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sin, or bad advice], whereas in reference to physical hazards the Torah
uses the word tasim, to place, as in “Do not place [spilled] blood in
your house” (Devarim 22:8).

In maseches Avodah Zarah (ibid.) it says further that the Torah
prohibition of “putting a stumbling block before a blind man” refers
only to extending a cup of wine to a nazir or a limb torn from a living
animal to a non-Jew“when they are on two sides of the river.” In other
words, when the nazir is on one side of the river it is forbidden to
extend wine to him that is on the other side and out of his reach,
when he had no other way of obtaining wine. If though, he could have
obtained wine some other way, a person helping to obtain it doesn’t
violate the Torah prohibition of lifnei iver but only a rabbinic decree
against helping sinners transgress. Moreover, we are also obligated
to prevent another Jew from sinning or stop him if he is engaged in
sinning. This is clear from the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim, 343)
who rules that if a minor is eating non-kosher food beis din has an
obligation stop him from doing so and this applies all the more to an
adult who is already obligated in mitzvos.

In our case it thus seems that if the physician tells the woman that
marital relations pose no danger to her health he will apparently be
violating the Torah prohibition of “putting a stumbling block before a
blind man” because without his advice she would be afraid to engage
in marital relations whereas upon hearing his answer that medically
speaking, she need not be concerned that marital relations will dam-
age her health, her fear will disappear and she will live in a forbidden
manner. With his response, the physician has thus put her at ease and
cleared the way for her to sin. He is thus akin to a person who extends
wine to a nazir on the other side of the river and he apparently trans-
gresses the prohibition of lifnei iver. (See Be’er Mayim Chaim in the
introduction to Chafetz Chaim.)

It seems possible though, that even though the physician is calming
the woman’s fears and clearing her way to sin, he does not violate
the Torah prohibition of lifnei iver. This is because this prohibition
only applies to a person who actually presents another person with a
forbidden item, such as handing wine to a nazir or a limb torn from

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