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normal woman or if a shotah marries a normal man. The Sages also
ruled that a woman who does not separate challah can be divorced
by her husband because even though the husband can go after her
and separate challah,‘A person cannot live with a snake in one basket,’
for he cannot always be on guard to ensure that she doesn’t cause
him to sin, as explained in maseches Kesuvos (72a). Similarly, in Rav’s
opinion, a husband who declares,“I will not feed or support my wife”
must divorce her and pay her kesuvah and we do not say that instead
of forcing him to divorce her we should rather force him to support
her because “A person cannot live with a snake in one basket,” as ex-
plained in Kesuvos (ibid.). The gemara also says in Kesuvos (86b) that
a man cannot make his wife swear that she will not take anything of
his because,“A person cannot live with a snake in one basket” [i.e. the
wife cannot be expected to live under constant suspicion].

In view of the above, in our case too, it’s possible that it is a mitzvah
to prepare the first third of schizophrenics mentioned in the question
– who can conduct a virtually normal life and cannot be considered
“snakes” – for marriage and guide them towards that goal, particularly
if their families are supportive.

However, if the family are not agreeable and oppose the idea of
their schizophrenic relative marrying the physician had better refrain
from encouraging the patient to marry. This is in line with the advice
of the gaon Rabbi Chaim Phalaghi zt”l, in his sefer, Teshuvos Chaim
Veshalom (2, 35) “…From my youth until my old age I have observed
that nobody who hinders bringing a couple together by stirring up
quarrels on the part of their parents on both sides to interfere with
the unity of man and wife, emerges unscathed, neither from human
judgment nor from Heaven’s judgment. For we have seen several
couples who quarrel, to the point of curses and blows, yet so long as
nobody intervenes mutual love can be restored instantly. This is not
so when their quarrels are caused by the parents, for then they lead
to separation. For even if man and wife both want to live together
they are afraid and frightened of their parents and they perpetuate
the quarrel.” From these comments we can learn that it is only de-
sirable to encourage marriage when the two families encourage their

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