Daf Ditty Pesachim 56: Hezekiah Buried the Book of Cures

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Daf Ditty Pesachim 56: Hezekiah buried the book of cures

GEMARA: Apropos the people of Jericho, who were reprimanded for some of their actions and not reprimanded for others, the Gemara cites a similar baraita. The Sages taught: King Hezekiah performed six actions. With regard to three of them, the Sages of his generation conceded to him; and with regard to three of them, the Sages did not concede to him.

Due to King Hezekiah’s father’s wickedness, he dragged the bones of his father Ahaz on a bier of ropes and did not afford him the respect due to a king, and the Sages conceded to him. He ground the copper snake that Moses fashioned in the desert because Israel worshipped it, and the Sages conceded to him. He suppressed the Book of Cures, and they conceded to him.

RASHI

And with regard to three actions, the Sages did not concede to him. He cut off the doors of the Sanctuary and sent them to the King of Assyria, and they did not concede to him because he thereby demeaned the Temple. He sealed the waters of the upper Gihon stream, diverting its water into the city by means of a tunnel, and they did not concede to him, because he harmed the local populace in the process and should have relied upon God (Me’iri). He intercalated the year, delaying the advent of the month of Nisan during Nisan, and they did not concede to him. The Gemara explains that he declared the first of Nisan to be the thirtieth of Adar and only then intercalated the year (see II Chronicles 30:2).

Summary

Rav Avraham Adler writes:1

Chizkiyah the king of Judah did six things, three of which the Chachamim agreed with him and three of which the Chachamim did not agree with him. Chizkiyah the King of Judah did the following three things that the Chachamim agreed with: he dragged the bones of his father Achaz on a bed of ropes. Achaz was the previous king of Judah and he was very wicked, having worshipped idols and leading the Jewish People astray from their service of HaShem.

In order that Achaz should receive an atonement for his sins and that the Name of HaShem should be sanctified when people would see the punishment inflicted on the wicked, Chizkiyah dragged the body of Achaz on a bed of ropes as opposed to a bier used for royalty, and although normally

1 http://dafnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Pesachim_56.pdf

a corpse was carried on the people’s shoulders, Chizkiyah had the body of Achaz dragged on the ground.

Chizkiyah broke the copper snake that Moshe had fashioned. During their sojourn in the Wilderness, the Jewish People spoke brazenly against HaShem and Moshe, and they were punished by HaShem with poisonous snakes that caused many Jews to die. Moshe then fashioned a copper snake and anyone who had been harmed by the snakes would gaze at the copper snake and was healed. It was HaShem who healed them, but people began to assume that the snake itself had remedial powers and they began to worship the snake, so Chizkiyah destroyed it.

Chizkiyah also concealed a book that contained healing remedies, because people would no longer be submissive when they became ill, as following the instructions in this book would bring them an instant cure.

Chizkiyah cut down the doors of the Heichal and sent them to Sancheiriv king of Assyria as a bribe so the Assyrian troops would leave Eretz Yisroel. The Chachamim disagreed with this act because it was a disgrace to the Bais HaMikdash.

Another thing that Chizkiyah did and the Chachamim did not approve of was that Chizkiyah knew that the Assyrian would besiege Jerusalem so he stopped up the Gichon River so that the Assyrian army would not have drinking water.

The Chachamim disapproved of this act because Chizkiyah should have trusted in HaShem to protect Jerusalem. Chizkiyah also intercalated (inserted into the calendar) the month of Nissan during the month of Nissan, but the Chachamim did not agree with him. The Torah requires that Pesach occur in the spring, and in order to ensure this, the lunar and solar calendar must correspond. This was accomplished by intercalating a thirteenth month into the calendar every few years. The intercalated month was a second month of Adar, as once the month of Nissan started, they could not add a month.

Chizkiyah, however decided to intercalate a month after Nisan had begun, which the Chachamim viewed as a second Nissan. Chizkiyah’ s intention was that those who had become defiled by following in the ways of his father Achaz needed to purify themselves before Pesach, so he extended the year by a month so everyone would purify themselves and be able to offer the Korban Pesach.

KING CHIZKIYAH AND THE BOOK OF CURES

RAV MORDECHAI KORNFELD WRITES:2

2 Dafadvancement.org

Our Daf states that King Chizkiyah was praised by the Rabanan for hiding away the Sefer Refu'os (the Book of Cures). What was the Sefer Refu'os, and why did Chizkiyah hide it?

RASHI (DH v'Ganaz Sefer Refu'os) says that the Book of Cures listed the remedies for all illnesses. He hid it in order to force the Jews to rely solely on Hashem for their healing and to pray for mercy from Him, and not to rely on the Book of Cures.

RAMBAM here (Perush ha'Mishnayos) strongly opposes Rashi's explanation. He maintains that the use of natural means of healing does not detract in any way from one's reliance on the Almighty. He compares it to one who deprives a starving man of food in order to force him to pray to Hash-m for food. A person who uses natural remedies will still rely on Hash-m's mercy for his health, because it is Hash-m Who makes those remedies work.

The Rambam explains that the Book of Cures was used by astrologers to heal illnesses through placing certain images or carvings in certain places at certain times. (The Rambam refers to this by its Greek name, "Talisman"). King Shlomo wrote it to teach the wonders of the natural world, but he did not intend it to be used in practice. Chizkiyah hid it when he saw people using it for idolatrous purposes.

Alternatively, the Rambam says that the Book of Cures listed both antidotes and poisons. Chizkiyah hid it when people began using the poisons described in the book instead of using only the antidotes.

How does Rashi answer the Rambam's question on his explanation? Why did Chizkiyah hide the Book of Cures, but still permit people to go to doctors? Why was he not concerned that people might lose trust in Hash-m and place their trust in other sources of healing?

Rashi emphasizes here that when people healed themselves with the Book of Cures, "their hearts did not become humble from their illness," because they were able to heal themselves immediately and did not need to feel submissive to Hashem. After the Book of Cures was hidden, the people were unable to heal themselves immediately but were forced to go to a doctor. The need to rely on someone else humbles a person.

Alternatively, perhaps Rashi agrees that there is nothing wrong with using natural remedies. The Book of Cures, however, may have included remedies based on alternative forms of medicine which, to the layman, appeared to be related to witchcraft, or which were actually based on supernatural means.

Chizkiyah feared that those who used the Book of Cures would come to believe that they can circumvent nature and rely on magical cures, and their reliance on Hashem would be diminished. Even though "anything used for medicinal purposes is not considered to be the way of idolaters" (Shabbos 77a), when Chizkiyah saw that people tended to attribute power to forces other than Hashem, he hid the book.

Rashi explains that the reason King Chizkiyahu hid the Book of Remedies was that people were relying upon it too much.3 When illness would strike, instead of the people being encouraged to reflect upon their deeds and to do teshuvah, they found the cure for their condition in the Book of Remedies, and they avoided the process of introspection and repentance.

