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before its Creator. This teaches us that the strong bond between a to him, taking into account the old man’s plea, “Do not
man and his wife will result in proper offspring, and the connection abandon me at the time of my old age, when my strength
between them will never be broken. wanes, do not leave me.”
Thus, in our case, one should put off informing the couple that Dr. Dov Dromer, Director, Geriatric Department
their child is blind for as long as possible. One should then encourage Kfar Shaul Hospital, Jerusalem
the parents to accept that this is the will of Hashem, so that the bond
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between them, and between them and their son, will remain strong. We have presented the opinions of three expert physicians on the
In this way they will accept their child with love, their souls bonded question. Before we respond to this difficult question, let us present
to his. a similar question asked by Dr. Chaim Koznitz, (Prof. Glick already
alluded to this topic in his letter) about moving a patient from the
1 AnsweR to Question 2 intensive care unit to a regular ward against his will.
How should one reveal to the parents that their child is blind? 1
In Tractate Pesachim (3b) it says: Rav Kahana became sick. The Question
Sages sent Rav Yehoshua, son of Rav Iddi, to see how Rav Kahana A patient was hospitalized in the cardiac intensive care unit, where
was doing. However, when he came to visit him, he learned that Rav the turnover of patients is constant. The patient’s condition is now
Kahana had already died. When he returned to the Sages, he tore serious because of a prolonged infection or a neurological condition,
his garment and placed the tear behind him so that they should not with no hope for medical improvement. The doctors want to move
immediately understand, and he cried. The Sages asked him: Did Rav him to an internal medicine unit after prolonged treatment in the car-
Kahana die? He answered: I did not say it, for ‘he who speaks evil is diac intensive care unit. The family wants the patient to remain where
a fool’ (Mishlei 10:18). he is, because the care there is excellent and will prolong his life.
There are several reasons to refrain from relaying bad news: Should we listen to their request, despite the fact that his presence
1. Rashi explains that one should not impart bad news so that peo- in the ward takes up a bed and is liable to cause harm to future pa-
ple should not suffer from the shock. There are several examples tients?
of this in the Torah.
1 AnsweR
Rashi writes (Bereishis 22:2) that when Hashem said to Avra-
ham: “Please take your son,” he answered, “I have two sons.” Regarding this question about moving the patient from the intensive
“Your unique one,” Hashem responded. “This one is unique care unit to an internal medicine unit, the Iggros Moshe (Choshen
to his mother and this one is unique to his mother,” countered Mishpat, Vol. 2, 73:2) writes, as follows:
Avraham. “Take the one you love,” Hashem told him. “I love If a patient who has only chayei sha’ah (a short life expectancy) was
them both!” answered Avraham. Finally, Hashem told him di- already admitted into the intensive care unit, one does not remove
rectly to take Yitzchak. Why did He not say this immediately? him from there, whether it was proper for them to admit him-i.e.
Rashi explains that Hashem did not want Avraham to lose his there was no other patient yet who needed the ICU bed at the time,
mind from the shock. or whether it was wrong that they admitted him, unintentionally or
116 1 Medical-HalacHic Responsa of Rav ZilbeRstein Transfer of a Patient 2 145
