Lactose, also referred to as “milk sugar,” is a common ingredient in the pharmaceutical industry. Its widespread use in various medications prompts important halachic considerations. Central among these are questions...
Rabbi Yosef SprungDid You Sleep Last Night?
In hospital environments, it is common for people to stay awake throughout the night. Medical and nursing staff are frequently required to work overnight shifts, ensuring continuous patient care and the ability to meet...
Striking Nurses
Striking[Editor’s note: Nearly 15,000 nurses across New York City launched a strike on January 12, 2026, making it one of the largest nursing strikes in the city’s history. This industrial action was initiated...
Honest Healers: Communicating Truthfully With Patients
The issue of whether to tell the truth or withhold it frequently arises in medical practice, especially when doctors must give difficult news to patients or their families. Typically, the choice involves either sharing...
Hysteroscopy & Nida
Rav Itiel Katz Question: Does a woman become a Nida after undergoing a hysteroscopy? Answer: To answer this question, further clarification is needed, including: Was the procedure performed a hysteroscopy (via the...
What Happens If I Push This Button? – Part 2
Last week, we examined the use of electrical devices that deactivate immediately upon cessation of human effort. We shall conclude our discussion with an additional application: electric doors. Rav Moshe Sternbuch...
What Happens If I Push This Button? – Part 1
In Toras haAdam (Inyan haSakana), the Ramban discusses a physician’s exemption from liability for errors that occur during medical treatment: [The exemption] was only granted to a Baki (an expert) who knows the wisdom...
House Officers in Halacha-Part 3
In last week’s essay, we presented a Teshuva from the Tzitz Eliezer to Dr. Avraham S. Avraham (14:35). R’ Waldenberg zt”l ruled that it is generally...
House Officers in Halacha-Part 2
In this essay, we will explore the varying perspectives of the Tzitz Eliezer and R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l regarding physicians in training administering general anesthesia and injections. These questions naturally...
House Officers in Halacha
In Toras haAdam (Inyan haSakana), the Ramban discusses a physician’s exemption from liability for errors that occur during medical treatment: [The exemption] was only granted to a Baki (an expert) who knows the wisdom...
Staying Focused
According to the American Psychiatric Association, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is defined as “a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or...
Tevila Under Medical Constraints
In Hilchos Nida, the Shulchan Aruch rules (Y.D. 197:2): “If her husband is in town, it is a Mitzva for her to Tovel on time, to avoid abstaining from Pru uR’vu for even one night.” The Gemara (Nida 30a and Yoma 8a)...