Rambam (Commentary to Mishnah) provides a different reason why the book had to be hidden. Some of the cures listed were based upon the wisdom of the astronomers, and Shlomo HaMelech authored the volume just for the purpose of providing the chachamim with the knowledge of what these sciences were saying, but not that they be used. When King Chizkiyahu saw that the cures were being used, he immediately hid the book. Rambam points out that if the remedies were natural, Chizkiyahu would not have retracted it from public access. After all, when people eat, they are expected to thank Hashem after doing so. Similarly, when people find a natural cure, we would encourage them to respond properly and to thank Hashem. We would not deny them access to a cure just because they might take it for granted.

writes that this book was written by one of the sons of Noach. He reports that while still aboard the ark, during the flood, they were accompanied by many evil spirits and demons who caused many of the passengers, both human and animal, to become sick. Finally, an angel arrived and took one of the sons of Noach to Gan Eden, where he taught him all the remedies and cures in the world.

the Book of Remedies. Rabeinu Bachya— פרה ו א ו ת רפס These were recorded in this volume, called (Ex 15:25) writes that this book was revealed to Moshe Rabeinu.4 It is with the knowledge of the plants and herbs that Moshe was able to find the tree needed to toss into the bitter waters of Marah in order to sweeten them.

3 https://dafdigest.org/masechtos/Pesachim%20056.pdf 4 “In Hezekiah's time, the people had come to rely on these cures instead of turning to God, perhaps praising and expressing their gratitude to the Book of Remedies rather than extolling the Almighty. The monarch hid the book that was leading people astray so that the ill would be compelled to recognize God”

In Maseches Brochos, Rashi explains that Chizkiyah hid this amazing book so that people would not just resort to it, but they would rather beg mercy from Hashem-the Ultimate Healer.

The following story, related, by Rav Yitzchok Silberstein, shlit” a, of Bnei Brak, adequately conveys this point. There is a woman who lives in the Beis Yisroel section of Yerushalayim who a ‘powerhouse’ of chesed is literally. Beis Yaakov teachers take their students to observe this woman and learn from her tremendous kindness. Her ‘career’ began several decades ago at a time when she fell ill with a dangerous disease, only to be told by the medical staff that her days were short, and her hours numbered. Lying on her deathbed she began to sob uncontrollably. Turning to Hashem she davened with all her might: “Ribono Shel Olam! What nachas will You have from me in the grave where I can do neither mitzvos nor maasim tovim? I promise that if I recover from this illness, I shall devote the rest of my days to Kiddush Hashem and performing chassodim tovim for your people!” She pleaded and begged, and her tefilah was answered. To the utter astonishment of the doctors, a miracle happened and soon she was released from the hospital. Immediately, she began her ‘chessed career’ which knows no boundaries or limitations. This moving story should serve to us as encouragement and strength. May all who need a Refuah or a yeshuah, known for certainty, that the power of tefilah is stronger and more powerful than we can possibly fathom!

HEZEKIAH REQUESTS RECOVERY FROM ILLNESS

,The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick 9 ט ,בָתְּכִמ וּהָיִּקְזִחְל ֶלֶמ - ,הָדוּהְי ,הָדוּהְי .and was recovered of his sickness ,וֹתֲחַבּ יַו יִחְ .וֹיְלָחֵמ יִחְ יַו ,וֹתֲחַבּ ISA 38:9

GEN RABBA 65:9

"Rabbi Levi said: Hezekiah mused, `It isn't good for people to enjoy constant good health until the day they die.

This way they'll never think of repentance. But if they fall sick and then recover, they'll come to repent their sins.'

God said to Hezekiah, `This is a good idea. And I'll start with you!'"

More Unique Customs

Steinzaltz (OBM) writes:5

Another example of customs unique to specific communities was that the people of Jericho, “the city of date palms” (see Deut 34:3), permitted grafting of date palms throughout the day of erev Pesah. Rav Aha the son of Rava explains this to mean placing a branch of a male palm tree on the female.

Date palms are dioecious, that is each tree is specifically male or female. A male tree does not produce dates, but is necessary for its pollen in order for the female tree to give fruit. In nature or in orchards where the palm trees are planted very close together, the wind is enough to fertilize the female trees. When growing date palms commercially to produce dates, however, hand pollination is usually necessary to insure a good fruit harvest. Male flowers should be collected within a few hours after the sheath splits open to prevent pollen loss. The pollen should be stored in a cool place until the female florets on the female tree are ready for pollination. Three or four strands of the male flower should be placed with the female strand from one to three days after the female sheath splits open.

Once the female tree is ready to be fertilized, time is of the essence. Therefore, we can well understand the concern in Jericho that hand pollination should be permitted throughout the day on erev Pesah.

Following the Mishnaic teaching about the six customs of the people of Jericho, the Gemara tells of six actions of King Hizkiyahu, three of which received the approval of the Sages, three of which did not. One of King Hizkiyahu’s activities was suppressing the sefer refu’ot, the Book of Cures, from popular use.

What was this sefer refu’ot?

In Maimonides’ commentary to the Mishna, he argues that if this were simply a book of medicine from which the sick could be healed it should have been valued and used, and the Sages would never have agreed to allow it to be hidden away. He offers two possible explanations:

1. It was a book that listed a variety of forbidden activities that could have an effect on a given

5 https://steinsaltz.org/daf/pesahim56/

illness, which was written as a theoretical treatise, examining nature. When people began to use it in practice, King Hizkiyahu removed it.

2. It was a book that described how to make poison and its antidote. While the intent was to allow a doctor to heal someone who had become poisoned, when people used it to learn how to injure others, it was hidden away.

Medical School

Rabbi Jay Kelman writes:6

The greatest blessing one can have is that of good health. And aside from the three cardinal sins of adultery, idolatry, and murder, no law is as important as that of pikuach nefesh, the mandate to prolong life. Some of our greatest sages and scholars—most notably Maimonides—were doctors, and it is not by chance that Jews are disproportionately represented in the medical field. Just as teaching Torah is the greatest spiritual gift one can give to a person, healing is the greatest physical gift we can give; and we are mandated to do both.

It is thus quite startling to come across the following on our daf:

“Six things did Hizkiyahu the king do; on three they (the Sages) agreed, and on three they did not agree…he hid the Book of Medicine, and they agreed” (Pesachim 56a). Why would Hizkiyahu do such a thing? Moreover, why would the Sages concur with such?

While we are mandated to do all we can to heal the sick, a doctor can only act as God’s messenger. God is the ultimate healer; and just as the sick must go for treatment, they must engage in prayer. The Ramban notes that the mitzvah of bikkur cholim, visiting the sick, is only properly fulfilled if one prays on behalf of the sick. Presumably, the mitzvah of bikkur cholim involves doing what we can to help the sick; the doctors heal, and visitors—unable to provide medical care—can and must pray for their welfare.

Rashi explains that Hizkiyahu felt that, for many, doctors came to replace God. Medicine had advanced to stage where people no longer felt prayer was necessary. They could rely, not on God, but on the Book of Medicine for a cure. In burying this book of cures, it was hoped that a proper balance would be restored between the role of God and that of the doctor.

Not surprisingly, Rashi’s view did not go unchallenged. The Rambam (Commentary to the Mishnah), as he is wont to do, uses very strong language in opposing such a notion. How could it be that Hizkiyahu, one of the most righteous of kings, would do something so hurtful to people? According to such logic, a sick person would not be allowed to eat, because he may ascribe his

6 https://www.torahinmotion.org/discussions-and-blogs/pesachim-56-medical-school

health to his nutrition! Rather, the Rambam7 explains that, whatever its efficacy at one time, many of the prescriptions contained in this book were no longer valid. It was akin to using a medical textbook written fifty years ago, and doing such is nothing short of malpractice.8 While the book was woefully outdated, it still contained some useful ideas, and was hidden (but not burned, a fate to which many of the Rambam’s books were subject). This made it available only to trained physicians, who could make use of the valuable information contained within while discarding that which was potentially dangerous.

