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Beit Midrash
- Jewish Laws and Thoughts
- Serving Hashem, Mitzvot and Repentance
For the human body, wondrous and complicated and exact as it is, and it certainly is all of that and more, is also very fragile and delicate. Everything must work correctly for us to feel healthy and good about ourselves. The slightest nagging pain or even relatively minor discomfort affects our mood and our creativity and sense of worth. The professional athlete is constantly counseled and even ordered to "play hurt." But in real life it becomes a daunting task to "play hurt." And those who are blessed with good health and a pain-free existence are rarely able to completely empathize with their less fortunate colleagues.
"Stop kvetching" we tell our little children when they complain and whine over some minor physical hurt. This relatively unsympathetic attitude unfortunately remains ingrained within us even when we deal with adults and more major difficulties. It is to counteract this apparently innate insensitivity to the condition and feelings of others that the Torah mandates for us the fulfillment of the value of visiting the sick - bikur cholim.
The Torah derives this component of human behavior to visit and cheer the sick from God’s visit, so to speak, to our father Avraham after his circumcision surgery. In fact, the healing angel Refael is sent to the tent of Avraham for the express purpose of diminishing his pain and helping heal his wound. Thus visiting the sick, in terms of Jewish thought and behavior, became a Godly enterprise and not only a social nicety.
Investing otherwise ordinary human behavior with a sense of holiness and mission is one of the great hallmarks of a Torah life. Thus visiting the sick becomes a value for which one "eats the fruits thereof in this world while the principal reward for it is preserved for payment in the World to Come." But how does visiting the sick help the sick person? The Talmud teaches us that the visit removes one-sixtieth of the pain and discomfort. By this the rabbis meant that the expression of care that the visit signifies is itself a source of encouragement and good feeling for the sick person.
As such the sick person feels somewhat lightened of the burden of the sickness being suffered. There are naturally situations when no visiting should be allowed to take place and in any instance the visit should not be overly long and taxing for the sick person. Nevertheless, in most instances, care and concern expressed by the visit of others is a boon to one’s health and well being.
The Talmud teaches us that sickness was relatively unknown until the time of our father Yaakov. It was then introduced according to the request of Yaakov himself in order to give one an opportunity to settle one’s affairs in this world and prepare for the transition to the eternal world. Sickness therefore was not always seen as being something completely negative. It certainly allows one to fix one’s thoughts and behavior on the important things in life and let loose of the pettiness that so often dominates our existence.
Sickness was also seen as a form of expiation of sins in this world. Nevertheless, our prayers on Yom Kippur ask God to erase and expiate our sins but not to use sickness and pain as methods to do so. All of our prayers to be spared are legitimate and justified. For many times the lack of good physical health results eventually in weaker spiritual health as well. There are many examples in Jewish history of great people who rose above their ill health and became spiritually stronger and greater.
Yet there are many instances when ill health had the completely opposite effect upon the previously pious and inspiring person. Since there cannot be any hard and fast rule regarding this matter that will fit all individuals and circumstances, our prayers to God for continued good health are in order and deemed necessary and justified. So let us therefore continue to wish ourselves and all those that we encounter the blessing of good health and long life .
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.