Health and Healing. Shevet MiYehuda on VaYishlach

“If you possess Da’at, than you lack nothing.” (Midrash Rabba, Vayikra)


What is the connection between Sabbath Observance, the Torah, and mental health? Below we will discover not just hints at health and healing in the Bible, but the health benefits hinted at in the practice and study of the Torah. The assumption is that there is a spiritual source to physical wellbeing. If you do not believe that health has anything to do with a man’s inner world or spirit, or that the teachings, even the very letters of the Torah are the root and source of the spiritual live of the Jews and many among the nations of the world, then there may be little point in continuing to read this blog. But first, some key background information.

In the second and third centuries of the Common Era the Rabbis of the Talmud in the Land of Israel and in Babylon would say “Shabbos keeps us from crying out in pain, and healing will soon come.” (Talmud, Shabbat, 12a) when visiting a sick person on Shabbos. Observant Jews through the ages have used these words when praying for a person to be healthy on Shabbos, and also in order to give a word of comfort and encouragement to a sick person on Shabbos. And we still say it today.

Another time honored mitzvah is the public reading of the Torah. The five books of Moses are divided into 53 sections, and one section, called the Parsha, is chanted in public in the Synagogue every Shabbos. (the beginning of every Parsha is also chanted publicly in the morning service every Monday and Thursday.) Dedicated Jews do not only hear the Torah being read in public, but they take care to fulfill the mitzvah of studying the parsha independent of the synagogue ritual. At the very least, they read it themselves.

Everything is included in the Parsha. That is to say, if you reflect upon your life while reading, or even better, studying the Parsha, then you will hear God speak to you. This does not mean that you will hear a supernatural voice, or a voice from heaven. If you do, I would seek counseling. But if you listen carefully, you will hear that little voice that everyone has which we vaguely call thoughts of personal reflection. Some might call it a conscience. (I once asked some Jewish children from a modern assimilated background if they believed in God, and they answered me, “we don’t believe in God. Our grandmother taught us to believe in the conscience.” To this I asked them, “In the beginning, did your conscience create the world?”) Torah belief teaches us that God looked into the Torah, and created the world. Therefore, everything that happened or will happen is rooted in the letters of the Torah, and if you listen and reflect, you can hear it. Whether you call it your conscience or the voice of God, there is a hint of everything you need to know in the words of the weekly Parsha.

Specifically, the Parsha contains hints about health and healing. Rabbi Avraham Eiger, may his memory be for a blessing, was a Torah scholar from Lublin, Poland in the beginning of the twentieth century. His great grandfather was Rabbi Akiva Eiger, Zts’l, one of the pre-eminent Talmudic scholars of all times. Rabbi Avraham knew a life of sickness and suffering. In the midst of physical hardship, he took refuge in the holy study of Torah so as to reveal the roots of healing so abundant, yet so hidden, in every passage of the Torah. His refuge was not only for his own selfish interests, but in writing and teaching, it was a selfless act of giving Torah to others. Because of his suffering, he was only able to complete his discourses on hints of healing in the Parsha’s of the book of Genesis and the book of Exodus. But what words, what revelations!

What follows is my translation of a passage in his book, the Shevet MiYehuda. I must add that in his great humility and out of respect and love for his father, the great Chassid and Scholar, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Eiger of Lublin, Zts”L, Rabbi Avraham’s name appears nowhere in his holy book. Shevet MiYehuda means, “Tribe of Yehuda,” and is titled in reference to his father, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Eiger, affectionately known among the Chassidim as “Reb Leible.”

Shevet MiYehuda.
Parshat VaYishlach
This discourse was delivered at the Second Meal of Shabbat, 5667 (A Saturday in November, 1907)


“Shabbos keeps us from crying out in pain, and healing will soon come!” (Talmud, Shabbat, 12a)

On this Shabbat, Parshat Vayishlach, healing will come quickly especially for those who need “shleimut hada’at,” healing and completeness of mind, completeness of consciousness. (In modern language, we might call this, “mental health.”) Completeness of mind is the very principle of the kedusha (sanctity) of Shabbos. True completeness of mind is when one possesses the consciousness that, “Ani Hashem Mekadishchem – I am God who sanctifies you.” (Exodus, 31:13) This consciousness is particularly strong in this weeks Parsha, Vayishlach, where Yaakov Avinu says (Genesis, 33:11), “for E-lohim has been gracious with me and I have all that I need.”