Rashi’s views echo a minority strain in our tradition, one developed by the Ramban—namely that for the truly righteous, the proper method of healing should be reliance on God alone. While the Ramban acknowledges such people are few and far between (actually they are nonexistent), in theory at least, we must recognize that when sick, one turns to God, period. Doctors are meant for the average person, but not those who faithfully carry out God’s will.

This view has been rejected by mainstream Jewish thought, and one who relies on such is considered a sinner; perhaps what we may call a righteous fool, but more likely, just an ordinary fool. Yet the debate on the limits of reliance on God has—inexplicably, in my mind—gained traction in other areas of life. While this debate is most noticeable in the educational and employment choices made (or rather, not made) by some, it also plays out in the political realm, where some are wont to ignore and replace geopolitical considerations with a reliance on their understanding of how God means to act.

While the view of Rashi is most pristine9—why rely on sinning man when we can rely on God?— it is the rationalist and realistic view of the Rambam that represents mainstream Jewish thought. While we may not rely on miracles—a tenet with which Rashi agrees—we must work hard to ensure that we are constantly aware that even the natural is the hand of God.

Why was King Hezekiah allowed to hide the Book of Healing, thereby causing otherwise preventable deaths?

7 The Rambam also suggests that perhaps Sefer Refuah was based on idolatrous concepts, and such, cannot be used even to heal.

8 No doubt the Rambam would be the first to admit that much of his own medical advice, like that of the Talmud, would no longer be permissible today. At the same time, the 4th chapter of Hilchot Deot—where the Rambam codifies much of his medical advice— contains much that is (and much that is not) still relevant 850 years later.

9 I think one would be grossly mistaken to claim that Rashi says it’s best not to rely on human efforts. The hiding of the Book of Medicine seems to be a specific case of medicine gone awry that is not easily applied to other areas of life.

DonielF writes:10

Berachot 10b.5-7 teaches:1 יאַמ בוֹטַּהְו״ יֶניֵﬠְבּ תיִשָׂﬠ ?״יִ ... בַּ ר יִ ֵ ל יִ ו מָ א :רַ גֶּשׁ ָ ַנ ז פֵ ס רֶ .תוֹאוּפְ ר וּנָ תּ בַּ ר נָ ַ :ן הָשִּׁשׁ בְ ד רָ םיִ הָשָׂﬠ זִ ח קְ יִּ וּהָ מַּ ה ֶ ,ֶל ,ֶל לַﬠ הָשְׁשׁ וּדוֹה ,וֹל לַﬠְ ו הָשְׁשׁ אֹל וּדוֹה .וֹל לַﬠ הָשְׁשׁ וּדוֹה :וֹל זַנָגּ רֶפֵס וֹאוּפְר ת — וּדוֹהְו .וֹל .. . What is "The good in your eyes I have done?" ... R' Levi said, "That he hid the Book of Healing." The Rabbis taught [in a Braisa]: King Hezekiah did six things; regarding three of them [the Rabbis] agreed to him, and regarding three of them they did not agree to him. Regarding three of them they agreed to him: He hid the Book of Healing, and they agreed to him; ... In explaining what the Book of Healing was, Ben Yehoyada to the parallel in Pesachim 56a.2 explains:111 נ האר יל רפסה הזה היה וב המכח האלפנ לש םיבשע יאש ן םוש ילוח םלועב יאש ן ול האופר הרומג לע ידי ימ ן מ ד ל רמ הור ל א לע יו ו ןישםבעל אפ הכ בשע דחא ללכבו הז שי וב תולוגס םיבשע שיש בשע ךתוח לזרב ו שי ךשומ רבד יאש רשפא וכשמל םידיב בורמ בורמ םידיב וכשמל רשפא נטוק ו ו שי השוע הבהא ו שי השוע האנש יב ן םדא ורבחל יבו ן שיא ותשאל דועו דועו המכ רבד םי דע יא ן סמ רפ .ר It appears to me that this book contained wondrous wisdom regarding herbs, for no ailment in the world cannot be completely cured by way of an herbal remedy. Included in this are some treasured herbs: there is an herb which can cut iron; there is an herb which allows one to pull something immovable by hand because of its small size; there one which creates love, and one which creates hatred, between man and his friend, or between man and his wife; and many others to no end.2 Rashi explains Hezekiah's intentions in destroying such an important book on the parallel in Pesachim:1 יפל אלש היה םבל ענכנ לע םילוח אלא יאפרתמ ן דימ ן יאפרתמ אלא םילוח לע ענכנ םבל היה אלש יפל Because their hearts were not humbled by their ailments; rather, they were healed immediately. However noble his intentions, Hezekiah sentenced people to death in doing so. Taking these sources literally, Hezekiah destroyed the cure to cancer! The law is that saving a life takes precedence over nearly everything (Sanhedrin 74a). Hezekiah wasn't faced with choosing between saving a life and killing someone, worshipping idols, or illicit relations, nor would even a lesser prohibition be violated in public had he kept the book.3 12So why was Hezekiah allowed to forfeit all the millions of lives lost with his destruction of this knowledge?

10 Doniel is an undergraduate chemistry major: https://judaism.codidact.com/users/53011 11 By his referencing plants which can cut iron or lift small objects, I infer that he does not necessarily mean that every plant has a unique remedy; rather, some plants are especially skilled for some tasks. Not every plant can be turned into a thin wire for a metal saw, or a set of tweezers, but there are certainly multiple types of plants which do. With this interpretation, this piece of Ben Yehoyada is entirely in agreement with modern science. 12 This is the critical point of the question, of course, and it's entirely based on Rashi's understanding which I cited. This is not the only approach to this story; Rambam, for instance, on his commentary to Pesachim 4:9, explains that the cures discussed in the book were ones forbidden to practice. With that in mind, please try to answer this question specifically according to Rashi, or perhaps according to a different commentator who does not appeal to preventing sin as Hezekiah's motivation, but not to commentaries such as Rambam.

Divine Hand Rabbi Yitzchak Blau writes:13

“He shall certainly cure” (Shemot 21:19) — The School of R. Ishmael taught: “He shall certainly cure” From here it is derived that permission was granted to the doctor to heal. (Bava Kama 85a)

Our Daf taught: “King Chizkiyahu initiated six actions, three of which the sages endorsed and three they did not endorse. He dragged his father’s bones on a bier of ropes, and they endorsed him; he pulverized the Copper Snake, and they endorsed him; he hid away the Book of Cures and they endorsed him. He cut off the doors to the Sanctuary and sent them to the Assyrian king, and they did not endorse him; he sealed up the waters of the Upper Gihon, and they did not endorse him; he made a leap year during Nissan, and they did not endorse him.” (Pesahim 56a)

What was the Book of Cures, and why was hiding it praiseworthy? Rashi explains that this book enabled people to cure any ailment instantaneously. Such a book needed to be hidden because sickness has its place in the divine scheme of things – ill health reminds us of our human frailty and turns our attention back to Hashem. Therefore, when the ability to instantly restore good health counteracted the religious benefits of sickness, Hizkiyahu removed the Book of Cures.

