The hint to the mitzvah of visiting the sick comes from the Korah's rebellion. Moses said, “If these people die like all men and are visited...” – and from here, we see that usually when people get sick before they die, it is expected that they should be visited.
If one vows against a fellow, he may still visit him if the fellow gets sick, but he should stand and not sit. What are we talking about? If the visitor is prohibited from benefiting the sick one, then the visitor should be allowed to sit: he is doing a mitzvah. And suppose the visitor is prohibited from receiving benefits from the visitor. In that case, no visits should be allowed since the visitor inevitably derives some benefit by entering the house, which is more protected than being in the street!?
Really, possessions of the visitor are prohibited to the sick. So the visitor should be able to enter and even sit with the sick person. However, the visitor may sit more than necessary, going beyond the bounds of the mitzvah and providing the sick person with the extra benefit, for which one could even claim a reward. By doing this for free, the visitor would be violating the vow. Therefore, the Sages allowed him to stand – since he would leave on time – but not to sit.
Art: The Sick Room by Emma Brownlow
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