The statement, “chanani - has been gracious [kind] with me,” directly represents Yaakov Avinu’s completeness of mind. According to the Kabbalah, Yaakov Avinu represents consciousness [Da’at], as it is known that the three Patriarchs represent the three upper sefiros, or Godly luminations, of intellectual capabilities, Chochma [widsom], Bina [understanding], and Da’at [consciousness, or synthesis]. Yaakov’s statement, “chanani E-lohim, God has graciously bestowed upon me,” hints at the completeness of consciousness, for he has an absolute knowledge that from his own side he has no consciousness, no Da’at, rather all he possesses comes from the One who is, “chonen adam Da’at – graciously bestowing consciousness unto man.” (This is the fourth blessing we say in the Shmonei-Esrei – the Amida prayer, blessed is God who bestows [chonen] consciousness unto man.) Knowing and appreciating such a gracious gift from God is the consciousness of Shabbat, knowing, “I am God who sanctifies you.” This is why he followed this statement by saying, “and I have all that I need.” This is as our sages say (Midrash Rabba, Vayikra), “if you possess Da’at, than you lack nothing.” This is, “God has been gracious in giving to me,” for the One who graciously bestows consciousness unto man has given me the mind which knows that I lack nothing, “and I have all that I need.”

It was taught by my father, the holy Rav (Yehuda Leib Eiger), that any event possessing kedusha (sanctity) that happens on any day of the week has its source and root in the previous Shabbat. Shabbat is the source of all blessing, and all kedusha comes forth from it, in particular the kedusha of a soul of Israel who becomes a bar Mitzvah, at the age of thirteen when he takes upon the responsibility of Mitzvot. A bar Mitzvah goes out of his childhood and becomes an adult, which means he possesses Da’as, (consciousness, knowledge, or the power of reconciling contradictions.)

The root and source of the power of Da’as in the holy Shabbat, which itself represents and is considered as equal to the entire Torah. All of the 613 commandments are included in Shabbat. (This is evinced from the statement in the Talmud, “If you keep Shabbos according to the Law, it equivalent to keeping the entire Torah. Keeping Shabbos means not going to work, not driving, not cooking, and refraining from doing many other things in order to show proper respect for God. For more on Shabbos observance, see, Shemirath Shabbath: A Guide to the Practical Observance of Shabbath 3 Volume Set, by HaRav Yehoshua Y. Neuwirth. B.E.) In particular, this week’s Torah Portion, Parshas Vayishlach, clarifies the, “shelimut haDa’at,” the completeness of mind, according to our explanation of the verse, “E-lohim has graciously given to me.”

Furthermore, the first thing Yaakov Avinu had his messengers say to Eisav was, “eem Lavan garti – I have stayed with Lavan, (Yaakov’s father in law and uncle) and have delayed my return until now.” This statement also represents the entire Torah, as we know from Rashi, who comments that the word, “garti – have stayed,” is the same letters and the numerical equivalent of “613 - tar”iyag,” meaning the 613 commandments of the Torah. This is to say, even though I have been living with Lavan, which was a morally bereft environment, still I have kept the 613 commandments. Therefore, Eisav, do not think that you can rule over me since you are the first-born. The yetser hara (evil inclination) is also like the first-born, since it is born into all men immediately upon birth, but the yetser tov (inclination to morality and observence) “delays its return” and enters man at age thirteen. This is known from the holy Zohar.

The first struggle of the Tsaddik, the righteous man, is when he is beset upon by his own evil. He investigates it, and his yetser tov grows stronger within him. Then when the Tsaddik grows into adulthood, the power of his natural desire is clean from sin just as it was his youth when he did not even have the power of natural desire that overwhelms the adult. Before the age of thirteen, he is exempt from punishment, for he has not yet been commanded with active performance of mitzvot. This is why the blessed God first gives man the yetser hara in is youth, so then when he is an adult, and the power of desire comes to him from his yetser hara, he will then know that he can be on the level of his youth, when even thought he had a yetser hara, he was nonetheless free from all sin.

