Gosais vs Treifah

Igros Moshe (CM II #73.4) Question What is difference between gosais and treifah? Answer A basic difference is that treifah has a deficit in an internal organ such as the lungs or heart or intestines it could be am actual hole or membrane is damaged this is a detailed in Yorah Deah in most cases the status of treifah of man is similar to that of man however there are differences concerning the skull and perhaps the spine.. Concerning treifah for a person it is not fixed for and changes in diseaseever, there are many things that change over time due to advances in medicine and natural variations in disease . Thus the definition in the gemora that it is a condition that typically are associated with death in fact is a function of time for people. In contrast the treifa for an animal was permanently fixed from the time of the Tannaim and the rabbis of the Mishna and perhaps also Amoraim and the rabbis of the gemora.These were prohibitions that were received by Moshe at Sinai.  In fact the gemora says that there were eight types of treifos thay were told to Moshe at Sinai. In other words they were not determined the Sages and thus even if today we see they live, the halacha does not change. In contrast treifah for man which is relevant to the crime of murder is dependent on the medical reality in our time. And killing a treifah is not punished with capital punishment by beis din .  Gosais  does not have defects and would normally live a long time but because death was decreed on Man and killing him is the same crime as killing a healthy person. . It is possible that even touching a gosais who is very weak can result in his death so care needs to be taken. In contrast there is no problem touching a man who is a treifa or shaking his hand when greeting him  Doctors are obligated to provide medical treatment to a treifa if any relevant ones exist in order to minimize his suffering.