קהלת רבה ג:ב
ר' חלבו ור' שמעון בר אבא בש"ר יהושע בן לוי אמר כל החולים בחזקת סכנה
The life of any sick person is deemed to be in danger.
[AJWS translation]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. The rabbis considered a sick person to be in danger in order to accommodate violations of Jewish law made either by the sick person or by others on that individual's behalf (i.e. violating Shabbat to help them.) Why were the rabbis motivated to do this?
2. How do we treat sick people today? How is our treatment of the sick different than the rabbis'?
Time Period: Rabbinic (Maccabees through the Talmud)