Insights and Inspiration
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
from the
Holy Land
from
Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz
"Your friend in Karmiel"
February 7th 2013 -Volume 3, Issue
18 –27th of Shevat 5773
Parshas Mishpatim/Shekalim
Doctor God
I
don’t like going to Doctors. Maybe if I wasn’t an overweight, middle aged,
unhealthy lifestyle (lots of coffee, intermittent meals and some stress) man
with a family history of people who died (doesn’t everybody?), than I wouldn’t
be subject to those scolding glares that mentally send me back to my days in
the Principal’s office. Yet here I am, fulfilling my annual marital
responsibility. I realized long ago it’s much easier and less painful to get
the glances and scolding from my Doctor then from my wife- for not going.
I
used to have a good Doctor. He was overweight, he smoked, and he was always
smiling and positive. I felt healthy just looking at him. He even gave me a
great prescription for some medicine that got rid of my heartburn after eating
Pizza, lasagna or too much chulent. It was great… until my wife came with me
once for a physical. Needless to say I no longer see him. My new Doctor, Dr.
Watson is 6’1, weighs about 100, works out like a million times a day, is
probably a vegetarian, has never had a Danish in his life and stands in front
of the mirror each morning practicing his “disappointed in you” look to
perfection. Unlike my last Doctor who always wished me a wonderfully cheery “See
ya next time, Rabbi”. Dr. Doom shakes my hand as if it will be the last time,
and reminds me to make sure my life insurance is paid up.
Joking
aside, though as any good Jew and certainly any married, unhealthy, Rabbi whose
wife is also Torah educated knows, it’s a Mitzvah to take care of your health.
THE MOST IMPORTANT MITZVAH (caps are her’s). Hashem gave us a soul and a body
and we are entrusted to take care of it. So I am grateful to my doctor, as much
as I hate it, for giving me the mussar I need. As I am grateful to my teachers
and principals, in retrospect for guiding me and rebuking me the many times
that I certainly deserved it. Yet it would be nice if the doctor would have a
little humility and smile a bit more. After-all although we are obligated to
care for ourselves, ultimately Judasim believes that are years and our health
is in the hands of the Almighty.
This
weeks Torah portion shares with us the Mitzvah of being a Doctor. The Torah
tells us that if someone injures another he is obligated to pay for his medical
costs. V’Rapo Ye’Rapeh- and heal he shall heal him. The Talmud utilizes
this verse as the source for Judaism’s permissibility to heal. Although it
would seem that this would be seemingly a no-brainer, after-all aren’t we
obligated to take care of ourselves and to help save a life. Yet, the commentaries
suggest that the Torah felt it was essential for Doctors in particular to
recognize that their license to practice comes from the “Rofeh Kol Basar-
The Healer of all flesh” the Chief Doctor Himself; Hashem. For us,
patients, as well there is an important lesson in this teaching. As much as we
are obligated to go to Doctors and to take care of our health, we are always
meant to recognize that the Doctor is merely a member of God’s Medical team.
Any prognosis we ever receive is always appeal-able to the Higher Power. Your
Doctor is and always should be your necessary second opinion. But ultimately it
is Hashem who heals you. He does so every day before we get sick and He stands
by our bedside as we recover. Doctors probably should have the capacity to recognize
this more than us, as they witness medical miracles regularly. But in truth if
we pause for just a moment, as we are obligated to throughout the day, we can
experience this too.
When
during the day am I referring to? Have a read below from this moving article
that was actually published in the Journal of American Medical Association. I’m
sure it can change your life as it has mine.
For
Everything A Blessing
by Kenneth M. Prager, M.D.
Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York
Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York
Journal of American Medical Association Vol.
277, Issue 20, 1589 May 28, 1997
When
I was an elementary school student in yeshiva – a Jewish parochial school with
both religious and secular studies – my classmates and I used to find amusing a
sign that was posted just outside the bathroom. It was an ancient Jewish
blessing, commonly referred to as the asher yatzar benediction, that was
supposed to be recited after one relieved oneself.
For grade school children, there could be nothing more strange or ridiculous than to link to acts of micturition and defecation with holy words that mentioned God’s name. Blessings were reserved for prayers, for holy days, or for thanking God for food or for some act of deliverance, but surely not for a bodily function that evoked smirks and giggles. It took me several decades to realize the wisdom that lay behind this blessing that was composed by Abayei, a fourth-century Babylonian rabbi.
Abayei’s blessing is contained in the Talmud, an encyclopedic work of Jewish law and lore that was written over the first five centuries of the common era. The Jewish religion is chock-full of these blessings, or brachot, as they are called in Hebrew. In fact, an entire tractate of Talmud, 128 pages in length, is devoted to brachot.
