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her life, so who can assess which occasion is necessary for saving her
life [see there]? We wrote there that according to both these reasons
it is forbidden to leave the butcher his kashrus certification in order
to prevent him from committing suicide. According to the first rea-
son, he is at fault for putting himself in danger and according to the
second reason too, his resolve to commit suicide may pass and he will
remain with kashrus certification, causing the public to sin.

The same reasoning seems applicable in our case. No one is forcing
these young men to commit suicide – neither non-Jews nor dangerous
illness –therefore we need not concern ourselves with their suicide
threats and no sins may be violated in order to save them. This is par-
ticularly relevant in regard to the sins of homosexuality and emitting
semen for naught, which they will continue transgressing even after
the piku’ach nefesh has passed, once they have come to their senses
and realized their error and will no longer want to commit suicide –
yet these sins will continue being done.

And regarding the third topic: We must consider whether at pres-
ent they have the status of shotim [imbeciles] and are mentally unbal-
anced, in which case it might be permitted to violate prohibitions in
order to save them, for they are deprived of free choice owing to their
mental illness. This is especially so since one of the signs of a shoteh is
that he loses what he is given and there is no greater example of such
behavior than these fellows, who want to remove their reproductive
organs.

In Sefer Devarim (12:29-31) it is written, “When Hashem… de-
stroys the nations, that you are coming there to dispossess, from
before you and you dispossess them and you live in their land, be
careful not to be ensnared after them after they have been destroyed
from before you; and lest you inquire about their gods saying, ‘How
do these nations serve their gods and I shall do so as well?’ You shall
not do so to Hashem, your G-d, for every abomination of Hashem
that He hates they have done to their gods, for they even burn their
sons and their daughters in fire to their gods.” We ought to consider
the meaning of the words, “not to be ensnared after them.” Rashi ex-
plains: “Tinakesh (to be ensnared) is related to unrest and confusion.”

422 1 Medical-Halachic Responsa of Rav Zilberstein