Priorities for chaplains

[meha...@aol.com]

The Rema at the end of Siman 335 in Yoreh deah rules according to the Kol Bo that comforting the bereaved take precedence over visiting the sick. It would seem from here that if a patient has died in the hospital, and there is a bereaved family to be comforted, the chaplain must attend to them before taking care of the needs of the living sick patients. Does this apply even if there are several family members some of whom are not actually aveilim, and they can comfort each other?

Is this something which should be handled according to what the rabbi deems most necessary, for instance placing the needs of a very isolated lonely person who has just received a diagnosis of a serious disease ahead of a grieving child of a 90 year old mother who is just waiting for his grandchildren to come and help but is calm and not surprised.

is it relevant that the chaplain receives a salary, and the hospital expects him to use a triage system? Does the fiscal obligation to his employer overide the halachic prioritization?

Rabbi AVrohom Marmorstein

meha...@aol.com

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