1. One who has a mild illness (meichush) may not take medicine on Shabbat. The reason is that Chazal were concerned one may come to grind the herbs needed to prepare the medicine, thus violating the melachah of tochen (grinding) (Shabbat 53b; Shulchan Aruch, O.C. 328:1), which we have discussed previously in the Torat Imecha Shabbat series.

2. Although many people do not grind their medicine today, the halacha remains in force according to most poskim, as a rabbinic decree cannot usually be rescinded. In addition, medicine is still often prepared this way. Furthermore, although it is typically prepared in a pharmacy today and not in a home setting, there are still some people today who grind herbs themselves at home as part of homeopathic and other home therapies. Some poskim do take into account the fact that medicine is not mass prepared in the same way it used to be, and they are lenient in specific cases, which we will discuss further tomorrow.

To sign up for the daily halacha via WhatsApp or email, click here.

Dedicated by Fran Broder as a zechus for the hostages to be released safely to their families and may everlasting peace come to Eretz Yisrael in the merit of learning Hilchos Shabbos.