Question:
Hi,
I do not feel that the modern seforim address the issues of regular medications enough, since there are so many extra nuances that add to my confusion: Blood pressure medication, for first stage high blood pressure, a person can skip shabbos without endangering himself, can he still take it on shabbos, same for cholestrol meds, debate if they help at all or make other things worse? Or all these meds don't show on the radar of chazal and are considered to be preventative for healthy people like vitamins and it would be okay to take them? Prescription eyedrops and nose spray for hey fever season, I have been taking it daily and what about shabbos, sometimes the eye become so bad that there is not question, but other times not, just a constant itching which wears the nerves down? or is it enough that one can fear the worst and take the drops to pre-empt a bad allergy attack, but that would be somewhat dependant on the season, how bad it is expected to get, or perhaps safek tsaar gadol is enough to be lenient, we can couple started meds before shabbos, batel taam of grinding, safek tsaar gadol? What about anti-inflammatory drugs taken regularly, eg for arthritus, back pain, hip pain, neck pain, or regular painkillers for chronic sufferers: ibuphen, codene etc? I would find it hard to tell a person suffer in silence since most poskim say don't take meds? I get the impression what is written in the seforim eg: Shrimas Shabbos, Orchos Shabbos is not what rabbis are telling people who come to ask, my impression is that rabbis are being more meikel than what is written in the texts, perhaps our environment has changed enough to encourage being more meikel like-clapping on shabbos, giluy ochlin, שמא יעשה כלי שייטין, etc...pls break it down for me, where is our generation holding currently?
Answer:
Hello,
You are correct, that there are many nuances in these halachos, and the psak runs the gamut from being totally mutter, when there is immediate danger to a person’s life, to being totally assur, when the ailment is only minor, and the person is not a choleh. There is a wonderful sefer called Halachos of Refuah on Shabbos, by Rabbi Pinchos Bodner shlit”a, in conjunction with numerous doctors. The sefer has and list of ailments, and a clear guide as to what may and may not be done on Shabbos. Having this sefer handy, will help answer many of your questions.
On the other hand, I don’t think that the Rabbonim are making things up, and telling people psakim that are not based in halacha. What is possible is that the seforim can only write things, for the general public, but each person has to ask his own personal question for his personal situation, which might not be clearly written in the general kitzur seforim. If you feel that your Rov is not answering you like it says in Shemiras Shabbos, etc. ask him for the reason of his psak. This will help clarify things for you in this complicated topic.
I don’t think that the reason for a Rov’s being meikel is because of our dor… additionally, natural healing and homeopathic medication is coming back into style, o there halachos are still applicable.
Best wishes