Yaakov Avinu was saying to Eisav, this was my whole occupation in the house of Lavan, “I stayed with Lavan,” like a man from his birth to age thirteen when he becomes a bar Mitzvah, where in this period he has no yetser tov to assist him with kedusha. He lived only with the yetser hara, and still, “I kept all of the 613 commandments,” with no hindrance from the yetser hara, represented by Lavan the Aramite, whose job is to cheat and tempt man, as is known from the holy Zohar. (Midrash haNe’elam, Parshat Vayeira, 111b) This is the reason why he said, “I have delayed my return until now.” He delayed so long in order that he could always be on the level of his youth as described above. This is why he said in his prayer (Genesis, 32:11), “I am not worthy of all the kindness You have shown me.” “I am not worthy,” is, “katonti,” “I am small,” like, “katnut,” or youth, meaning that I am on the level of youth when although I have a yetser hara, I kept the Torah by means of, “all the kindness You have shown me.” In this way even as an adult I can serve the blessed God with both my good and evil inclinations, which is the secret of what it says in the Shema’, to serve God with, “all your hearts (pl.),” with both the yetser tov and yetser hara. So may we all merit serving God with complete hearts. Amen.

Parshas Toldos - Sources of the Mei HaShiloach

"And truly, everywhere that one enters himself into uncertainties in the service of God and into matters that need clarification, if the matter is clarified for the good then he is greater than one who just removed himself from all doubts. Yet this is only for the seed of Yaakov..." (Mei HaShiloach)

Betzalel, slightly ticked off after a long day in his Ancestral Homeland somewhere between Jericho and Jerusalem. All Jews have an ancestral homeland. Some Jews even live there. When will you?

Dear friends. The chassidic writings do not exist in a vacuum. They are a response to a history of Bibilical Commentary going back to Sinai. So in order to know why the writings of the Chassidic masters, such as Rav Mordechai Yosef of Isbits, were such a novel conception (a "chiddush, in Hebrew) you need to develop the patience to study the classical commentaries, such as, with our example below, Rashi, Ramban, and Rabeynu BaChayei. Then your yield from the Masters of Chassidus will be all the richer.

Ramban, Introduction to the Book of Exodus.

The book of Genesis is the book of creation. The actions of the Patriarchs are a kind of creation of their progeny. This is because all of their actions are pictures of things to come, hints that tell of all future events. Then after the creation is finished, He started a new book to show the events that emerge from those hints in the stories of the Patriarchs.

(Keep the above in mind when considering how the qualities of the Jew were hinted at in the personality of Yaakov, and how Chazal saw the seeds of the behoavior of Roman and later european society in Eisav.)

Genesis. Chapter 25

And the children jostled to and fro within Rivka’s womb, and she said, “why is this happening to me?’ and went to ask of God. (She went to the house of study and asked the wise Shem, who told her God’s answer.) And He said, “there are two peoples in your womb, and two nations shall separate from your loins. One nation shall struggle with the other, and the older one will serve the younger one.”


As Rav Shlomo Carlebach once said, "you can't really learn the chumash without the Mei Hashiloach, (the commentary of Rav Mordechai Yosef of Isbitza.)" From the classical commentaries, we receive a fairly black and white picture, Esav BAD, Yaakov GOOD. but having the patience to get through the classical commentaries and to the bottom of the page with the Mei HaShilaoch, you will see that it is not so simple.


Rashi

Separate from your loins – one will go to wickedness and the other to honesty.
One nation will struggle with the other – they will not be equal in greatness. When one rises the other shall fall. This is as it is written (Ezekiel, 26), “I will fill the ruin.” Of which our Sages said, “Tsur (a Roman – or Edomite - city) was only filled from the destruction of Jerusalem.” (Only when Jerusalem and the Jews were defeated, did the Roman city of Tsur became great.”)

Genesis, Chapter 25, continued.

And the boys grew, and Eisav became a hunter, a man of the field. And Yaakov was a simple, honest man, sitting in the tent. And Yitschak loved Eisav because of the catch in his mouth, and Rivka loved Yaakov.

Rashi

A man of the field – He was an idle man, hunting birds and animals with his bow and arrow.
Simple, honest – Yaakov was not expert in all of these (forms of deception), but rather spoke his heart. Anyone who is not clever in the ways of deception is called, “tam.” Simple, whole hearted, or honest.

