוש בעלמא are found in chapter 1 of that work; the most basic rule being that one ...
8
There's a Jewish Diabetes Association - guide for diabetics that puts out a list of the minimum shiurim; normally we say "oh play it safe and eat a larger amount of matza/wine just to be safe", but for those with medical conditions, we can safely follow the opinions that a much smaller measure is required.
Obviously, if someone just can't do it, they just ...
7
R Abraham Abraham (Nishmat Avraham, vol. 2, p. 134) writes that "Rav (Shlomo Zalman) Auerbach told me that a man may learn a medical or paramedical profession, since they involve pikuach nefesh". He doesn't differentiate between gynaecology and others (and gynaecology certainly involves pikuach nefesh).
He continues: "however each person must decide for ...
7
R Telushkin asks exactly this question in one of his earlier books (I believe it is The book of Jewish values but can check if important to someone). He is quoted here
Rabbi Telushkin mentioned something that happens in Manhattan:
conversations are shattered by the sound of an ambulance, and he said
his first reaction to that was always annoyance, ...
7
The background to this discussion is that the Torah doesn't considers a person's body to be his to do what he wants with it. It is an instrument in the service of God.
Here is how the Nishmat Avraham reports on different poskim views on the topic (vol 2 pp. 60ff)
The Tzitz Eliezer forbids one to undergo plastic surgery in the
absence of disease or pain ...
7
We have similar concepts in the Mishna.
One is the exiled murderer who is not allowed to leave his city of refuge, even if the entire nation needs him.
See Makos פרק ב - משנה ז
וַאֲפִלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל צְרִיכִים לוֹ, וַאֲפִלּוּ שַׂר צְבָא יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּיוֹאָב בֶּן צְרוּיָה, אֵינוֹ יוֹצֵא מִשָּׁם לְעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר לה) אֲשֶׁר נָס שָׁמָּה, שָׁם ...
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