Medical student's questions

[Meha...@aol.com]

A medical student asked me the following question a couple of days' ago:

Can he ask a non-observant Jewish classmate to take over on Shabbos, even though the medical student will certainly be mechalel Shabbos in matters which are not directly "pikuach nefesh."
This sheiloh can be broken down into  multiple parts. 1. It is expected that students and residents will swap scheduled days in order to have a convenient schedule, therefore this day is not considered allocated to the Shomer Shabbos student if he can trade it for another day. 
2. Much of the work done is directly or indirectly in order to save life, therefore it may be only a safeik of" lifnie iveir" and there is a famous discussion in the Poskim as to whetehr we have to be concerned about lifnei iveir if there is a safek.  3. The question of "schar Shabbos" being paid for Shabbos, as a result of having delegated someone else to work for him on that day does not apply to a medical student, but might apply to a medical resident.

In practice, a medical student may switch days with a non-observant Jew who would not observe Shabbos anyway, but could not switch with a  student who has just started becoming interested in shmiras hamitzvos, who observes Shabbos when he is off but works as usual when he is scheduled to be on duty on Shabbos.
Isubsequently saw that there is a shiur available online from the national Medical Halacha Society's bog site on a related topic.
http://nmhsblog.googlepages.com/audio3
Shiur Title: Switching Call with Another Jew
Description: Delivered at AECOM chapter of NMHS
Length: 00:08:49
Date: 03/21/2006
Click here to download: NMHS003   *right-click on link and "save target as ..."

Rabbi Avrohom Marmorstein
meha...@aol.com
Rav, Congregation Minchas Chinuch of the West Side
Rabbinic Director, Mehadrin Kashrus
Jewish Chaplain, Hackensack University Medical Center, Englewood Hospital & Medical Center, Valley Hospital Ridgewood NJ

respond to the list at medical...@googlegroups.com

[A Marmorstein]

A medical student asked me the following question a couple of days' ago:

Can he ask a non-observant Jewish classmate to take over on Shabbos, even though the medical student will certainly be mechalel Shabbos in matters which are not directly "pikuach nefesh."

This sheiloh can be broken down into  multiple parts. 1. It is expected that students and residents will swap scheduled days in order to have a convenient schedule, therefore this day is not considered allocated to the Shomer Shabbos student if he can trade it for another day. 

2. Much of the work done is directly or indirectly in order to save life, therefore it may be only a safeik of" lifnie iveir" and there is a famous discussion in the Poskim as to whetehr we have to be concerned about lifnei iveir if there is a safek. (ע’ שו’’ת אגרות משה  יו’’ד סי’ עג ומה שהביא מדברי המהר’’ם שיק והשיג עליו דבספק לפ]ני עור אין חוששין כלל) 3. The question of "schar Shabbos" being paid for Shabbos, as a result of having delegated someone else to work for him on that day does not apply to a medical student, but might apply to a medical resident.

In practice, a medical student may switch days with a non-observant Jew who would not observe Shabbos anyway, but could not switch with a  student who has just started becoming interested in shmiras hamitzvos, who observes Shabbos when he is off but works as usual when he is scheduled to be on duty on Shabbos.

Isubsequently saw that there is a shiur available online from the national Medical Halacha Society's bog site on a related topic.

http://nmhsblog.googlepages.com/audio3

Shiur Title: Switching Call with Another Jew

Description: Delivered at AECOM chapter of NMHS

Length: 00:08:49

Date: 03/21/2006

Click here to download: NMHS003   *right-click on link and "save target as ..."

Rabbi Avrohom Marmorstein

meha...@aol.com

Rav, Congregation Minchas Chinuch of the West Side

Rabbinic Director, Mehadrin Kashrus

Jewish Chaplain, Hackensack University Medical Center, Englewood Hospital & Medical Center, Valley Hospital Ridgewood NJ

respond to the list at medical...@googlegroups.com

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[A Marmorstein]