Hagar and Yishmael have just been
expelled from the home of Avraham and Sarah.
The first day is fine, as they enjoy the provisions Avraham packed for
them. But now the water has run dry and
they find themselves under the hot desert sun with no sign of food or drink for
miles around.
Hagar cannot bear to see her young
son in this sorry state and she casts him off to the side. They both begin to weep, crying out to Heaven
for mercy. Sure enough, “God heard the
voice of the lad as he was there.” An
angel descends and reveals an oasis to Hagar and Yishmael. He blesses him with physical prowess and material
prosperity and the young man eventually becomes the ancestor of powerful nations.
And indeed, all’s well that ends
well. Despite the initial estrangement
between father and son, Yishmael later returns to the monotheistic, ethical way
of life of Avraham. The Torah tells us
that he joined Yitzchak in burying Avraham following his passing.
אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר
חָנָה: כִּי הֲוָה אָזְלִינַן בָּתְרֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר לְשַׁיּוֹלֵי
בִּתְפִיחָה, זִימְנִין אָמַר: ״הַמָּקוֹם יִפְקׇדְךָ לְשָׁלוֹם״. וְזִימְנִין
אָמַר לֵיהּ: ״רַחֲמָנָא יִדְכְּרִינָךְ לִשְׁלָם״. הֵיכִי עָבֵיד הָכִי?
וְהָאָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: לְעוֹלָם אַל יִשְׁאַל אָדָם צְרָכָיו בִּלְשׁוֹן
אֲרַמִּי. וְאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: כׇּל הַשּׁוֹאֵל צְרָכָיו בִּלְשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּי
— אֵין מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת נִזְקָקִין לוֹ, שֶׁאֵין מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת
מַכִּירִין בִּלְשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּי! שָׁאנֵי חוֹלֶה דִּשְׁכִינָה עִמּוֹ. דְּאָמַר
רַב עָנָן אָמַר רַב: מִנַּיִן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא סוֹעֵד אֶת הַחוֹלֶה?
— שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״ה׳ יִסְעָדֶנּוּ עַל עֶרֶשׂ דְּוָי״. תַּנְיָא נָמֵי הָכִי:
הַנִּכְנָס לְבַקֵּר אֶת הַחוֹלֶה לֹא יֵשֵׁב לֹא עַל גַּבֵּי מִטָּה וְלֹא עַל
גַּבֵּי כִּסֵּא, אֶלָּא מִתְעַטֵּף וְיוֹשֵׁב לְפָנָיו, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁשְּׁכִינָה
לְמַעְלָה מִמְּרַאֲשׁוֹתָיו שֶׁל חוֹלֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״ה׳ יִסְעָדֶנּוּ עַל
עֶרֶשׂ דְּוָי״. וְאָמַר רָבָא אָמַר רָבִין: מִנַּיִן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ
הוּא זָן אֶת הַחוֹלֶה? — שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״ה׳ יִסְעָדֶנּוּ עַל עֶרֶשׂ דְּוָי״
Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: When we would follow Rabbi Elazar to inquire about
the health of a sick person; sometimes he would say in Hebrew: May the
Omnipresent remember you for peace, and sometimes he would say to him in
Aramaic: May the all-Merciful remember you for peace. The Gemara asks: How did
he do this, pray in Aramaic? Didn’t Rav Yehuda say: A person should never
request that his needs be met in the Aramaic language? And, similarly, Rabbi Yoḥanan
said: Anyone who requests that his needs be met in the Aramaic language, the
ministering angels do not attend to him to bring his prayer before God, as the
ministering angels are not familiar with the Aramaic language, but only with
the sacred tongue, Hebrew, exclusively. The Gemara responds: A sick person is
different. He does not need the angels to bring his prayer before God because
the Divine Presence is with him. As Rav Anan said that Rav said: From where is
it derived that the Divine Presence cares for and aids the sick person? As it
is stated: “God will support him on the bed of illness”. That was also taught
in a baraita: One who enters to visit the sick person should sit neither on the
bed nor on a chair; rather, he should wrap himself in his prayer shawl, and sit
before the sick person below him, as the Divine Presence is above the head of
the sick person, as it is stated: “God will support him on the bed of illness”.
On a similar note, Rava said that Ravin said: From where is it derived that the
Holy One, Blessed be He, feeds the sick person during his illness? As it is
stated: “God will support him on the bed of illness.”
Why did God hear Yishmael’s cry, specifically? Rashi comments that God heeds the prayers of
one who is ill more than those of anyone else.
He was the thirsty one and so God listened to his cries. The source for Rashi’s comment, explains the
Birkas Avraham, is our Gemara. Since the
Divine presence is to be found at the head of the bed of one who is ill, when
the ill person prays, God listens. In
fact, says the Birkas Avraham, the verse should be read “God heard the
voice of the lad as He (God) was there”!
Why are the prayers of an ill person so powerful? The Almighty’s presence leaves no room for
any prosecuting angels or bad spiritual energy.
As a result, prayers by the head of an ill person have greater
power. That’s why it’s so important to
endeavour to visit someone who is ill. A
phone-call is helpful, but a physical visit has unparalleled spiritual
power.
It should be noted, nonetheless, that there are occasions when the unwell
individual is not interested in receiving visitors. Such instances must be respected. It’s no help to visit someone who doesn’t
want visitors. On such occasions,
phone-calls are certainly welcome alternatives. Moreover, during the current Coronavirus
crisis, we must be incredibly cautious about spreading the virus, even
unknowingly. And so the telephone is the
preferred method of fulfilling the mitzvah of bikur cholim, at present.
Returning to God’s response at the head of an ill person, what’s
interesting is that God’s presence doesn’t automatically help the patient’s
recovery. He must still engage in
prayer. Furthermore, the Divine presence
appears to have greater power through the vehicle of the patient
themselves. When they pray, there’s no
stopping their prayers reach God, because He’s right there.
That doesn’t only go for prayers for the patient themselves. Their prayers are more effective for others
too. So that’s why (under normal
circumstances) it’s important to visit the sick. It’s not only beneficial to them – visiting
the sick, our Sages tell us, removes one sixtieth of their illness – it can
also have immense benefit to the visitor.
Since the patient has special praying powers, his blessing has
particular potency.
When I visit a patient in hospital, I will offer them a blessing for a
speedy and complete recovery. Often, I
will then ask them to give me a blessing.
Why? Because of this talmudic
teaching that God is right by their head with zero barriers to impede their
prayers.
It’s very empowering to a patient when a visitor asks them for a
blessing. Sometimes their feeling of self-worth
has deflated, lying there feeling helpless.
Asking them for a blessing demonstrates that you value what they can do
for you. The visit is not a
one-way-street. You need them just as
much as they need you. That boost to
their self-esteem alone can go a long way to improving their recovery horizon.
It’s very important to remedy the sense of imbalance when you go and visit
someone who is ill. By pointing out
their special pipeline to Heaven’s blessing, you bolster the patient’s hope,
strength, and sense of self-worth. May
your hospital visits leave both you and the patient feeling reinvigorated!
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