Question: Dear Rabbi Sprung, Last Shabbos, I stayed at my father’s bedside in a hospital (in Eretz Yisrael). As I walked through the hallway, I saw one of the workers repairing the Shabbos urn. The urn in question had a...
Yom Kippur 5780
Rabbi Yossi SprungEtzem Yom haZeh: A Halachic Guide to Asara b’Teves[1]
On the 10th of Teves, Nevuchadnetzar, king of Babylon, arrived and laid siege to the holy city of Yerushalayim. This marked the onset of the destruction of the first Beis haMikdash, prompting the Sages to designate this...
Rabbi Yossi SprungBa’Yamim haHem ba’Zman ha’Zeh: Vaccination and Preventive Medicine
Ever since Hashem granted medical scientists the wisdom to eradicate a vast array of terrible, deadly diseases with vaccination, many millions of lives have been saved. Despite this, there is division among the general...
Responding to Psychotrauma on Shabbos
In times of war and terrorist attacks, psychotrauma first responder units play a crucial role in emergency healthcare services. These units consist of social workers and other mental health professionals whose main...
Dementia and Ma’ase Shabbos
Unfortunately, patients with advanced dementia often lose the ability to remember the day of the week, and even when oriented to the day of the week may not recall that a particular action is prohibited on Shabbos. They...
May I Go Home Now? – Part 5
The first four essays in the series extensively reviewed the Halachic issues related to medical personnel returning home on Shabbos after responding to an emergency or completing a shift in the hospital. In this week’s...
May I Go Home Now? – Part 4
The past several essays have discussed the Sugya of Hitiru Sofan miShum Techilasan – the Halachic principle that allows a person who has left the Techum to save lives to return home after completing his mission. As we...
May I Go Home Now? – Part 3
The previous two essays in this series have detailed the Halachos for medical personnel who wish to return home on Shabbos following a life-saving act. We concluded that while some Poskim forbid violating Issurim...
May I Go Home Now? – Part 2
The initial essay in this series discussed the Machlokes between the Rosh and Rambam regarding the application of the principle of “Hitiru Sofan miShum Techilasan” to soldiers who leave the Techum to save lives. The...
May I Go Home Now? – Part I
One of the most frequently discussed topics in medical Halacha is “Hitiru Sofan miShum Techilasan” (“they permitted the end due to the beginning”). Doctors, nurses, and medical personnel encounter many scenarios that...
