[Avodah] Should you go to the best surgeon?

[Marty Bluke]

Last week R' Elyashiv had heart surgery and the Charedi press had extensive
coverage. Mishpacha (Hebrew) had a number of articles about the surgery
including a profile of the surgeon. They flew in the top cardiac/blood
vessel surgeon from Cleveland (a religious Catholic) to do the surgery.

The prevalent hashkafa today is that not even a leaf falls without it being
a gezera min shamayim and that hishtadlus has no effect, it is just an
illusion. Hishtadlus is just so that we avoid nisim guyim (see Michtav
M'Eliyahu, Chazon Ish Emuna UBitachon and others). If so, shouldn't bringing
the top surgeon be too much hishtadlus and a lack of bitachon? After all,
Hashem is doing the healing not the surgeon and once we have done our
hishtadlus, going to the doctor and having the surgery, why should it matter
whether the surgeon is the best in the world or simply Joe surgeon who is
competent? As long as we do our hishtadlus to avoid requiring a nes, the
rest is a gezera min hashamayim. If the gezera is that the surgery will be
successful, then it will be successful even if done by the average surgeon,
and if the gezera is that it won't be successful then it won't help that you
have the best surgeon.

In fact, what does it actually mean that someone is considered the best
surgeon? After all, hakol bidei shamayim, so the fact that he successfully
operated is not due to his skill but due to the gezera min hashamayim.
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