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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Rosh Hashana-Yom Kippur
Fasting on YK - Rabbi vs Doctor



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ssue




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 12:18 pm
My doctor is telling me that I cannot fast this YK. My Rabbi is telling me I must. I'm wrestling with what to do. Normally, of course, I do what my Rabbi says. This time, I'm having trouble as I don't want to make myself sick. What are your thoughts? Thank you.
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amother
Honeydew


 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 12:30 pm
I may go to hell for this, but when a doctor's medical advice conflicts with a rabbi's, I follow the doctor because the rabbi is not a medical expert.

You can always go to another doctor for a second opinion. Or you can ask the doctor to speak to the rabbi and explain exactly what's going on. the rabbi, not being a medical expert, may not have all the facts.
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ShishKabob




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 12:32 pm
I think you should ask a different Rabbi's opinion. I think that halachically, if a Dr says that a patient may not fast, then the patient should not be fasting. I think this is a halachic ruling. Please do more research. Bhatzlocha!
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tichellady




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 12:36 pm
Find a new rabbi to discuss this with
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amother
Seashell


 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 12:38 pm
More info is needed. Not here necessarily. I just think you need to clarify your situation with both your rabbi and doctor.

Some doctors give blanket rulings of dangerous to fast, and it isn't necessarily the case, just that they don't understand the importance of Yom Kippur. It's also possible the rabbi doesn't have a good understanding of your medical situation and you need to clarify with him. There also is middle ground between eat like normal, and no food/drink for 26 hrs.
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amother
Diamond


 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 12:39 pm
Why would it be a must if dr said no can you do siurum
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amother
Steelblue


 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 12:40 pm
ShishKabob wrote:
I think you should ask a different Rabbi's opinion. I think that halachically, if a Dr says that a patient may not fast, then the patient should not be fasting. I think this is a halachic ruling. Please do more research. Bhatzlocha!


It’s also important to know dr point of view.

A dr who has ever heard of a pregnant women fasting would be aghast that she would dream of fasting and forbid it regardless of her health.

So it’s important to know if the dr had a specific medical reason to be against fasting or is just against it in general.

Many times when there is a disagreement like this you can sign a doc (hippa) to allow the dr to talk to rabbi to discuss the medical concerns.
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ShishKabob




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 12:41 pm
amother [ Steelblue ] wrote:
It’s also important to know dr point of view.

A dr who has ever heard of a pregnant women fasting would be aghast that she would dream of fasting and forbid it regardless of her health.

So it’s important to know if the dr had a specific medical reason to be against fasting or is just against it in general.

Many times when there is a disagreement like this you can sign a doc (hippa) to allow the dr to talk to rabbi to discuss the medical concerns.
You are right
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Odelyah




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 12:46 pm
amother [ Honeydew ] wrote:
You can always go to another doctor for a second opinion. Or you can ask the doctor to speak to the rabbi and explain exactly what's going on. the rabbi, not being a medical expert, may not have all the facts.
yes, and OP you can also always go to another rabbi for a "second opinion", especially if you really feel the first one didn't give you an answer that sits right with you, if you feel he didn't have clarity about your situation, etc. Did you tell the rabbi what the doctor said? Did he take the time to listen to you and ask questions?
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yiddishmom




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 12:56 pm
Are you sure the Rabbi understood your situation? I think the rabbi and DR need to clarify things.
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ssue




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 1:58 pm
Thank you everyone for your answers. I just spoke with my Rabbi again and he is of the opinion that unless it's a life-threatening situation, you must fast. If you are "just" going to get sick or aggravate your condition, you still have to fast. I have a call to my doctor to discuss further. She is Hindu and understands the importance of fast days. She also understands that there are medical "exemptions" and says I should be exempt. It is okay to get another Rabbi's opinion?
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Odelyah




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 2:05 pm
ssue wrote:
It is okay to get another Rabbi's opinion?

yes especially if the 2nd rabbi is of greater stature than the first rabbi. It is preferable to tell the 2nd rabbi what the first rabbi said, and explain that you are still very concerned and worried about this, based on what your doctor said. Hatzlacha!
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amother
Honeydew


 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 2:48 pm
Simply feeling weak and nauseated or headachy is one thing and risking a miscarriage, preterm labor or insulin crash is another.
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theotherone1




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 3:08 pm
My Rav generally asks people asking for heterim to speak to a specific OB/GYN who he trusts implicitly. In my case, I spoke to this other doctor and gave him my whole medical story and he then provided an opinion to my Rav. Doctors are super quick to tell pregnant ladies not to fast; I don't think they understand the halachic background.
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amother
PlumPink


 

Post Mon, Sep 13 2021, 3:11 pm
You can go to another rov if you tell him the psak you got from the first rov
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