In his commentary on the Mishna (Pesahim 4:9), Rambam offers two other interpretations. Perhaps the book described healing based on pagan practices, which would violate a biblical prohibition. The Jews had such a book because one is allowed to study this type of material in a purely theoretical way; once some of them began to actually use the practices in the book to treat illnesses, it needed to be taken away. Alternatively, Rambam suggests, the book may have been an encyclopedia of poisons and antidotes, and the problem was that people began to make extensive

13 https://www.ou.org/life/torah/human_initiative/

use of the sections describing poisons. According to both of Rambam’s views, the problem has nothing to do with human medicinal success getting in the way of the divine plan.

Indeed, the Rambam cites such an idea only to vociferously denounce it. He draws a powerful analogy to human attempts to combat hunger. Just as turning wheat into bread does not violate any religious ideal, so too curing the sick is in no way religiously problematic. Not only does the human initiative not contradict a sense of dependence on the divine, it enhances it. Rambam points out that just as we thank God when we eat food, we can thank God for creating the cure developed by human hands.

Interestingly, although the six actions of Hizkiyahu are found in our contemporary editions of the Mishna, they are not part of the mishnaic text in the Gemara (both Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi), and Rambam seems to follow the Gemara. The fact that the Rambam comments on a non-mishnaic text in a commentary on the Mishna reveals how strongly he felt about this idea. He begins his comment with the words: “This halakha is a Tosefta, but I saw fit to explain it as well because it is beneficial.” The Rambam only rarely uses his commentary on the Mishna to discuss texts other than a given mishna. He apparently felt that endorsing human initiative in the world of medicine was so important that he departed from his usual procedure in order to highlight this point.

Hazon Ish (Emuna uBitahon 5:5) refutes the Rambam’s analogy between procuring food and searching for cures, arguing that seeking food is the norm of human existence, while sickness is a deviation from the norm. Unlike hunger, illness reflects divine punishment. Therefore, only illness constitutes a divine message to repent. We respond to hunger by harvesting wheat, but ideally, we should respond to illness with prayer and repentance.

My sympathy in this debate lies fully with Rambam, but I should mention a solid argument advanced by Hazon Ish. He points out that the gemara (Bava Kama 85a) needs the scriptural phrase Ve’rapo yerapei (“He shall certainly cure,” Shemot 21:19) to allow the doctor to cure. No parallel gemara requires a source to allow the hungry person to take steps to alleviate his hunger. Apparently, Hazon Ish argues, healing involves more religious questions than preparing food. Of course, the Rambam might counter that it was only a theoretical possibility that healing might be problematic; once we have the derivation, we discover that seeking remedies does not truly differ

from seeking food. On a theological plane, Rambam clearly sees no distinction between hunger and sickness; illness may be less frequent than hunger, but it is very much a part of the natural order. God set up that order for us to function within as we utilize the best of our human resources.

These two approaches reflect broad differences in religious understanding. I shall paint the two perspectives in broad strokes that will admittedly leave out some nuances. One approach denies or minimizes the natural order, tending to see all difficulties as divine punishments and playing down the significance of human initiative within the natural order; the other approach maximizes the natural order, viewing many difficulties as the normal functioning of nature and granting great value to human naturalistic efforts to alleviate those difficulties. (See David Shatz’s fine article in the Torah u’Madda Journal, vol. 3, for a discussion of these issues.)

Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik firmly identifies with Rambam on this issue. He sees human scientific efforts in general, and the realm of medicine in particular, as the fulfillment of a religious duty:

To live, and to defy death, is a sublime moral achievement. That is why Judaism has displayed so much sympathy for scientific medicine and commanded the sick person to seek medical help. Curing, healing the sick is a divine attribute reflecting an activity (rofe holim) in which man ought to engage.” (“Majesty and Humility,” p. 34)

R. Yisrael Lipshutz also strongly endorses human science and medicine. In his commentary on the Mishna (Tiferet Yisrael), he discusses, in the eighth chapter of Yoma, how to treat both scurvy and rabid dog bites. The same attitude is reflected in his commentary on the source about Hizkiyahu (Pesahim 4:10). R. Lifshitz assumes an interpretation similar to the Rambam’s first explanation. He suggests that the Book of Cures discussed amulets with images and constellations, but he does not think that using such a book, in and of itself, constitutes idolatry. Therefore, when people were led to idolatry by the book, Hizkiyahu hid it but did not destroy it (as he destroyed the Copper Snake). This enabled people to use the Book of Cures in times of real danger. Apparently, even a work that might lead to idolatry must be preserved if it can heal serious human illness.

We see that religious people who believe in the stability of the natural order and endorse human initiative within that order must be careful not to set up a theology that removes God’s providence

from the world. We must achieve a certain balance between the human and the divine. Religious ideals should not inhibit human efforts to alleviate human suffering; on the contrary, they should inspire such efforts. Still, at the same time, that effort must be seen as part of the scheme of divine providence.

Reference

Maimonides Commentary Pesachim 4:9

David J. Halperin writes:14

A mysterious Book of Remedies (henceforth BR) is mentioned in a baraita, quoted twice in the Babylonian Talmud' and erroneously printed in editions of the Mishnah as Pes. 4:9,2 which enumerates six measures executed by King Hezekiah:

14 The Jewish Quarterly Review , Apr., 1982, New Series, Vol. 72, No. 4 (Apr., 1982),

Greek Christian sources, however, enable us to verify that the interpretation repudiated by Maimonides indeed rests on a tradition going back to Talmudic times, and to locate the BR within a web of Jewish traditions concerning Hezekiah's role in the canonization of Solomon's writings. The most important of these sources is preserved in the Quaestiones et Responsiones (po)TrjFotei Kai dtnoKpioctt) attributed to the seventh-century monk Anastasius Sinaita. Quaestio XLI, discussing the Bible's assertion that "Solomon spoke of the trees, from the cedar to the hyssop that is in the wall" (cf. 1 Kings 5:13), quotes from the otherwise lost Greek text of the Commentary on the Song of Songs of Hippolytus (Rome, early third century)

At this point, according to the text published in PG and the mss. collated by G. N. Bonwetsch and H. Achelis, a fresh quotation is introduced, this time from "the Ancient History (dpXatoXoytKcS ioTopiaCt) of Eusebius Pamphili." This source-citation, however, was evidently missing from the text followed by P. de Lagard treats the following material as a continuation of the Hippolytus quote:

In this same work (Quaestio LXV),13 we find a quotation from "the Ancient History (&pXactooyicaS) of Eusebius," in which the "true wisdom" of Solomon is contrasted with the speculations of the Greeks and the heretics, and citations from Ecclesiastes are used to denigrate the latter. There seems no reason to doubt that the dapaltooyia and the dpXatokoytKc? ioTopia are two titles of the same work; that this work was in Anastasius' time attributed to the fourth-century bishop of Caesarea and Christian historian par excellence; and that the book, or the section of it used in the Quaestiones et Responsiones, dealt with Solomon's scientific accomplishments and indulged in bitter abuse of his Greek competitors. No such work is, as far as I know, attributed elsewhere to Eusebius, nor do his extant writings contain the two passages quoted in the Quaestiones et Responsiones. I do not think that they are actually likely to have been derived from Eusebius. The second fragment's placing of Solomon's wisdom in opposition to Greek philosophy accords ill with the treatment of Solomon in Eusebius' Praeparatio Evangelica (XI, 7), where the Hebrew king is portrayed as the forerunner and instructor of Greek philosophers; moreover, had Eusebius known that Solomon wrote a book containing the cures of all diseases, it is hard to see why he would not have mentioned this fact in the Praeparatio, where he quotes 1 Kings 5:12-14 and Wisd. 7:17-21 to prove the breadth of Solomon's knowledge.

