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And now we can return to our topic. If a physician relays incorrect 9 children are obligated to speak disparagingly about their father to
information about a man’s illness, if the false information does not rescue him from eternally losing his soul. In addition, patients would
harm the public (for example, if they could not discharge this public not agree to go to his clinic if they knew that he sins. It is a sin to steal
official from his position anyway) then he does not violate the Torah supplies and accessories from the hospital, and there is no siyata dish-
prohibition of “Distance yourself from a false matter.” On the other maya when something is acquired by sin. Therefore, even though the
hand, it is a great mitzvah to hide the truth from the public eye, thus physician considers what he does to be permissible, and rationalizes
preventing the patient from harm. As explained in maseches Nedarim by saying “Do not muzzle an ox while he is threshing,” the daughter is
(40a), on the first day that Rava became sick, he asked that no one obligated to reveal her father’s actions.
reveal his illness so that his fortune should not go bad. From then If she knows that when she tells her father that she will inform
onwards he said: Go out and publicize it in the marketplace so that the hospital of his actions, he will then stop stealing, but he will hate
whoever hates me should be happy about it [and thereby I will incur her and fire her from her job nevertheless, she is obligated to tolerate
the mercy of Heaven]. As it is says (Mishlei 24:17-18) “When your this financial loss and not disgrace her father. Even though “the costs
enemy falls, do not rejoice. And when he stumbles, let your heart not in honoring one’s father are borne by the father,” nevertheless, it is
be happy, lest Hashem see and be displeased and turn his wrath from forbidden to disgrace him, even if the daughter bears a financial loss.
him [to you].” My brother-in-law, Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a, said to me that
The Rosh explains Rava’s initial desire to keep his illness secret as the management of the hospital or health care fund are probably
follows: Perhaps his enemy will wish him bad and this will make his aware that moral standards today in the workplace are low (except
illness worse. In other words, the publicity can be harmful to a sick among the G-d-fearing), and therefore will forgive the physician for
man, and especially if his enemies rejoice in his illness. Nowadays, an what he takes and for the liberties that he allows himself. This is so
important figure’s illness can easily be publicized to the multitudes. especially since people flippantly justify their sinful actions with the
Since public figures generally have enemies, the excessive talk is liable Biblical verse that an ox may eat from what it threshes – though this
to cause harm to the patient. was written about an animal and not a person. But we already find in
Therefore it is a great mitzvah to conceal the illness. The public ancient times that this rationalization was used by uneducated peo-
figure is in the category of pikuach nefesh since publication is liable ple. As it says in maseches Chullin (6b) a woman, who is an am ha’aretz
to cause his condition to worsen. Also, the patient’s concern that he (boor), who is grinding grain with her friend, will permit herself to
will lose his position is liable to aggravate his illness. Therefore, it eat from what she is grinding, justifying it with “Do not muzzle an ox
seems to me that it is permissible and correct to alter the details and while he is threshing.” Therefore, he concluded, in our case, since it is
to minimize the severity of the illness. likely that the hospital will forgive the physician, she should not tell
If a physician publicizes the poor health of a public figure in cases the hospital authorities and not shame her father in public and not
where this is not permissible, he violates the prohibition of lashon deprive him of his livelihood. To return a lost object of the public, the
hara. Even if what he says is true, he is forbidden to reveal it. Lashon daughter is not obligated to speak badly about her father and thus to
hara is not only relaying negative information like saying that some- endanger her own job and livelihood.
one is not a scholar. Even if the words are not negative or disgraceful Rabbi Dr. Moshe Rothschild, a man of chessed, asked a similar
in and of themselves, if they will cause damage, it is forbidden to question: A son is employed in his father’s grocery store and sees his
speak them (as explained in Chafetz Chaim, Rule 1, #1). father [when selling on account] recording in his book much more

270 1 Medical-HalacHic Responsa of Rav ZilbeRstein Speaking about one’s father 2 263