The Psak

I got this from an old friend who forwarded it to me, i had a good laugh. In the hopes the no one will offended (disclaimer) i give you THE PSAK:


Is it okay to take Viagra on Shabbat?

Michael Bader, a well respected San Francisco psychoanalyst and a member of the Board of
Trustees of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue has brought the following question to our community, and hopes that its best Talmudic scholars might think more about it:

There are two differing schools of thought on whether you can take Viagra on Shabbat:
Beit Shammai forbids the ingestion of Viagra on Shabbat, lest one violates the infraction of erecting a structure("boneh").
Beit Hillel says do not read it as "boneh" but as "boner", and permits the ingestion of Viagra before sundown so long as the Kabbalat Shabbat takes less than one half hour to complete, the kids are asleep, and your wife doesn't have a headache.
And what bracha does one say before taking the Viagra pill?
There is a choice of four blessings:
1. Borei p'ri ha-eitz - blessing over the fruit of the tree;
2. Boruch Atah HaShem zokeif k'fuffim straightens those who are bent;
3. Ya'aleh v'yavo - arise and come;
4. Boruch Atah HaShem mechayei hameitim raises the dead.

Here is a little follow up to the above...
Yes, the anti-impotence drug has been found to contain a tiny amount of animal matter, rendering it - one would think - treif. But, Rabbi Abraham Blumenkrantz zt"l, an American Kashrut expert, said that, as a medication that adds pleasure to the Sabbath (not to mention the rest of the week), it is permissible. But it is banned during Pesach - along with all other agents causing things to rise.

PS I am hereby apologizing to Saratchka up front, its meant to be funny not personal!
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