After Bnei Yisrael complained about the manna, they were punished with a deadly plague. The Midrash (Tanchuma 19) explains that the root cause of their sin was a lack of gratitude for the miraculous food Hashem provided. In response, Hashem instructed Moshe to place a copper snake on a pole, and those who gazed at it would be healed. The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 29a) asks: “Does the snake cause death or life?” The answer is that healing came not from the snake itself, but from the people looking upward and submitting their hearts to Hashem. That awareness and recognition brought about their salvation.
This helps illuminate the words of the Seder Hayom, who explains the tremendous power of the berachah Asher Yatzar. He writes that one who recites it with genuine intention—truly feeling gratitude for the wonders of the human body—is guaranteed to remain healthy. The moment we recognize that our health is entirely from Hashem, we open ourselves to Divine protection.
Rav Shimshon Pincus once quoted a medical expert who was familiar with countless illnesses and bodily conditions. The doctor expressed astonishment that the average person is healthy, considering how many things can go wrong. In a similar vein, Rav Yerucham Levovitz told his students that after using the restroom, they should contact their parents to say, “Baruch Hashem, I’m healthy,” because so much can potentially go wrong in such a basic function!
The reality is: our hearts beat, our lungs breathe, our organs work in unison—and it’s all a constant miracle. The act of saying Asher Yatzar with kavana is a powerful form of appreciation for this daily gift. Many have seen open salvations by committing to this simple practice.
One particularly moving story tells of a young girl diagnosed with a severe digestive illness. The prognosis was grim, and doctors recommended a series of complex surgeries abroad. Her parents, desperate for spiritual merit, resolved that the family would say Asher Yatzar from a siddur, with deep kavana. They encouraged close friends and relatives to do the same. After the first surgery, the doctors were stunned. The girl’s condition had improved so drastically that the remaining surgeries were no longer necessary. They described it as nothing short of a medical miracle. (Just One Word: Amen, p. 142)