Rabeynu Bachayei

Eisav would hunt in two ways. He was literally a hunter of animals, but he would also trap people with his words. When he saw his father he would ask him clever questions, such as, “do you have to tithe salt and straw?” In this way he tricked his father into being proud of his sun, the hunter-scholar. He asked Eisav, “where have you been all day,” and Eisav would answer, “in the houses of study learning such and such a law and such and such a matter.” At that moment, Yitschak’s holy spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) would scream out, crying, “He who dissembles with his lips and lays up deceit within him, when he speaks fair, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart.” (Mishlei, 26:25)

Ask yourself, "If Yitchak was a prophet, how could it be that he did not know that Eisav was just currying favor with him? How could he not have known that he was an evil man?"

Now, with the above commentaries in mind, consider the following teaching of the Mei HaShiloach.

“and Yitschok loved Eisav because of the taste of the meat he would trap (or, he would trap with his mouth),” (Bereshit, 25:28)

This is explained (Bereshit Rabba, 63:10), “that he would deceive his father into thinking that he was a scholar with fancy dilemmas in Torah, like how can one tithe salt and straw.” You can not understand this explanation literally, for surely Yitzchak Avinu was not mistaken in thinking he was actually genuine, when he was clearly cheating him. Yet from the beginning, Yaakov and Eisav were equal in their greatness. However, Eisav decided to make himself make himself more appealing in his father’s eyes, so as to find favor in his father’s sight. This accomplished, Yitzchak would pray to G-d to give his son Eisav more wisdom. Yaakov, however, went in the way of simplicity and said, “what need have of this? If I am worthy in the sight of G-d, He will cause the heart of my father Yitschok to pray for me.” Eisav’s way was not honest in Yaakov’s view, for this way needs clarification (“birrur”), for who can say if this way will be accepted, and perhaps he is only doing it to deceive. Since Yaakov Avinu had separated himself from all uncertainty, his heart trusted only in G-d.

And truly, everywhere that one enters himself into uncertainties in the service of G-d and into matters that need clarification, if the matter is clarified for the good then he is greater than one who just removed himself from all doubts. Yet this is only for the seed of Yaakov, since they have found a stronghold in G-d, that He will clarify all for the good, so it is permitted for him to enter into uncertainties. Yet whoever does not have this stronghold, it is forbidden for him to enter into uncertainty, in the way that Eisav entered himself into matters that were later clarified as being evil.

For the Holy One, blessed be He, will make it clear that all of Israel's actions are for the good, as is explained on the verse, “it will be tsedaka for us.” (Parshat Vaetchanan) For all who are not from the seed of Yaakov, it is good before Him for them to limit themselves with all kinds of constrictions, as is explained concerning converts, for whom it is forbidden for them to enter into uncertainties.

So therefore, when Yitzchak saw that Eisav was entering himself into these matters, he said that if they are clarified for the good, then Eisav would become greater than Yaakov, yet the blessed G-d then bared witness to him that Eisav’s intentions were not for the sake of Heaven.

Also within Israel, we find that there are some souls who may permit themselves to enter into uncertainty more than others, even though they both come from the seed of Yaakov. Take, for instance, Shimon and Dinah. Levi did not want to take her because he feared that maybe his intentions were not completely for the sake of Heaven, as all the tribe of Levi exist with the fear of G-d before them always, taking care to remove themselves from all doubts. This as it is said (Malachi, 2:5), “וָאֶתְּנֵם-לוֹ מוֹרָא וַיִּירָאֵנִי - and I gave them to him for the fear, etc.” Because of this He brought out of them Cohanim who would enter, “before Me and inside (the Holy of Holies),”and therefore their life was clarified immediately as explained in Parshat Korach (with the tribes, on the verse “and G-d said”). Shimon, however, entered himself into uncertainty, saying, “G-d forbid I would consider myself licentious,” and marrying Dinah. Thus he entered himself into a situation that needed clarification, saying he trusts that G-d will make it clear that it was good, that his intention was not only to take her out from Shchem and all his intentions were for the sake of Heaven. Therefore the tribe of Shimon needed all these kinds of clarifications, such as Zimri who also said that his intention was good, as explained in its place (Parshat Balak). And in the future, when the tribe of Shimon will be clarified, its level will be greater than Levi.