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In Judaism, healing intertwines Divine intervention and personal responsibility. While faith celebrates God as the ultimate healer, Jewish teachings emphasize medical care and self-care as essential. Prayer, repentance, and a balanced body-soul harmony anchor this holistic approach to health.
Healing can be Divine
Here is a piece that Jewish believers recite three times a day in their daily prayers, “Blessed are You, O God, Healer of the Sick…”.
The Torah frequently mentions Jewish belief in Divine healing, seen in the Hebrew Bible, and the Talmud. Don’t mistake this as the Torah denying modern medicine–these same texts also underscore the necessity of medical treatment and prioritizing physical health.
Modern Medicine Emphasized by Holy Scripture
A verse in the Torah advises, “Guard your lives,” emphasizing that God encourages not only spiritual devotion for salvation in this world and the next but also underscores the importance of physical care. Likewise, the Talmud contains numerous teachings by Jewish sages and thinkers about cleanliness and bodily care, such as “The purity of the body leads to the purity of the soul.” Only a sound soul within a healthy body can fulfill Divine commandments and perform good deeds.
This perspective elevates medicine within Judaism to a high standing. The Talmud emphasizes that a wise person should not dwell in a city that lacks a physician lacks a physician (Sanhedrin 17b). This outlook is complemented by a prominent belief in Judaism in the Creator’s role in human health.
Divine Intervention in Health
Can be for or against
Jewish scripture provides instances where God’s authority over health is demonstrated. When Abraham traveled to Egypt, and Pharaoh intended to take his wife, “the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abraham’s wife” (Genesis 12:17). In the Torah’s concluding verses, God declares His power: ” See now that I, even I, am he, And there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: Neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. ” (Deuteronomy 32:39).
Prayer plays a crucial role
Additionally, prayer is considered crucial for restoring health, an example of which is when Abraham moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, the king of Gerar, intended to take Abraham’s wife but later relented. Subsequently, “Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, and they bore children, for the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarai, Abraham’s wife” (Genesis 20:17-18).
In another instance, when Isaac’s wife was initially barren, “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant” (Genesis 25:21).
In another instance, when Miriam, the sister of Moses, fell ill, “Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘O God, please heal her!’ and Miriam was cured” (Numbers 12:13-15).
During the time of Prophet Elijah, a faithful woman lost her son to an illness. The woman sought Elijah’s help, and he said to her, “Give me your son,” he took him, and “cried out to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord my God, let this child’s life return to him!’ The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived” (1 Kings 17:21-22).
Health Can Be a Reward for Serving God
Health and healing are often seen as rewards for devotion to God’s path. The Torah states, “Worship the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove sickness from among you; no one will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span” (Exodus 23:25-26). Furthermore, “If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, the Lord your Creator… will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 7:15).
Health Tests Faith
At times, physical health is perceived as a test of our faith in the Divine, where one’s loyalty to religious and Divine values is expected to endure under all circumstances.
In the Book of Job, physical suffering is portrayed as a Divine test. Job, a righteous and devout man, loses everything, including his health, to demonstrate that his devotion to God is rooted in faith alone, not material wealth or physical wellness. Ultimately, his steadfastness is rewarded, and he regains his health.
Sickness Can Be a Consequence of Sin
In numerous Jewish texts, sin is associated with the onset of illness, while sincere repentance is seen as a way to restore health.
Prophet Isaiah teaches, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59).
Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides), the revered Jewish scholar and physician, draws on this verse to suggest that illness can result from distance from God, and repentance may restore health. While Maimonides encourages the pursuit of medical treatment, he also emphasizes the moral aspect of health, recognizing the role of our actions in maintaining well-being.
Author
Engineer Arash Abaee