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it is permitted to desecrate Shabbos in order to save an enemy when
we may be able to save Jewish lives by doing so.

ɳ Summary and conclusions

1. Healing an idolater is forbidden unless there are grounds
for concern that refraining from doing so will arouse ani-
mosity towards Jews.

2. If an enemy is holding Jews captive, extra caution is called;
under such circumstances even the halachah of “the beau-
tiful [captive] woman” is suspended, out of concern that
Jewish captives being held by the enemy may suffer. There-
fore nowadays, when many of our brethren are under our
enemies’ control, we must extend appropriate medical
treatment even to a terrorist.

3. Owing to the concern of arousing animosity Chazal per-
mitted putting out a fire on a non Jew’s property on Shab-
bos. We support the non-Jewish poor, visit their sick and
bury their dead in order to further peaceful relations.

4. We desecrate Shabbos to save an enemy when there is a
chance of saving Jews by so doing.

5. A physician should not accept payment for rendering this
treatment [to a non-Jew] on Shabbos, for accepting pay-
ment gives him satisfaction, which might render the treat-
ment melachah performed for its regular purpose, whereas
by his not accepting payment he is not performing it for its
regular purpose, i.e. only for the extraneous purpose of not
arousing animosity.

490 1 Medical-Halachic Responsa of Rav Zilberstein