The Byzantine writer George Syncellus (ca. 800) preserves a cognate but obviously independent tradition of Hezekiah's suppression of a Solomonic writing:

"There was also a certain writing (ypaccpt) of Solomon's, engraved in the gate (7rXni) of the Temple, which contained the remedy (aKoq) for every disease. The people turned to it, and believing that they had therein the treatments [for their afflictions], despised God. Hezekiah therefore obliterated this as well,'7 in order that the sufferers might turn to God."

Syncellus, who spent much of his life in Palestine, evidently reflects the Palestinian Talmud's version of the baraita, that Queen Helene supposedly donated to the Temple (Yoma 3:10), which, according to the Palestinian tradition, reflected the first rays of the rising sun, and which therefore could plausibly have been presumed to have been affixed to the Temple gate

This last observation is tantalizing. It is surely remarkable that a Greek composition apparently written by a Christian should report a Rabbinic tradition in a clearer and more original form than do the Rabbinic sources themselves. Who, we would like to know, was Pseudo-Eusebius? When did he write? By which channels did Rabbinic traditions reach him? What other materials, Rabbinic and non-Rabbinic, did his Ancient History contain?

World of the Sages: Books of Remedies

What is this Book of Remedies? Who authored the work? And perhaps most importantly, what is so commendable about its censorship?

LEVI COOPER writes15

Our sages credit the righteous monarch, King Hezekiah, ruler of the Kingdom of Judah for 29 years, with a number of achievements. One of these accomplishments was the hiding of a certain "Book of Remedies" (M. Pesahim 4:10; B. Pesahim 56a). This feat was so lauded by the Talmud that it is offered as one of two possible merits that Hezekiah invoked when he was beseeching God to be healed of his fatal illness, saying: "I have done that which is good in Your eyes" (Isaiah 38:3) - that which is good, namely, the suppression of the Book of Remedies (B. Berakhot 10b).

What is this Book of Remedies? Who authored the work? And perhaps most importantly, what is so commendable about its censorship?

The commentators have long debated these questions. As far as the author of this work is concerned, there are those who credit the wise King Solomon (Radak, 12th-13th centuries, Provence; Ramban, 13th century, Spain-Eretz Israel). Others attribute the book to one of Noah's sons, who procured the information from an angel (Tashbetz HaKatan, 13th-14th centuries, Germany). One commentator sees these remedies as dating back to Moses and the desert years, when the loyalty of the wandering Jewish people was tested by the knowledge of these cures. According to this approach, the Book of Remedies was a compilation of natural tonics, describing the healing properties of plants, herbs and the like found in nature.

In Hezekiah's time, the people had come to rely on these cures instead of turning to God, perhaps praising and expressing their gratitude to the Book of Remedies rather than extolling the Almighty. The monarch hid the book that was leading people astray so that the ill would be compelled to recognize God (Rabbenu Bahya, 13th century, Spain). Hezekiah's act was, therefore, a demonstration of his faith in God and was acclaimed as such by the sages.

This approach may have profound implications for modern medicine.

Would Hezekiah advocate the suppression of the vast, and often life-saving, medical knowledge we are fortunate to possess, because some people do not acknowledge God's hidden hand?

Maimonides himself a well-known and much sought-after physician, harshly criticizes this reading. Branding this approach as one that befits fools, Maimonides incredulously asks: If people are famished and eat bread to conquer their hunger, would we say that they have lost their faith in God because they have turned to food for sustenance rather than to the Almighty? Rather, says Maimonides, people should thank God for the medicine, just as they thank God for bread. Maimonides, therefore, presents a different understanding of the Book of Remedies. He suggests that this work was a book of magical healing that prescribed incantations for the sick. Written

15 https://www.jpost.com/jewish-world/judaism/world-of-the-sages-books-of-remedies

originally for permissible academic purposes (B. Shabbat 75a; Sanhedrin 68a), it was later put to practical use - an act forbidden by Jewish law. To combat this crime, Hezekiah censored the book. Despite the protests of Maimonides, the Talmudic sages may indeed be relating to the pitfalls of medical knowledge.

Elsewhere in rabbinic literature, we find a harsh and unusual statement: "The best of the doctors is destined for Gehenna" (M. Kiddushin 4:14). Jewish scholars have offered different explanations for this unsympathetic verdict, all of them limiting the judgment to a certain class of doctors: doctors who cause death when they could save lives (Rashi, 11th century, France); doctors who act in bad faith (Ri, 12th century, Germany); doctors who act recklessly and callously (Ramban); doctors who pretend to be experts when they are truly ignorant of the profession (Kalonymus ben Kalonymus, 14th century, Provence) or doctors who act when there are others who have greater expertise than them (Rabbi Simon Duran, 14th-15th centuries, Majorca-Algiers).

One commentator, himself a recognized physician, appended this adage to doctors who perform internal operations, perhaps reflecting the state of medical knowledge in his day (Rabbi Isaac Lampronti, 17th-18th centuries, Italy).

We might offer another possible understanding of this unforgiving declaration. The best of doctors may be inclined to credit their own acumen for their medical achievements. Such foolishness, say the sages, leads one from the path of God. The faculties with which we are endowed and the opportunities that befall us, should not be seen as the strength of our own hands. Rather, it behooves us to remember God and His role behind the scenes as the playmaker and facilitator (Deut 8:17-18).

Hezekiah and the Book of Remedies16

Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum writes:17

"Even if a sharp sword is pressing on your neck, don't despair of pleading for God's mercy!" (Berakhot 10a)

At one of the most critical junctures of Jewish history, with Assyrian King Sennacherib's vast army closing in on Jerusalem, Hezekiah King of Judah suddenly fell mortally ill. His entire body was covered with horrible sores. The prophet Isaiah came to him and said, "Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you will die and not live" (Isaiah 38:1; Kings II, 20:1).

With God's prophet telling him to make his will and prepare to die, a lesser man might have given up the fight. Not Hezekiah. He had a tradition from his ancestor, King David: "Even if a sharp sword is pressing on your neck, don't despair of pleading for God's mercy" (Berakhot 10a). Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed: "Remember now, O God, I beseech You, how I've walked before You in truth and with a whole heart: I did what is good in Your eyes." Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Hezekiah's turning his face to the wall was more than a physical movement. It was a movement inwards. The "face" he turned was his inner awareness. He focussed his mind on the walls of his heart in order to break through his inner armory, the rationalizations, the accumulated insensitivity (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom #39). The sick Hezekiah turned to God with all his heart, pleading for life. That didn't mean mere chest-thumping. Hezekiah searched within himself not so much for his guilt as for his merit. Just as he had walked before God and done good in the past, so now he begged to be allowed to continue. And his prayer found favor.

