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rather the trachea through a tube, this is not considered eating. because he held that he was not obligated to make the effort to go to
It is not forbidden to benefit from a pig; it is only prohibited to the shelter. During one severe attack, the members of his household
eat it. Is a person forbidden to put pig fat in his aching ear? He is told him that there is real danger and one is obligated to go into the
certainly allowed to do so. Putting pig into one’s lung is similar shelter. Leaving his house on the way to the shelter, Rav Isser Zalman
to putting it in one’s ears. As it says inTractate Yevamos (76a): was wounded.
“Tallow (animal fat) is rubbed in and a big ant procured.”
His wound caused him severe weakness and he needed to drink
The Bi’ur Halacha (#326:10, s.v. beshe’ar) writes that some poskim milk. At the time, it was very difficult to obtain milk and only with
prohibit anointing with fat because “anointing is like drinking.” None- great effort were they able to obtain milk for the great Rav. The Rav
theless it seems to me that for purposes of healing, even anointing was insistent on covering the milk because he did not drink liquid
with pig fat or tallow is permitted, as explained in Responsa Chazeh that was left uncovered, even in a place where snakes are not found, in
Hatenufah (#60, which are revised responsa of the Rosh). He states accordance with the view of the Gr”a. It once happened that the milk
as follows: “If someone has pain in his throat, he is allowed to anoint was accidentally left uncovered. The members of the household dis-
it with oil of a pig, because it does not say ‘anointing is like drinking,’ cussed whether or not to tell the great Rav, because if he knew it was
except in regard to anointing for pleasure, and this is not for pleasure.” uncovered he would certainly not drink it and he was very weak and
We still need to clarify if one has to worry about ‘blockage of the was obligated to drink milk. They asked one of the great Rabbanim
heart’ caused by forbidden foods. As explained in the Rama (Yoreh at the time, and he ruled that they should not tell Rav Isser Zalman
De’ah #81:7), a child who eats forbidden food (even if the prohibi- that the milk was left uncovered.
tions are only Rabbinic) is harmfully affected in his old age. It causes
dullness of the heart and makes him bad natured. If a woman must (The end of the story was that when they put the milk on the stove
eat forbidden foods because of danger, she should not nurse her child to heat it, they forgot to remove it from the fire. The milk congealed
because the forbidden foods will block up his heart. Nonetheless, it and was burned completely; not a drop was left. The young man who
is possible that a remedy which does not nourish the body, but rather served Rav Isser Zalman told him what had happened and added
heals an illness, will not cause blockage of the heart. This is especially that “This is really a miracle.” He emphasized that this shows how
true if the food was nullified, not consumed in the usual way, and important Rav Meltzer is in Heaven, to the point that he was Divine-
entered the lungs and not the esophagus. In such circumstances, there ly protected from consuming liquid left uncovered. The Rav burst
is no concern of dullness, especially in a situation of pikuach nefesh. out crying upon hearing these words, despite the fact that he should
have been happy. “If this is the way they value me in Heaven, who
knows what else they expect of me?!” he cried out. “Am I fulfilling my
obligations according to my level?” So great indeed were Rav Isser
Zalman’s thoughts and demands of himself!)
Should One Refrain from Implanting a Heart- In light of this, it is permissible, in our case, to withhold [from
valve Taken from a Pig? the patient] that he received a pig heart valve. Hakadosh Baruch Hu
will do what He thinks is best. The halacha allows it, since he is a
1 Question dangerously ill patient, and many poskim would permit it even for
In Boston, in the United States, physicians abide by the Helsinki healthy people.
224 1 Medical-HalacHic Responsa of Rav ZilbeRstein Medications and Heart Valves from Pigs 2 229
