יום ה Date: 6 Nisan, 5775 (3/26/15) – Kesuvos#52 {Tani}

CLOSE CHOICES

[52b middle] Rav Yochanan’s relatives had a widow of their father who needed healing treatments everyday. R’ Yochanan advised them to, ‘fix a set price with a doctor,’ [and one lump sum is not a ‘constant support’ requirement (and the relatives would not be obliged to continue paying)]. R’ Yochanan later lamented that, ‘we made ourselves like lawyers.” Originally, he thought to help ease a burden from his relatives, ‘and from your kin you shall not hide yourself,’ but then he concluded that a prominent person (like himself) may not use this leniency (and not advise his relatives as such).

Prac-T-cal Tidbits: We must always be extremely careful when advising relatives. Even ‘help’ may involve biased opinions when dealing with those who are close to us. We should try to view our situations from an outsider’s perspective, and carefully analyze microscopic nuances with magnifying lenses.