God told Isaiah to return to Hezekiah and inform him that not only would he be healed, but he would have another fifteen years added to his life. Isaiah ordered figs to be laid on Hezekiah's boils - a miracle within a miracle, because normally figs cause raw flesh to become putrid - and the king was healed. On the third day Hezekiah went up to the Holy Temple, while an angel passed through the Assyrian camp, killing one hundred and eighty-five thousand men. Sennacherib retreated to Nineveh, and was murdered by his own sons as he worshipped in his idolatrous temple.

The Book of Remedies

16 Judaism has its own distinctive approach to healing giving pride of place to the health of the soul, especially through joy and the "Ten Kinds of Song." Rooted in the Bible, Talmud and Kabbalah, this tradition finds its fullest expression in the teachings of Rebbe Nachman. This book is a clear, informative study of Rebbe Nachman's teachings on healing, providing sound yet easily understood explanations of profound kabbalistic concepts, and offering a wealth of practical guidance for both those facing illness and their caretakers.

17 https://www.azamra.org/Heal/Wings/02.htm

The Midrash throws light on the meaning of Hezekiah's illness. "Rabbi Levi said: Hezekiah mused, `It isn't good for people to enjoy constant good health until the day they die. This way they'll never think of repentance. But if they fall sick and then recover, they'll come to repent their sins.' God said to Hezekiah, `This is a good idea. And I'll start with you!'" (Bereshit Rabbah 65:9). Hezekiah saw that illness can have a positive side if it prompts us to examine ourselves. What have we been doing with our lives? How have we been using our bodies? What is our true purpose in this world? How can we attain it?

As Hezekiah lay in mortal danger, he asked the prophet where he had gone astray. Isaiah explained that he had failed to carry out the first commandment of the Torah, to be fruitful and multiply. Hezekiah said this was because he had seen with holy spirit that his offspring would be unworthy. But Isaiah said this was not his business: he had an obligation to have children. Hezekiah understood his mistake and undertook to marry and have children.

That sickness is a prompt from God to examine ourselves was a lesson Hezekiah, spiritual leader of his people, had long wanted to teach. The point is brought out in a rabbinic comment on Hezekiah's prayer as he lay sick: "I did what is good in Your eyes." Enumerating Hezekiah's achievements during his reign, the Rabbis said he was alluding in his prayer to two major innovations: he "joined Redemption to Prayer, and he put away the Book of Remedies" (Berakhot 10b; Pesachim 56a).

"Joining Redemption to Prayer" literally refers to Hezekiah's institution of the rule that during the daily prayer services no interruption may be made between recital of the blessing of Redemption that follows the Shema and commencement of the silent Amidah prayer. But what about the Book of Remedies? What was it, and why did Hezekiah ban it?

Extant clay tablets and papyruses indicate that the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt possessed a vast body of medical knowledge. Hundreds of therapeutic plant, mineral and animal substances were in use, as well as a wide variety of surgical and other treatments. It would be easy to speculate that the Book of Remedies included medical techniques borrowed from other cultures with which the Jews had contact.

On the other hand, Rabbi Shimon bar Tzemach (the TaShBaTz, 1361-1444) states that the source of the book was supernatural: when Noah was in the ark during the flood, destructive spirits injured his sons, but an angel took one of them to the Garden of Eden and taught him all the remedies in the world (Seder HaDorot #1657).

The Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman of Girondi, 1194-1270) opines that the Book of Remedies was composed by Hezekiah's ancestor, King Solomon, whose God-given wisdom enabled him to deduce the healing properties of the various trees and plants from allusions buried in the Torah (Ramban, Commentary on the Torah, Introduction).

By any account, the Book of Remedies contained the accumulated healing wisdom of the Jewish People. Why then did Hezekiah put it away? It was not that the remedies were ineffective. On the contrary, in Hezekiah's view they were too effective! "When a person became sick, he would

follow what was written in the book and be healed, and as a result people's hearts were not humbled before Heaven because of illness" (Rashi on Pesachim 56a).

In the words of the Rambam (ad loc.): "They did not have trust that it is the Holy One, blessed be He, who heals and binds up wounds." Resort to the Book of Remedies turned sickness and healing into nothing but a mechanical process. Hezekiah was not seeking to withhold medical expertise because of some morbid desire to make people suffer their sicknesses to the full so as to somehow expiate their sins. Far from wanting them to be sick, Hezekiah saw that reliance on the Book of Remedies actually prevented people from being truly healed. While the remedies it contained might alleviate their bodily ailments, the very effectiveness of these physical cures allowed those who used them to avoid confronting the underlying spiritual flaws to which their bodily ailments pointed.

King Hezekiah wanted the people to understand that illness, terrible as it may be, is sent by God for a purpose. It is to prompt us to examine ourselves and our lives, to ask ourselves where we have strayed from our mission and what steps we must take in the future in order to attain genuine self-fulfillment.

Concealing the Book of Remedies would encourage people to take their lives in hand and actualize their latent spiritual powers, playing an active role in their own healing process.

Putting away the Book of Remedies was thus intimately bound up with King Hezekiah's second innovation, "joining Redemption to Prayer." This was more than a technical rule of religious ritual. Hezekiah redeemed prayer itself! He taught people how to pray again. Prayer brings us to the ultimate connection with God. And precisely because prayer is so exalted, it is surrounded by endless obstacles. For many people it seems like a meaningless, tiresome burden: prayer is in exile. Hezekiah sought to tear down the barriers and reveal the new-old pathway of prayer in its true splendor.

Prayer is not just a matter of asking God for favors. It is our way to channel divine power and blessing into ourselves, our lives and the whole world. Through prayer the soul rises to God and is healed, and in turn sends healing power into the body. By truly redeeming prayer Hezekiah was able to put away the Book of Remedies. There was simply no more need for it.

Are we allowed to go to a doctor?

Adam Frieberg writes:18

While many of us enjoy vacation this week, many doctors are working,

Being a doctor, or participating in the healing of anyone, is a great act, fulfilling the verse, “he shall provide for a complete cure” (Ex 21:19), among other mitzvot. With that in mind, the following passage of out daf (Pesachim 56a) should be quite surprising.

18 16 Tevet 5773/December 30, 2012. Beit Midrash Zichron Dov

The Talmud quotes an early source that praises King Chizkiyah for doing three things, and admonishes him for doing three other things. One of the things he is praised for doing is hiding away a "sefer refuot", seemingly a book of medicinal remedies. Rashi’s explanation of this passage is extremely foreign for the modern mind: Rashi writes that the book's secrets were used to quickly heal everyone in need, and it was so effective that sickness no longer humbled people. Rashi’s interpretation advocates for greater trust in G-d. One who is sick must pray for healing; the ability to be perfectly healed by medicine was so dangerous for society, that King Chizkiyahu, with the support of the Sages, effectively reintroduced sickness and disease into the world in order to increase trust in G-d.

To the Rambam, such an approach is simply untenable. In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Pesachim 4:10), (above) Rambam explains that the reason King Chizkiyahu eliminated the book was because it contained medical practices based on idol worship. While the book was originally intended solely for academic use, people started to practice what they read, which was forbidden, and therefore, the decision was made to remove the book. While the Rambam doesn’t make it clear if these forbidden practices worked, he does say that had they been permissible, removing them would have been incredibly ridiculous.

Rambam stresses the importance of countering Rashi’s position, saying that the interpretation that King Chizkiyah buried a book which could heal all, simply because it decreased faith in G-d, is absurd. He proves his point by drawing an analogy between healing and eating: Would anyone suggest that a hungry person eating a piece of bread demonstrates a lack of faith?

