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1 SuMMaRy and Conclusions
1. If her husband’s presence will contribute directly to the patient’s
recovery, or the husband will bring in an additional, expert phy-
sician, it is permissible to desecrate Shabbos to bring him to the
hospital. TRAVELING ON
SHABBOS TO PREVENT
2. If the physician understands that perfoming surgery without 106
THE PROHIBITION OF
consent is liable to land him in court, paying lawyers’ fees, or SECLUSION
assaulted by a family member, perhaps he is allowed to refuse to
perform the surgery until the husband comes, even at the cost
of Shabbos desecration. This is because the husband’s presence
will afford him the peace of mind required to fulfill his duties.
Practically, this requires further study. 1 Question TRaveling on Shabbos to PRevent Seclusion
3. Clearly, everything depends on the situation. If there is no real
concern of legal reprecussions or an assault by a family member, I am always very careful not to travel alone to the hospital in the
it is forbidden. It is difficult to get into the fine details, and all middle of the night, when the streets are empty of people, with a
depends on the circumstances. A physician who does not hesi- strange driver because of the prohibition of yichud (seclusion with
tate to safeguard the Shabbos, and trusts that the merit of Shab- a woman). Therefore, I try to travel with another person besides the
bos will stand by him, will be blessed with success and protected driver. Recently I was called to the hospital outside the city on a Fri-
by the One Above. day night. I was not sure whether it is advisable to have someone else
accompany me in order to prevent the prohibition of yichud. Perhaps
it is preferable to violate the prohibition of yichud rather than cause
desecration of Shabbos for the person accompanying me, who will go
outside the techum (distance permitted to walk in any direction from
the city limits) and cause the burning of extra fuel because of the
additional passengers in the car?
Y. Abramowitz
Nurse at Ichilov Hospital, Tel Aviv
1 AnsweR
This question could be discussed not only regarding a nurse who
rides with a strange driver to the hospital in order to save the lives,
but also regarding a woman who is traveling in order to save herself.
The question can be divided into two parts:
334 1 Medical-HalacHic Responsa of Rav ZilbeRstein Traveling on Shabbos to Prevent Seclusion 2 311
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