Debriciner Rov: When Your Father Asks You To Pass His Cigarettes

smoking drinkingWhat should you do if your father asks you to give him something that the Doctors told him will damage his health? Is there an aveira to disobey him or is it better not to let him harm himself? The Chida in Birkei Yosef (640:10) says, based on the Sefer Chasidim (234) that if it will put your father in danger you shouldn’t give it to him, but if it will only cause him harm you should bring it to him as he requested. The Debriciner Rov (Be’er Moshe 1:60:10) wants to argue and say that you should not help him cause himself harm. The reason is that although a father may be Mochel on his kavod, however the Rivash (220) says that on his Bizayon, his disgrace, he cannot be Mochel. The Be’er Moshe proves from the gemara that causing pain is worse than causing minor embarrassment. Therefore it stands to reason that the father certainly cannot be Mochel on his pain. He brings many Acharonim that agree with him and he refutes the Chida’s proof from the Sefer Chasidim.

Based on this the Debriciner Rov once answered someone that he may not purchase or pass cigarettes to his father, even if he asked him to do so. With regard to hiding his father’s cigarettes or stealing them, although he is not sure, nevertheless he says it seems that you should not go that far. Revach.

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mind boggling
15 years ago

please explaim the difference in harm vs. danger .