Our intuition tells us, as the Rambam understood, that we must accept the laws of nature, and a cursory glance through Jewish sources will support this position. Yet we also believe in Divine providence, as seen throughout Tanach and as emphasized by Rashi.

These concepts do conflict; if we believe a certain event occurs because of Divine providence, then it cannot be attributed solely to the laws of nature, and vice versa. However, we must accept both philosophies in some measure. We should continue to rely on doctors should the need unfortunately present itself, but remembering the ultimate Healer, and His ultimate control of the situation, is prescribed by all.

Rav Yitzchak Levi writes:19

Chazal relate in various places to Chizkiyahu’ s personality and actions. We shall cite here only two such discussions that deal with seven of Chizkiyahu’ s actions, some of which are mentioned in Scripture, and some of which were known to Chazal by tradition. Thus, we learn in Tractate Pesachim: our daf

King Chizkiyahu did six things: concerning three of them [the Sages] agreed with him, and concerning three of them, they did not agree with him.

19 https://www.etzion.org.il/en/chizkiyahus-monarchy-jerusalem-iii-character-chizkiyahu-ii

He dragged his father's bones on a litter of ropes, and they agreed with him; he broke in pieces the brazen serpent, and they agreed with him; he concealed the book of remedies, and they agreed with him. Concerning three things, they did not agree with him: he cut off the doors of the sanctuary and sent them to the King of Assyria, and they did not agree with him; he stopped up the upper watercourse of the Gichon, and they did not agree with him; he proclaimed a leap year in Nissan, and they did not agree with him. (Pesachim 4:9)

A different formulation is found in Avot de-Rabbi Natan:

Yechizkiyahu, King of Yehuda, did four things, and his opinion turned out to be in agreement with that of God: He concealed the book of remedies, and his opinion turned out to be in agreement with that of God; he broke into pieces the brazen serpent, and his opinion turned out to be in agreement with that of God, as it is stated: "For until that time the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and he called it Nechushtan" (II Melakhim 18:4); he removed the bamot and the altars, and his opinion turned out to be in agreement with that of God, as it is stated: "Has not Yechizkiyahu taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Yehuda and Jerusalem, saying, You shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it?" (II Divrei Ha-yamim 32:12); he stopped up the watercourse of the Gichon, and his opinion turned out to be in agreement with that of God, as it is stated: "The same Yechizkiyahu also stopped up the upper watercourse of Gichon and brought it straight down to the west side of the City of David. And Yechizkiyahu prospered in all his works" (ibid. v. 30). (Avot de-Rabbi Natan 2:4)

In addition to the difference between the formulation "they [the Sages] agreed with him" and the formulation "his opinion turned out to be in agreement with that of God," the two sources differ on a number of points: The Mishna in Pesachim mentions six of Chizkiyahu’ s actions, whereas Avot de-Rabbi Natan lists only four, one of which was not mentioned in Pesachim (the removal of the bamot and the altars); in Pesachim there is both criticism and praise, whereas in Avot de-Rabbi Natan, there is only praise; and the two sources differ in their respective assessments of Chizkiyahu’ s stopping up of the Gichon watercourse.

HE CONCEALED THE BOOK OF REMEDIES

This too is mentioned in the two sources, and also in the Gemara in Berakhot:

"Remember now how I have walked before You in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Your sight" (Isa. 38:3). What is, "And have done that which is good in Your sight”? … Rabbi Levi said: He concealed the book of remedies. (Berakhot 10b)

We find two understandings of the incident involving the book of remedies. According to one understanding, the reference is to a book explaining the healing qualities of medicinal herbs which Chizkiyahu concealed so that people would turn to God and put their trust in him – rather than in the book (see Rashi, ad loc., and in Maharal, Netzach Yisrael, chap. 30). According to a second understanding, it is forbidden to conceal a medical text based on natural remedies, and Chizkiyahu

concealed a book containing remedies based on astrology or other forbidden practices after people had begun to make practical use of the text (see Rambam's commentary above, to the Mishna, Pesachim, ad loc.).

Lubavitcher Rebbe on Healing and the LIMITS OF Medical Doctors20

There are those who have simple ways of living. Some people recognize only the physical, denying any higher power and putting all their energy and efforts into the physical aspect of things. When someone is sick, they run to the best doctors; when someone dies, they say it was by chance; if you want to make a living, you’ve got to work hard and get lucky. Others believe in a higher power and see everything in this world as a reflection of the above. When they need money, they pray; when someone is sick, they pray; they believe that going to doctors is heresy. When someone passes away, they have left for a better place. Yiddishkeit doesn’t afford us the luxury of simple philosophies. On the one hand, it is a foundation of our belief that everything comes directly from Hashem, who administers every single thing that happens in every area of creation. If you want to change something in your life, you have to daven and strengthen your bitachon. At the same time, Hashem wants us to channel everything in the physical world: to watch our health; to go to doctors—the best ones at that; and to go out and work for a living. The Torah expects us to keep a

20 https://files.anash.org/uploads/2020/04/anash.org-samples.pdf

delicate balance: That we be fully anchored in our belief, but proactive in the world; to see the spiritual in everything that happens, but take responsibility for our actions. Nowhere is this more crucial than in medicine and healing, where a person’s attitude and mindset have such an effect on their approach and wellbeing. Much of the Rebbe’s guidance in medicine is about finding the right balance; to understand the place of modern medicine, to approach it with a Jewish attitude, and “ נא י ’ה ךאפור ” .recognize who our true Healer is

GEZUNTAND BITACHON

The fundamental Jewish attitude to health is that nothing is by chance; everything comes from I am Hashem your healer. When a person is sick, the , ’ךאפור ה נא י ,Hashem. As the possuk tells us ultimate address is Hashem, and the most powerful medicine is to strengthen one’s connection to Hashem by davening to Him, strengthening one’s bitachon, and observing Torah and mitzvos. But that doesn’t mean that one shouldn’t go to doctors.

אפרו ,(It is part of His plan that we use medicine, as the Beraisa tells us (and it is cited by Rashi permission for the doctor to heal (meaning: the ,אפרי ןאכמ הנתינש תושר אפורל אפרל תו :granted Torah Torah mandates that an injured person must be reimbursed for his medical bills, implying that medicine is an authentic method of healing according to Torah).

And, the Rebbe adds, this doesn't only mean that a doctor is allowed to practice medicine, but even more so, that Hashem gives him the power to do so. Furthermore, when a person is sick, he is guard yourself very , דואמ ו םתרמשנ םכיתושפנל :commanded to go to the doctor, as the possuk tells us carefully.

The doctor also has a mitzvah, to help his patients as a matter of pikuach nefesh, saving lives. We go to doctors like everyone else, but our attitude couldn’t be more different. We don’t go to them because we believe that they have the power to affect our lives; we go to them because Hashem told us to do so. Hashem is the One who heals us, but He does it through His instruments. And the more bitachon we have, the more we see this in a revealed manner.