On page 120 (Brachot 60b) of the ancient text it is written:
Abayei said; “When one comes out of a privy he should say:
For grade school children, there could be nothing more strange or ridiculous than to link to acts of micturition and defecation with holy words that mentioned God’s name. Blessings were reserved for prayers, for holy days, or for thanking God for food or for some act of deliverance, but surely not for a bodily function that evoked smirks and giggles. It took me several decades to realize the wisdom that lay behind this blessing that was composed by Abayei, a fourth-century Babylonian rabbi.
Abayei’s blessing is contained in the Talmud, an encyclopedic work of Jewish law and lore that was written over the first five centuries of the common era. The Jewish religion is chock-full of these blessings, or brachot, as they are called in Hebrew. In fact, an entire tractate of Talmud, 128 pages in length, is devoted to brachot.
On page 120 (Brachot 60b) of the ancient text it is written:
Abayei said; “When one comes out of a privy he should say:
"Blessed is He who has formed man in
wisdom and created in him many orifices and many cavities. It is obvious and
known before your Throne of glory that if one of them were to be ruptured or
one of them blocked, it would be impossible to survive and stand before You.
Blessed are You that heals all flesh and does wonders.”
An observant Jew is supposed to recite this blessing in Hebrew after each visit to the bathroom. We young yeshiva students were reminded of our obligation to recite this prayer by the signs that contained its text that were posted just outside the restroom doors.
It is one thing, however, to post these signs and it is quite another to realistically expect preadolescents to have the maturity to realize the wisdom of and need for reciting a 1600-year-old blessing related to bodily functions. It was not until my second year of medical school that I first began to understand the appropriateness of this short prayer.
Pathophysiology brought home to me the terrible consequences of even minor aberrations in the structure and function of the human body. At the very least, I began to no longer take for granted the normalcy of my trips to the bathroom. Instead, I started to realize how many things had to operate just right for these minor interruptions of my daily routine to run smoothly.
I thought of Abayei and his blessing. I recalled my days at yeshiva and remembered how silly that sign outside the bathroom had seemed. But after seeing patients whose lives revolved around their dialysis machines, and others with colostomies and urinary catheters, I realized how wise the rabbi had been.
And then it happened: I began to recite Abayei’s bracha. At first I had to go back to my siddur, the Jewish prayer book, to get the text right. With repetition – and there many opportunities for a novice to get to know this blessing well – I could recite it fluently and with sincerity and understanding.
Over the years, reciting the asher yatzer has become for me an opportunity to offer thanks not just for the proper functioning of my excretory organs, but for my overall good health. The text, after all, refers to catastrophic consequences of the rupture or obstruction of any bodily structure, not only those of the urinary or gastrointestinal tract.
Could Abayei, for example, have foreseen that “blockage” of the “cavity,” or lumen, of the coronary artery, would lead to the commonest cause of death in industrialized countries some 16 centuries later?
I have often wondered if other people also yearn for some way to express gratitude for their good health. Physicians especially, who are exposed daily to the ravages that illness can wreak, must sometimes feel the need to express thanks for being well and thus wellbeing. Perhaps a generic, non-denominational asher yatzer could be composed for those who want to verbalize their gratitude for being blessed with good health.
There was one unforgettable patient whose story reinforced the truth and beauty of the asher yatzer for me forever. Josh was a 20-year-old student who sustained an unstable fracture of his third and fourth cervical vertebrae in a motor vehicle crash. He nearly died from his injury and required emergency intubation and ventilatory support. He was initially totally quadriplegic but for weak flexion of his right biceps.
A long and difficult period of stabilization and rehabilitation followed. There were promising signs of neurological recovery over the first few months that came suddenly and unexpectedly: movement of a finger here, flexion of a toe there, return of sensation here, adduction of a muscle group there. With incredible courage, hard work, and an excellent physical therapist, Josh improved day by day.
In time, and after what seemed like a miracle, he was able to walk slowly with a leg brace and a cane. But Josh continued to require intermittent catheterization. I know only too well the problems and perils this young man would face for the rest of his life because of a neurogenic bladder. The urologists were very pessimistic about his chances for not requiring catheterization. They had not seen this occur after a spinal cord injury of this severity.
Then the impossible happened. I was there the day Josh no longer required a urinary catheter. I thought of Abayei’s asher yatzer prayer. Pointing out that I could not imagine a more meaningful scenario for its recitation, I suggested to Josh, who was also a yeshiva graduate, that he say the prayer. He agreed. As he recited the ancient bracha, tears welled in my eyes.
Josh is my son.
