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forced). It is a principle in the Torah that one should flee from a place 13 Answer to question 3: # 20818
of sin, as is stated about the righteous Yosef (Bereishis 39:12): “And he
fled and ran outside.” The Birkas Peretz explains on the verse (Shemos One should not believe the patient’s testimony about him-
13:17): “Hashem did not lead them by way of the land of Pelishtim, self and therefore should not report him to the authorities.
although that was near,” that every person should stay far away from Even if the facts turn out to be true, one should not give
a place where he may stumble and sin. him over to be killed for the murder he committed. How-
Therefore, the physician must advise the patient to stay far away ever, one should also not hide it, and if it appears that he
will continue his bad ways, one should report him to the
from a place where he is likely to sin. If the patient acts upon the authorities.
advice and there is no possibility that he will continue to harm young
girls, it is forbidden for the physician to disgrace him by informing on
him to his relatives.

1 SuMMaRy and Conclusions

Answer to question 1:

If the physician is certain that his patient will continue his
sinful ways and there is a possibility that the girls will be
damaged, the physician is obligated to inform the parents,
because the fear that the girls are liable to experience is
defined as danger to life. One must feel more compassion
for the victims than for the sinner. Obviously, if the patient
moves to a different location and there is no chance of his
harming the children further, then one should not disgrace
him needlessly.

Answer to question 2:

One cannot, on the basis of the patient’s testimony about
himself, punish him physically, such as by imprisonment.
If he had confessed before two kosher witnesses, he would
be obligated to pay. If the physician himself witnesses
his thievery, but hopes that treatment will cause him to
repent, he should not hand him over to the authorities.
We can assume that ultimately the patient will return the
stolen goods on his own.

390 1 Medical-HalacHic Responsa of Rav ZilbeRstein Publicizing the sins of a psychiatric patient 2 391