As the Rebbe writes to a person whose wife was afraid of going to the hospital: “Hashem created it runs He and world nothing in the world happens without Hashem... אוה רמא ו יהי , אוה הוצ ו דומעי — the and everything that Hashem wants—happens. It’s just that Hashem wants a natural keli to be made, meaning that things should happen in a natural way. “When a Yid, man or woman, feels unwell and a doctor needs to be called, that doesn’t mean that the doctor will do as he desires— rather Hashem chooses the doctor to be His sh’liach to fulfill this shlichus. “When we have bitachon that Hashem runs the world—without any doubt—then we merit to see this with our physical eyes: That at every step of the way, Hashem is holding our hand and leading us for our own benefit, physically and spiritually.”

From this perspective, the doctor is both more powerful and less powerful: Philosophically, the doctor has no power at all. But practically, we must follow his instructions to the letter. (It should be noted; there are guidelines the Rebbe laid out on how to choose your doctor, how many doctors to ask, and what to do in the event of a disagreement among doctors themselves, etc., see below. But ultimately, we are bound to their instructions.) “In areas regarding physical health,” the Rebbe

writes, “our holy and living Torah tells us that we must follow the words of the doctor… for he is only a sh’liach. Obviously, you can tell the doctor what your own opinion is, including the one that you wrote to me, but once he hears your opinion, you must follow his decision, whether you agree with it or not. A doctor is no more than a sh’liach who is working with the power and ability that Torah gave him; coming from the Torah, it is for the benefit of your body and soul. If you don’t understand it, or if you disagree, there is nothing to be surprised about: Torah is the wisdom and the will of Hashem; it’s not surprising that humans do not understand everything in Torah.”

The importance of going to doctors when we’re ill stems from the fact that we are commanded to keep ourselves healthy. As the Rambam says, “For the body to be healthy and complete is from the ways of [serving] Hashem.” This is even more important according to Chassidus, which teaches us that the body is not a barrier to our avodas Hashem that must be beat down (as was the approach of Mussar), rather it is an important partner in our service of Hashem, and it must be taken care of. As the Maggid said, “A small hole in the body is a great hole in the neshama.”

The Rebbe writes in another letter: “It shouldn't matter how you fulfill Hashem’s will—as long as you do so unconditionally. When Hashem tells you to listen to the doctor, that’s what you have to do, and you should be content with the opportunity to listen to Hashem, so you must do it with joy.”

Shulchan Aruch tells us the halacha is that “Torah granted permission for the doctor to heal, and it is a mitzvah. It is part of pikuach nefesh, and one who [is able to heal and] abstains from doing so is guilty of murder.”

However, there were great Rishonim who held that not always should a person go to a doctor. For example: The Ramban holds that ideally, a person should depend on Hashem: If he gets sick it is because Hashem decided to punish him, and if he is healed, it is also by Hashem’s will. But when a person seeks out doctors, then Hashem leaves him to the forces of nature.

The Ibn Ezra holds that it depends on the type of illness: External illnesses should be treated by doctors; internal illnesses should be left up to Hashem. So, when the possuk tells us that an injured person must be reimbursed for his medical bills, it’s only referring to external injury. One of the proofs that has been cited against using doctors is from the fact that Chizkiyahu hid the “Book of Medications.” This book was authored by Shlomo HaMelech and held the secrets to healing every illness, but because eventually people started relying only on the book and not on Hashem, Chizkiyahu buried it.

However, the Rambam writes strongly against the above approaches to medicine. “According to their warped opinion,” he says, “a person who is hungry and eats bread, which will certainly heal his horrible illness of hunger, did he not depend on Hashem?! We would obviously dismiss them as fools! Just as we thank Hashem when we eat for providing us with sustenance, we also thank Him for providing us with medicines that heal us.” He goes on to explain that the “Book of Healing” was a book of sorcery or a book of poisons, and that’s why it was hidden.

In practice: The halacha follows the Rambam, as the Rebbe says in a letter, “It is the accepted halacha by Yidden to follow the Rambam—to use medicines and to put our trust in Hashem that He will send His healing through this person and this medicine…”

DOCTORS HAVE PERMISSION FOR ONE THING

But we only trust doctors for the thing that Torah told us to trust them: to heal. Prognosis and predictions of a person’s chances are not in a doctor’s purview, as the Rebbe often pointed out to people. Rebbetzin Rivkah, the wife of the Rebbe Maharash, had a serious illness in her kidneys when she was 18-years-old, and the doctor gave up on her getting better. In response, the Tzemach Tzedek, her father in-law, said that a doctor has permission to heal—but he has no permission to not heal, or to give up on the patient. The Rebbe would often quote this to people who had heard grim predictions from doctors. “The doctors are in charge of nothing else [other than healing]; when you hear something grim from a doctor, you shouldn’t give it any attention. You must take it as a nisayon, a test from Hashem—he is testing your and your husband’s emunah and bitachon. The sooner you strengthen your emunah and bitachon in Hashem, the sooner you will see your daughter getting better, with your physical eyes.”

DON’T GET CAUGHT UP

So, when we follow doctors, we must remember we are doing so because the Torah instructs us to do so, and we must always remember that doctors are but instruments in the hands of the true healer. “You must fulfill the directives of the doctor, but that’s only on a practical level; your trust should be in Hashem, who will heal you.” “It’s a shame that you looked into medical books in the field that you believe you are sick with. In my opinion, you must do what Torah commanded you— to fulfill the directives of the doctor. Your mind and heart—meaning your thoughts—should be invested in strengthening your bitachon in Hashem, “who heals all and does wonders.” Don’t get involved in chochmas harefuah, that isn’t your job, especially if it affects your mood and depresses you… Tracht gut vet zain gut, think good and it will be good.” “You write the opinion of the doctors, and it is shocking that my words are being twisted… I said and wrote that they should follow the directives of the specialists, and I also said and wrote many times that they shouldn’t be worried about their opinions… and in these two areas the opposite is being done: They are not following the directives of the specialists, and on the other hand they are becoming distressed from the doctors’ opinion. What can I do? Their free choice cannot be taken away…”

REACHING THE TRUE HEALER: SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

Trust Hashem Being that the true healing comes from Hashem and His brachos, the most important thing we can do is strengthen our bitachon in Him, which causes us to see His hand in a revealed way. Sometimes this is the physical solution as well: There were many times when people told the Rebbe that they were nervous about various ailments and pains (especially regarding their heart), and he replied that it was (mostly) caused by their anxiety and in this note, the Rebbe responds to הארנכ רקיע הביסה הבצמל — אוה הז :a woman who was worried about her complicated health situation

ובתמש נ תנ הבצמב .תודימתב לככו חיסתש התעד י רתו הזמ — בטוי בצמה ףסותיו תחלצהב ינינע האופרה תקסעתמש תקסעתמש האופרה ינינע תחלצהב ףסותיו בצמה בטוי לקהלו חסיהב תעדה — ז"ה י"ע יהתש ' הקוסע נעב י ן רחא ירמגל — יא הז יהיש ' ,הרשמ) ,םידומיל רזע תורוחבל . םהב . יכזא ר פ"הוע צ"הע . הלבק . םאו חיסת תעד ירמגל — ךשמב ז מ ן רצק אפרתת .) ש"ריב יכו ב"ו כ "י

It seems that the principal cause of your situation—is that you ruminate about your situation constantly. The more you take your mind off of it—the better it will become and the medical avenues you are involved with will be more successful. In order to make this easier—you should keep busy with something completely different—no matter what it is (a job, studies, assisting girls in yiras shamyaim, and the like.) If you take your mind off of it completely — within a short time you will be healed.