An observant Jew is supposed to recite this blessing in Hebrew after each visit to the bathroom. We young yeshiva students were reminded of our obligation to recite this prayer by the signs that contained its text that were posted just outside the restroom doors.
It is one thing, however, to post these signs and it is quite another to realistically expect preadolescents to have the maturity to realize the wisdom of and need for reciting a 1600-year-old blessing related to bodily functions. It was not until my second year of medical school that I first began to understand the appropriateness of this short prayer.
Pathophysiology brought home to me the terrible consequences of even minor aberrations in the structure and function of the human body. At the very least, I began to no longer take for granted the normalcy of my trips to the bathroom. Instead, I started to realize how many things had to operate just right for these minor interruptions of my daily routine to run smoothly.
I thought of Abayei and his blessing. I recalled my days at yeshiva and remembered how silly that sign outside the bathroom had seemed. But after seeing patients whose lives revolved around their dialysis machines, and others with colostomies and urinary catheters, I realized how wise the rabbi had been.
And then it happened: I began to recite Abayei’s bracha. At first I had to go back to my siddur, the Jewish prayer book, to get the text right. With repetition – and there many opportunities for a novice to get to know this blessing well – I could recite it fluently and with sincerity and understanding.
Over the years, reciting the asher yatzer has become for me an opportunity to offer thanks not just for the proper functioning of my excretory organs, but for my overall good health. The text, after all, refers to catastrophic consequences of the rupture or obstruction of any bodily structure, not only those of the urinary or gastrointestinal tract.
Could Abayei, for example, have foreseen that “blockage” of the “cavity,” or lumen, of the coronary artery, would lead to the commonest cause of death in industrialized countries some 16 centuries later?
I have often wondered if other people also yearn for some way to express gratitude for their good health. Physicians especially, who are exposed daily to the ravages that illness can wreak, must sometimes feel the need to express thanks for being well and thus wellbeing. Perhaps a generic, non-denominational asher yatzer could be composed for those who want to verbalize their gratitude for being blessed with good health.
There was one unforgettable patient whose story reinforced the truth and beauty of the asher yatzer for me forever. Josh was a 20-year-old student who sustained an unstable fracture of his third and fourth cervical vertebrae in a motor vehicle crash. He nearly died from his injury and required emergency intubation and ventilatory support. He was initially totally quadriplegic but for weak flexion of his right biceps.
A long and difficult period of stabilization and rehabilitation followed. There were promising signs of neurological recovery over the first few months that came suddenly and unexpectedly: movement of a finger here, flexion of a toe there, return of sensation here, adduction of a muscle group there. With incredible courage, hard work, and an excellent physical therapist, Josh improved day by day.
In time, and after what seemed like a miracle, he was able to walk slowly with a leg brace and a cane. But Josh continued to require intermittent catheterization. I know only too well the problems and perils this young man would face for the rest of his life because of a neurogenic bladder. The urologists were very pessimistic about his chances for not requiring catheterization. They had not seen this occur after a spinal cord injury of this severity.
Then the impossible happened. I was there the day Josh no longer required a urinary catheter. I thought of Abayei’s asher yatzer prayer. Pointing out that I could not imagine a more meaningful scenario for its recitation, I suggested to Josh, who was also a yeshiva graduate, that he say the prayer. He agreed. As he recited the ancient bracha, tears welled in my eyes.
Josh is my son.
Have
a spectacular Shabbos Mevorchim!
Rabbi
Ephraim Schwartz
This
week's Insights and Inspiration is sponsored by Asya Starosta in loving memory
of her grandfather Abram Krinberg and in appreciation of the weekly inspiration.
May the merit of the Torah that is learned each week and her support of our
programs in Israel uplift her grandfather's neshoma and may she blessed with
only wonderful things!
Thanks!
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The Young Israel of Karmiel would like to invite you to join us this Shabbos for our warm and friendly services.
Our Shul is located at 24 HaChavatzelet Street in the Dromi in the Beit Meli building/home.
