Cutting medicine in half on Shabbos

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May one cut a medicine in half [for one who may take medicine on Shabbos], such as to achieve a smaller dose for a child and the like?[1]

Yes. The prohibition of Tikkun Keli does not apply by medicine just as it does not apply towards food, and hence one may cut it to a small size for Shabbos use.[2]

Suppository: There is no prohibition in cutting a suppository in half on Shabbos.[3]

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[1] SSH”K 33 footnote 36 in name of Rav SZ”A; Piskeiy Teshuvos 328:39; 322 footnote 20 [New]

[2] See Michaber 322:4 “Animal food does not contain within it [the prohibition of] fixing a vessel.”; Admur 314:11 “ As animal fodder is soft and does not last, as will be explained in chapter 322 [Halacha 4 ], in a case that one modifies the food to become an independent vessel, being that it is not at all common to initially make a vessel out of food, due to the fact that it does not last long.”

[3] The reason: Being that this is similar to food which does not contain a cutting prohibition. [SSH”K ibid]

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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