Shabbat 12 includes a long discussion about practices for visiting the sick and praying for the sick: where to sit when you visit (on the bed? next to the bed?), what to say to the sick, what to do if you are visiting on Shabbat, IF you can EVEN visit on Shabbat, etc. While some authorities offer logically valid reasons why visiting the sick on Shabbat should be forbidden (for the sake of inducing sorrow on Shabbat and lessening the joy), still Beit Hillel (the dominant opinion) permits it, and the amoraim later offer ways to get around the issue even if it is forbidden. For example, they suggest saying שבת היא מלזעוק, or "even though we don't petition for things on Shabbat....still I'm here to visit and pray on this person's behalf." Quite a loophole, or even a total disregard for the law. It reminds me of another time that we offer such a loophole: if a funeral is to be carried out on Chol Hamoed, or Chanukkah, or another festive time, it is forbidden to offer a eulogy. But how could we do that to the people who have a therapeutic need to eulogize their loved ones? So, many rabbis say "if I WERE to give a eulogy, I might have said...."
This also reminds me of a previous daf in Shabbat where we learned that some rabbinic prohibitions on Shabbat can be exercised more leniently for the sake of "wisdom" or "common sense," or in this case, regard for human dignity. Forget Shabbat, it says, go visit your sick friends and family.
No comments:
Post a Comment