In a highly relevant Q&A session, Rav Aharon Lopiansky shlit”a delivered a pertinent message on the role of Daas Torah in medical decision-making. The discussion, moderated by Rabbi Sruly Fried of Chai Lifeline, centered around a question posed: Does Daas Torah have a place in medical advice and referrals, and if so, what is its role? Rav Lopiansky’s response was clear and unequivocal: One must differentiate between moral dilemmas and technical expertise. “If someone is building a structure and is unsure if the supports are strong enough, would anyone even have a hava amina to ask Daas Torah? Of course not. You ask an engineer,” he explained. The same applies to vaccines—why should a Rav be expected to be a medical expert? Daas Torah, Rav Lopiansky elaborated, comes into play when a situation involves a moral conundrum, not a factual determination. If a child needs extensive medical care but tending to them would result in neglecting other children—is one mechuyav to prioritize one over the other? That is a moral question. If a critically ill patient has the option of undergoing a painful surgery with an uncertain outcome—should he be forced to go through with it? That is a moral dilemma for Daas Torah. Likewise, he noted, the same applies to matters of shalom bayis or tzedaka allocation—areas where Torah values guide the decision-making process. But vaccines? “Why should a Rav know about vaccines? It’s a technical issue,” he said. To illustrate the importance of distinguishing between ikkar and tafel, Rav Lopiansky recounted a telling story from Rav Chaim Mendel Brotsky shlit”a. A cheder in Yerushalayim proudly advertised that it consulted the Steipler Gaon zt”l on every single decision. Rav Brotsky rejected this approach outright. If they were asking Daas Torah about every mundane detail, from what kind of milk to buy to minor administrative matters, then they lacked basic seichel. This misplaced reliance on Rabbanim for matters beyond their expertise extends to medical matters as well. “If you walk into a bais medrash that looks like it will collapse, and the gabbai tells you not to worry because the Rebbe said it will stand until Moshiach comes, you’d laugh at him,” Rav Lopiansky remarked. “Of course, you ask an engineer.” The sha’alah for Daas Torah only arises if the engineer identifies a slight crack with a minuscule risk—then you ask a Rav if there’s a chiyuv to repair it. Rabbi Fried pressed further: What about a case where a spouse refuses to vaccinate because they were raised in an anti-vaxx household? Would this be a Daas Torah issue? Again, Rav Lopiansky emphasized the need to distinguish between medical and moral concerns. “If the question is about vaccines, ask a medical expert. If it’s a shalom bayis question, ask a Rav.” He likened it to shechita—a Rav proficient in halacha may still not be a mumcheh in sirchos (lung adhesions). “I don’t think anyone ever went to Rav Shach zt”l to ask about a sircha on a lung,” he noted. “The facts have to come from someone who knows the facts,” Rav Lopiansky concluded. When there is a moral question—one that requires a Torah’dike perspective—then Daas Torah has its place. “But a Rav who doesn’t even go online, doesn’t read medical journals—how would he know about vaccines?” (YWN World Headquarters […]