Siman - Yoma Daf 83
- When to feed a choleh
The Mishna on Daf 82a stated, חולה מאכילין אותו על פי בקיאין – In the case of a sick person, we feed him on the advice of experts. עד שיאמר די ואם שין שם בקיאין מאכילין אותו על פי עצמו – If there are no experts present we feed him according to his own assessment until he says, “Enough.” The Gemara brings two opinions on this ruling, the more lenient being that of Mar bar Rav Ashi. He said, wherever the sick person says, “I need to eat,” even if there are a hundred experts who say, “He does not need to eat,” we listen to him and feed him. For it says in the passuk, לב יודע מרת נפשו – The heart knows the bitterness of the soul. The Gemara questions this since the Mishnah said that we feed him on his own assessment only if there are no experts, and answers that the Mishnah’s ruling is in a case where the sick person says he does not need to eat, and the experts say he does. In this case, we feed him on the advice of experts. But where he says he does need to eat, the experts are disregarded since לב יודע מרת נפשו – The heart knows the bitterness of the soul.
- Feeding tevel vs. terumah to someone who is seized with bulmos
The next Mishnah states, מי שאחזו בולמוס מאכילין אותו אפילו דברים טמאים עד שיאור עיניו – One was seized with bulmos, a life-threatening disease induced by hunger, we feed him even non-kosher foods until his vision is restored. The Gemara brings a machlokes Tannaim in a case where only tevel and terumah are available to feed him. The Tanna Kamma holds we feed him tevel and Ben Teima says we feed him terumah. Ben Teima holds טבל חמור אבל תרומה חזיא לכהן – tevel is more chamur because it is prohibited to all whereas terumah is fit for a Kohen. The Tanna Kamma holds תרומה חמורה אבל טבל אפשר לתקוניה – terumah is more severe because it cannot be rendered fit for consumption whereas tevel can be rendered fit for consumption, by separating the appropriate terumos and maasros.
- מי שנשכו כלב שוטה
The Mishnah stated, מי שנשכו כלב שוטה אין מאכילין אותו מחצר כבד שלו – One who was bitten by a mad dog, we do not feed him from its liver lobe. Rashi explains that even though doctors use this treatment, it is not a valid cure, for which the prohibition against eating non-kosher food would be suspended. It was taught in a Baraisa, חמשה דברים נאמרו בכלב שוטה – Five things were said about a mad dog: its mouth is open, its saliva drips, its ears droop, its tail rests on its legs, and it walks on the side of the road. Some say: it also barks, but its voice is not heard. The Gemara asks how a dog becomes afflicted with this condition and Rav answered נשים כשפניות משחקות בו – female sorcerers play with it. Rashi explains that they amuse themselves by practicing their sorcery on the dog. Shmuel said רוח רעה שורה עליו – an evil spirit rests upon it. The nafka mina between the two opinions is whether to kill the dog with something that is thrown. Rashi explains that according to Shmuel, who holds that an evil spirit rests upon the dog, one should not come near it to kill it with one’s hands; rather, one should kill it a distance by throwing an arrow or a knife at it.
