Halakhah for Ketubot 154:11
אמר ליה אייתי ספר תורה וחזי מי איכא מידי דכתיב ביה דלא קיימתיה אמר ליה מי איכרכת בבעלי ראתן ואיעסקת בתורה ואפילו הכי כי נח נפשיה אפסיק ליה עמודא דנורא בין דידיה לעלמא וגמירי דלא מפסיק עמודא דנורא אלא לחד בדרא או לתרין בדרא
He said, “Bring a Sefer Torah and see if there is anything written in that I have not observed.” He said to him, “Have you attached yourself to the sufferers of ra'atan and engaged in the study of the Torah?” Nevertheless when he died, a pillar of fire formed a partition between him and the world; and we have it as a tradition that such a partition by a pillar of fire is made only for one person in a generation or for two in a generation.
Care of the Critically Ill
The second question concerns treating a patient who would not survive the year if untreated, but the treatment involves significant risk. A patient can live only for two or three months without treatment; moreover, the treatment available carries significant risk so that the patient may die earlier if he undergoes the treatment. On the other hand, if it is successful, he may live a normal life. Regrettably, I cannot find a clear source to resolve this issue. However, a reasonable approach would be to say that a person is halachically required to seek medical care only when there is a known and proven treatment available. The fact that a treatment is significantly risky may lead one to conclude that undertaking such a treatment may be forbidden. Given these conditions, it would be preferable to abstain from intervention, leaving the patient in the hands of the Healer of all flesh.
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