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Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 618

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Shulchan Arukh

618 ‎[1] **“The law concerning one who is sick on Yom Kippur” - Containing ten paragraphs.**

A sick person who needs to eat, if there is an expert doctor there, even if he is a non-Jew, who says that if this person is not fed it is possible that the illness will worsen on him, needless to say if he might be in mortal danger, they feed him on the doctor’s orders. If the sick person says that he does not need (the food) we still listen to the doctor, but if the sick person says, “I need (the nourishment),” even if one hundred doctors say that he does not need (the nourishment) we listen to the ill person. ‎[2] One doctor says that the sick person needs (food) and another doctor says that he does not need (the food), we feed him (the sick person).

Hagah*: The same holds true if two (doctors) disagree with two others even if some of them are better experts than the others (you listen to those who say the patient should eat even if they are the inferior doctors who say this) and so it seems to me (to be the correct decision). ‎[3] If the sick person and one doctor with him say that he (the sick person) does not need (food), and another doctor says he does need (food), or if the sick person says nothing and one doctor says he needs (food) and two say he does not need (the nourishment), we do not feed him. ‎[4] If two (doctors) say that he (the sick person) needs (food) and even if one hundred (doctors) say that he does not need (food) even if the sick person agrees with them (who say) he does not need (the food) we feed him since two say that he does need (the food).
Hagah*: The same holds true (if the sick person and one doctor with him say he needs (the food) even though one hundred doctors say he does not need (the food) we feed him. (טור)), and we are not afraid that the sick person says that he needs (food) because he believes this doctor who says that he needs (the nourishment), (ב״י בשם מהרי״א). ‎[5] If the sick person says that he does not need (the food) and the doctor is doubtful, (whether he definitely needs food or not) we feed him, but if the doctor says that he does not need (food) and the sick person says, “I do not know (whether I need it or not),” we do not feed him. ‎[6] If the doctor says that he is not familiar with the disease, behold he is considered the same as a layman (a non-professional) and his stated opinion does not raise or lower (does not mean anything).
Hagah*: However if he (the sick person) becomes very weak so that he appears to the majority of people with him that he is in danger, if he will not eat, we feed him, (א״ז הארוך). ‎[7] When one feeds the pregnant woman or the sick person, we feed that person little by little so that it (the food) will not combine to the prescribed amount of food which is prohibited to eat, therefore we feed him (the equivalent of) two-thirds of a medium (sized) egg and (then) wait as long as the time that is required for the eating of four eggs, and as to the drink, they should examine the sick person himself how much is the liquid so that he can, when it is moved to one side (of his mouth), appear as if he had a mouthful. ‎[8] One should give him to drink (the above amount), and they should wait between one drink and the next one as long as the time that it would take to eat four eggs. And if he (the doctor) estimated that these amounts are not enough for him (the sick person), or if the sick person says thus, or they are doubtful about the matter, we give him food and drink according to his need (immediately). ‎[9] He who catches ravenous hunger and he (has) a disease that comes from hunger, the symptoms of it are that his eyes are dark and he is not able to see, we feed him until his eyes light up. If there is no permitted food (Kosher) there then we feed him with food that is forbidden (non-Kosher). If there are there two types of forbidden foods, one more strictly prohibited than the other, we feed him the lesser prohibited one first.
Hagah*: If he needs meat and if there is here an animal (a Kosher type) that needs to be slaughtered, and there is also ready non-Kosher meat, see above in chapter 328, paragraph fourteen. ‎[10] A sick person who ate on Yom Kippur and recovers to such a degree so that he is able to bless (the food he ate, to say the Grace after the meal) he has to mention Yom Kippur in “יעלה ויבא״” in his Grace after the meal, namely in the benediction called “בונה ירושלים”

Version Info

Version: Hilkhot Yom ha-Kippurim, trans. by Jan M. Brahms. HUC, 1976

Source: http://library.huc.edu/pdf/theses/Brahms_Jan_M-CN-Rab-1976_rdf.pdf

License: CC-BY

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