Caring for the Sick on Shabbos vol. 4, no. 8
One may not transgress a Torah prohibiton on Shabbos for the needs of an sick person who is not dangerously ill. For example, one may not turn on a light or cook for him on Shabbos. If his needs cannot be taken care of by a Jew without desecrating Shabbos, a gentile may be employed to care for him.
One should try to employ a gentile before transgressing a Rabbinic prohibition, such as moving muktzeh objects, to heal a person who is not dangerously ill. If this is not an option he may perform the prohibited act with a variance. If this is not an option he may perform the Rabinnically prohibited act in its normal way.
The ill person may take medicines or even pick them up from the pharmacy as long as no Torah prohibitions are transgressed. However he is only allowed to take those medicines which are necessary to heal this particular illness. One who has serious sleeping problems may take sleeping pills. One may tear the wrapping around the medicine but should try not to tear the letters. There is a difference of opinion among halachic authorities if one may perform an act prohibited by the Torah in a different than normal manner.
The above leniencies apply to seriously ill people who are not in danger such as one who is bedridden because of his illness; one who suffers a very high but not dangerous temperature; one who suffers severe pain which affects his whole body such as a migraine headache; one who will become bedridden if he does not take a certain medicine; one who has an injury to a limb which threatens the health of that limb but will not lead to a dangerous situation; one who suffers an eye disease; a sick child. This excludes someone suffering from mild aches and pains and other minor ailments.
One may not spread an ointment on Shabbos. Therefore if one foresees he will need to use an ointment on Shabbos he should prepare a bandage with ointment before Shabbos. If this was not done one can squeeze the ointment out of the tube onto the area of the body without smoothing it, and place a bandage over the ointment. The proper use of bandages on Shabbos will be discussed in a future issue.
One may give injections to a sick person who is not dangerously ill as long as they are not intraveinous. One should try to prepare the syringe before Shabbos if possible. The skin should not be cleaned with a cotton ball soaked with alcohol since the squeezing process is prohibited. Rather, the alcohol should be poured on the area and then wiped off.
