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her scar. According to this, one can ask, if a girl had surgery and the
scar remains, is she obligated to tell this to the groom?

1 AnsweR
81 HALACHIC This question was asked by Rav Aharon Dovid Dunner to my father-
CONSIDERATIONS
in-law, Rav Y. S. Elyashiv zt”l, and he answered him that only a dog
ABOUT PATIENTS WITH
bite, which is a bad thing, must be revealed if the dog’s teeth have
COLOSTOMIES
made an imprint on her body. [This is brought up in Hilchos Chol
Hamoed (Orach Chaim, 541:5) where it says that it is permissible to
sew unprofessionally, like the bite of a dog.] This does not apply to a
scar from surgery that was performed in an esthetic manner.
1 Questions

For medical reasons, there are people who, unfortunately, have to
undergo intestinal surgery. Their large intestine is emptied through
the abdominal wall, forming an artificial anus through which their
bowels are excreted. A bag is placed there to collect the fecal bowel
secretions. Sometimes this colostomy is temporary and sometimes it
is permanent. In all cases, there is pikuach nefesh.
The question arises: what is the halacha for a woman or a man with
a colostomy:
1. Is the woman permitted to immerse in a mikveh?

2. Is the man permitted to wear tefillin?
3. Is his wife obligated to him for the mitzvah of onah (sexual sat-
isfaction as part of their marriage)?
Dr. R. Neisser
Director of the Municipal Hospital Naveh On, Bnei Brak

1 AnsweRs

1. If it is possible for the woman to remove the colostomy bag and
to thoroughly cleanse the area, then she should cleanse herself
and immerse. However, if for any reason she has to seal the site

104 1 Medical-HalacHic Responsa of Rav ZilbeRstein Epilepsy 2 93