The Rambam (Maimonides) was the
royal physician to the Sultan of Egypt. The Sultan once commented to the famed
rabbi, “How do I even know you’re a good doctor? I’ve never had the opportunity
to test your proficiency. Look at me, I’m
fit and healthy. In all the years you’ve worked for me, I’ve never been ill!”
The Rambam replied, “Your Royal
Highness, do you not realize? The finest
doctor is the one whose patient never even gets sick to begin with. The proof for my words may be found in the
Torah. When G-d took the Children of
Israel out of Egypt, He declared, ‘All the malady that I placed upon Egypt,
I shall not place upon you, for I am Hashem your healer.’ Now, if they had no malady, why did they need
Him to heal them?”
תָנֵי דְּבֵי רַבִּי
יִשְׁמָעֵאל ״וְרַפֹּא יְרַפֵּא״ — מִכָּאן שֶׁנִּיתְּנָה רְשׁוּת לָרוֹפֵא
לְרַפּאוֹת
הַנִּכְנָס לְבֵית
הַכִּסֵּא, אוֹמֵר: ״הִתְכַּבְּדוּ מְכוּבָּדִים קְדוֹשִׁים מְשָׁרְתֵי עֶלְיוֹן,
תְּנוּ כָּבוֹד לֵאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַרְפּוּ מִמֶּנִּי עַד שֶׁאֶכָּנֵס
וְאֶעֱשֶׂה רְצוֹנִי וְאָבֹא אֲלֵיכֶם״. אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: לָא לֵימָא אִינָשׁ
הָכִי, דִּלְמָא שָׁבְקִי לֵיהּ וְאָזְלִי. אֶלָּא לֵימָא: ״שִׁמְרוּנִי
שִׁמְרוּנִי, עִזְרוּנִי עִזְרוּנִי, סִמְכוּנִי סִמְכוּנִי, הַמְתִּינוּ לִי הַמְתִּינוּ
לִי עַד שֶׁאֶכָּנֵס וְאֵצֵא, שֶׁכֵּן דַּרְכָּן שֶׁל בְּנֵי אָדָם״. כִּי נָפֵיק,
אוֹמֵר: ״בָּרוּךְ. אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת הָאָדָם בְּחׇכְמָה, וּבָרָא בּוֹ נְקָבִים
נְקָבִים, חֲלָלִים חֲלָלִים, גָּלוּי וְיָדוּעַ לִפְנֵי כִּסֵּא כְּבוֹדֶךָ
שֶׁאִם יִפָּתֵחַ אֶחָד מֵהֶם אוֹ אִם יִסָּתֵם אֶחָד מֵהֶם אִי אֶפְשָׁר לַעֲמוֹד
לְפָנֶיךָ״. מַאי חָתֵים? אָמַר רַב: ״רוֹפֵא חוֹלִים״. אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: קָא
שַׁוִּינְהוּ אַבָּא לְכוּלֵּי עָלְמָא קְצִירֵי. אֶלָּא: ״רוֹפֵא כׇל בָּשָׂר״.
רַב שֵׁשֶׁת אָמַר: ״מַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת״. אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: הִלְכָּךְ
נֵמְרִינְהוּ לְתַרְוַיְיהוּ. ״רוֹפֵא כׇל בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת״.
It was taught in the school of
Rabbi Yishmael that from the verse, “And shall cause him to be thoroughly
healed”, we derive that permission is granted to a doctor to heal.
Upon exiting the lavatory, one says: Blessed…Who formed (asher yatzar) man
in wisdom, and created in him many orifices and cavities. It is revealed and
known before the throne of Your glory that were one of them to be ruptured or
blocked, it would be impossible to survive and stand before You.
How should one conclude this blessing? Rav said: One should conclude:
Blessed…Healer of the sick. Shmuel said: Father has rendered everyone sick.
Rather, one should say: Healer of all flesh. Rav Sheshet said: One should
conclude: Who performs wonders. Rav Pappa said: Therefore, let us say them
both: Healer of all flesh, Who performs wonders.
If two people are involved in a physical altercation, and one is injured,
the Torah obligates the attacker to compensate the injured party for various
monetary losses, including medical expenses.
Implicit in the Torah’s provision for medical expenses, says the yeshiva
of Rabbi Yishmael, is the acknowledgment that doctors have a license and duty
to heal. Had the Torah not stated the
provision, we might have assumed that medical intervention should be
proscribed. After all, if Heaven decreed
illness upon an individual, why would we entertain the audacity to attempt to
fix G-d’s plan? In fact, there are other
religions that are reticent to engage in certain medical procedures for this
very reason. Therefore, the Torah states
clearly that medical intervention is the appropriate response to illness. Just like we do not suggest that we should
avoid working and simply hope that G-d will provide, we must similarly make the
effort to heal illnesses and only then will G-d step in and do His part.
What is the process of healing? As
Maimonides taught the sultan, the greatest cure is prevention. We have a duty to take care of the health of
our bodies, and do our best to avoid getting sick. But in order to successfully prevent any
bodily malfunction, first we must understand how the body works. That requires our recognition of the complex
biology of the human anatomy.
Unless you’re a doctor, most of us don’t really give our anatomy much
thought. But in our tradition, we are
called upon to acknowledge the complex and intricate system of our anatomy and
physiology multiple times a day. And
like all facets of Judaism, this duty permeates even the most mundane of our
daily functions. We remind ourselves how
fortunate we are to have a body that works each time we relieve ourselves.
Following a visit to the lavatory, we thank Hashem, the
‘Healer of all flesh, Who performs
wonders.’ You might not have been ill
and requiring of healing. But prevention
is better than cure. And recognition of one’s
healthy bodily function precedes prevention.
The bracha of Asher Yatzar that we make following the use of the
facilities gives thanks to Hashem for facilitating the use of all of our
facilities.
The blessing is quite explicit, but at the same time, an honest reflection
of the reality of the human condition.
We are so blessed to have the ability to open and close every orifice
and cavity at will. We can turn the taps
on when we need to and close them when we need to. If even the smallest valve was blocked, it
would cause us untold pain, with consequences potentially far worse, G-d
forbid. The workings of the tiniest
internal pipe and flow of bodily fluids and waste material is miraculous. The ability to function each day in a state
of good health is an incredible blessing.
As strange as it might be to make a blessing following the use of the
lavatory, that is precisely the moment when we should be most keenly aware of
the wonders of nature that the Creator designed and watches over.
If you’re going to choose one bracha to commit to, Asher Yatzar is
probably the most important blessing of the day. Our properly functioning anatomy and
physiology should never be taken for granted.
May you constantly thank the Creator for the wonders of your body and
may your body forever continue to function perfectly!
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