Candlelighting-4:50 PM
Friday Evening- 5:00 PM
Shabbos Morning Services --8:30 AM
Mincha Shabbos afternoon 4:35 PM
Shabbos ends- 5:56 PM
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
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American Friends of Yisrael Hatzair & The International Young Israel Movement, Israel Region MISHLOACH MANOT CAMPAIGN 2013 Add family & friends in Israel to your Mishloach Manot List Send Mishloach Manot to Soldiers at IDF bases throughout Israel This is your opportunity to send Mishloach Manot to family & friends anywhere in Israel, while supporting the Young Israel in Israel's chesed, educational & social activities Sponsor Mishloach Manot packages which will be hand delivered by our volunteers to IDF soldiers before Purim. Support our Chayalim protecting our land and people! All products are Mehadrin/ Prices include delivery Deadline for orders: Thursday, February 14th 2013 For orders, payment, package options and further details visit www.yimanot.org For further inquiries: israelmanot@gmail.com ******************************** ROSH CHODESH NEITZ MINYAN Kollel Toras Chayim is starting a monthly Rosh Chodesh Neitz/SUNRISE minyan this Sunday Rosh Chodesh Adar Shacharis at 6:05 AM at Bait Mali- Hallel, singing followed by breakfast! ********************************* NESHEI YOUNG ISRAEL UPCOMING ROSH CHODESH MONTHLY WOMEN'S EVENT DETAILS TO FOLLOW **************** YOUNG ISRAEL WELCOMES YOU TO OUR 2ND ANNUAL COMMUNITY PURIM SEUDA!!
MUSIC, FOOD, FRIENDS, COSTUMES AND FUN!!!
WHERE-NA'AMAT ON RECHOV CHAVATZELET
WHEN- Sunday Feb. 24th
Purim Day3:30 PM-?????
PRICE- 70 NIS PER ADULT 35 PER FOR THE FIRST 3 KIDS
BRING YOUR OWN WINE (AND SOME FOR ME) AND WE GUARANTEE IT WILL BE FINE J
TO RESERVE IN ADVANCE PLEASE CONTACT RABBI GOLDBAUM AT
-050-413-3481
FRAYLICHEN PURIM!!
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RABBI SCHWARTZ PARSHAT SHEKALIM OF THE WEEK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LumTctlFXI0
and of course the classic funny Shekel haggle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n3LL338aGA
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RABBI
SCHWARTZES TOUR GUIDE COURSE QUESTION OF THE WEEK
(answer below)
An
inscription bearing the word "boundary" was found near ?
(a) Tel Beit Shemesh
(b) Meggido
(c) Hatzor
(d) Tel Gezer
RABBI SCHWARTZ COOL PLACES IN ISRAEL OF THE WEEK-
Mamshit – Located in the upper Negev who would
ever have thought that if it were up to Ben Gurion this might have been the
capital of Israel. This was part of his lifelong dream of populating the Negev.
This Nabatean city is one of the most beautiful in Israel and is a UNESCO
recognized heritage site along with its counter parts (Nitzana Shivta and
Obdat) as part of the Spice Trail. The Nabateans, which were descendants of
Yishamael that are mentioned in the Torah as passing by and purchasing Yosef
from the pit (Bereshis 23:14 "These are the names of the sons of
Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael,
Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam") major period of development was from the 4th century BC when they were tribes of nomads
trading in spices and incense from africa to between China, India, the Far
East, Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. They were pagans who's laws included the
prohibition to drink wine, plant trees of houses by punishment of death. Thus maintaining
their nomadic lifestyle for centuries traveling through the desert on their 62
day journey covering on camels about 25 miles per day. Eventually however with
their wealth and later Hellenist and Roman influence they built cities and
converted to Christianity. In mamshit which was a capital city of the negev the
Palestina Teretzia of the Romans one can see beautiful remains of the rich mans
quarters, the roman stables, ancient churches and pagan nile temples with
mosaics. Definitly a cool place to see and feel what life in the desert was
like.
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RABBI SCHWARTZ QUOTE OF THE WEEK
There must be something to acupuncture.After all, you never see any sick porcupines!” - Bob Goddard
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Answer
Answer
is D- (I confess I
answered this one correctly by process of elimination- I was at the other sites
and was never at Gezer and I didn't remember it from the other sites-but I got
it right… and that’s what countsJ ) The
ancient site of Gezer is not an easily visited or kept up site although it's
significance is great. First excavated in the early 1900's by McAllister of the
PEF it was the first biblically identified city by the find of the boundary
stone in Hebrew and Greek stating it was the boundary of Gezer. The stone was
possibly from the Chashmonaim period to define borders of the city in regards
to the laws of Maaser/tithes between the jewish farmlands and their pagan
neighbors. Since then 13 such stones have been found the most recent last year.
The city originally Egyptian was given to King Solomon as a dowry when he wed
the pharaoh of Egypt's daughter and he built it along with Megiddo and Chatzor
as huge cities. Each one of them identical with 6 chambered gates. There is
also a mud brick gate from the Cannani period (it's survived all these years
because it was burnt in a fire-which we are told in mealchim was done by
pharaoh when he conquered from the cananites) as well as a temple of sorts with
10 stones reminiscent of the stones of Moshe when the Jews came to Israel.
There is a huge 50 meter water reservoir as well as remains of the ancient
towers. Unfortunately the site is not well kept and not easy to visit. But in
recent years new digs there have tied to make it more accessible.
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