Daf Yomi - Yoma 83 - Providing the Sick with the Most Lenient Prohibition

Daf Yomi - Yoma 83 - Providing the Sick with the Most Lenient Prohibition

The Gemara states that when there is no permitted food available to improve ones health, he is permitted to consume prohibited food. Nonetheless, we must first feed him from forbidden foods whose consumption is of less severity in punishment. An example of this would be a food that is only forbidden on account of a positive commandment, such as food that was planted during the Shemittah year. The prohibition of consuming such a food is more lenient than the prohibition of consuming tevel, which is food that Terumah and Maaser was not yet designated, and one who consumes tevel is punishable by death from heaven. The Ohr Sameyach in Hilchos Maachalos Asuros 14:14 suggests that this guideline only applies to the one who is feeding the sick person. The sick person himself, however, is not required to be particular and he can eat whatever he desires. The Ohr Samaeyach writes that this idea that the sick person does not have to be particular regarding what he eats would be analogous to the rule regarding a rodeif, one who is chasing after someone with the intent to kill him. A bystander can attempt to intervene by wounding the assailant but he must ensure that he does not kill the assailant. The victim, however, is not required to make such a calculation and he can actually kill the attacker. The Ohr Samaeyach writes that this is implied in the words of the Gemara that states that one who was seized with bulmus, we “feed” him the least severe of the forbidden foods available, implying that only the one performing the feeding must make a calculation, but the one consuming the food is not required to make such a calculation.