Awareness Brings Healing
“for I, the L-rd, heal you” (Exodus 15:26). When one lives with the awareness of “I, the L-rd”, and conducts oneself accordingly, that itself becomes a healing for many kinds of illnesses. (Mei Miriam)
Honoring the Jewish Body
The Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek, had a chassid who in his old age did not take proper care of his health. The Rebbe said to him: the older the body becomes, the more honor it deserves, because of the mitzvot it carries—such as tzitzit and tefillin.
Preventing Illness
The ruler of Egypt once said to his physician, Maimonides: “All my days I have been in good health, and I have not been given the opportunity to test your skill in medicine.” Maimonides replied: “A doctor’s greatness is tested more in preventing illness than in curing it. This is as it is written, ‘all the sickness that I have visited upon Egypt I will not visit upon you, for I, the Lord, heal you.’” (Exodus 15:26)
The Value of the Body
Rabbi Hillel of Paritch said: Before I became a chassid, the body was despicable in my eyes, and I saw it as the source of all spiritual troubles. After I learned in chassidut the concept of “from my flesh I see G-d,” that the body is a lens through which one sees G-dliness—the body gained importance in my eyes.
When One Comes To Me
An affluent Jew, who became close to Lubavitch in the 5740’s (1980’s), joined the Machane Yisrael development fund. Once, after the Rebbe addressed the group of supporters, he had chance to approach the Rebbe, and he said the following:
“Rebbe, I have become close to Lubavitch only recently. I therefore have not merited a yechidut, private audience. Please accept me to a yechidut.”
The Rebbe suddenly became very serious and sat up straighter in his chair. The Rebbe began talking, but this Jew became so emotional, he couldn’t grasp what the Rebbe was saying to him. But he caught one thing. The Rebbe said, “Bichlal, az m’falt arain tzu mir, heis ich lernen Tanya – As a rule, when one comes to me, I tell him to learn Tanya.”
Adar 5759, Vichnin Teshurah; reprinted from The Weekly Farbrengen by Merkaz Anash, on-line at TheWeeklyFarbrengen.com
