Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- Apr 24
- 3 min read
ושמרתם את חקתי ואת משפטי אשר יעשה אתם האדם וחי בהם אני ה' ... (טו-יג)
The Gemara (Yoma 85a) discusses cases where a person has only a short time to live. The halachic principle is: One may risk temporary life in order to attempt to save long-term life. We violate Shabbos even to preserve chayei sha’ah because any amount of life has value but when a medical intervention might shorten life yet might save it, halacha allows taking that risk.
Late one night, a worried father arrived at the home of the Chazon Ish, R’ Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz zt”l. His infant son was in a nearby hospital with a severe brain tumor. The doctors had told him that without surgery the child would die within a few days. The only possible treatment was a dangerous operation that very few patients survived. The father was torn between the certainty of death without intervention and the real possibility that the operation itself would end the child’s life.
The Chazon Ish listened carefully as the father explained the medical situation and the doctors’ warnings. When the man finished speaking, the Chazon Ish lay back, closed his eyes, and remained silent. The father waited anxiously as the minutes passed. Five minutes became ten, then fifteen. The room was quiet, and the father could only watch and hope that the tzaddik would offer some clarity. After about a quarter of an hour, the Chazon Ish suddenly opened his eyes and asked the father which doctor had been assigned to perform the surgery. When the father gave the name, the Chazon Ish nodded and said that he knew that doctor and he was a worthy shaliach. The Rav then told the father that the operation should go forward. He instructed the man to tell the doctor that, he, the Chazon Ish, felt it was worthwhile to operate.
The father returned to the hospital and repeated the message to the surgeon. The doctor reacted with surprise. He acknowledged that the Chazon Ish was known for sound judgment and under most circumstances, he would agree fully with the medical opinion of the rabbi. However, in this case he believed the Chazon Ish was mistaken. From a medical standpoint, he saw no real chance of success. It took a bit of convincing until finally, whether out of respect for the Chazon Ish or compassion for the father, the surgeon agreed to perform the operation.
The surgery lasted more than six hours. When it was over, the doctor came out exhausted and gave a blunt assessment. If the child woke up within twenty-four hours, he said, there was hope for recovery. If the child did not wake within that time, there was nothing more to expect. The father stayed by his son’s bedside, watching the hours pass. Twenty-four hours came and went, and the child remained unconscious. The doctor told him that the situation was hopeless.
Refusing to accept this, the father went back to the Chazon Ish and told him what the doctor had said. The Chazon Ish listened and responded calmly: “The time involved is seventy-two hours.” He did not elaborate but said it with certainty.
The father returned to the hospital and waited. At the seventy-two-hour mark, the child suddenly awoke. He looked around and asked for something to drink. The doctors were astonished. Over the next few weeks, the child made a full recovery. When the father brought the boy to the Chazon Ish for a beracha, the talmidim who witnessed the scene were deeply moved. Later, they asked the Chazon Ish why he had spent fifteen minutes in thought before giving his initial ruling. They also asked how he had known to expect improvement at seventy-two hours rather than twenty-four.
The Chazon Ish explained that he had been reviewing the halachic principles related to chayei sha’ah - temporary life. The Gemara discusses situations in which a person has only a short time to live and whether one may take risks that could shorten that time in order to attempt to save the person’s long-term life. The conclusion is that when acting in accordance with Torah principles, one is permitted to risk temporary life if there is a possibility of saving long-term life. He had needed those minutes to consider the halachic framework carefully and determine whether the operation fit within those guidelines.
As for the seventy-two hours, he said that this time frame appears in the Mishna in discussions of medical and halachic status. It represents a threshold after which a person’s condition can be reassessed. He applied that principle to the child’s situation and with Divine assistance, the child pulled through and regained his health fully and completely.