The Satmar Rav
A woman living in New Jersey became seriously ill. There was a certain machine available in New York which could help alleviate her condition, but it was expensive to use. She could not afford the cost on her husband’s meager salary, and their New Jersey insurance company would not cover out-of-state treatment. People told the couple that if they gave a New York address and switched to a New York insurance company whose policies did cover use of this machine, then they would not have to pay. There was not much danger that the company would investigate whether they indeed lived in New York.
They were reluctant to proceed with a falsehood, even if the treatment was life-saving, but a friend insisted, “You are required to use that address! This is a question of life and death!”
The woman was still reluctant to benefit from a lie, saying, “We have always been completely honest; shall we now save my life with a lie?” She and her husband decided to consult Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rav. Upon hearing the question, he asked incredulously, “You would say a lie?”
“But it is a question of pikuah nefesh, saving a life,” the man said.
“Do you mean to tell me that people die in New Jersey and in New York they live? It’s impossible! I am sure that if you are faithful to the truth, you will find that you can make use of the machine.”
The man investigated further and discovered that there was indeed such a machine in a certain hospital in New Jersey. His wife was treated there and cured.
