Bikur Cholim
According to some rishonim, the source of the mitzvah of bikur cholim is in parashas Korach (Bamidbar 16:29). Moshe said, כל ופקודת עליהם יפקד אדם, "If the destiny of all men has visited upon them.” The Gemara (Nedarim 39:) explains, "If they die like all sick people, who lie on their beds and people come visit them..." (נדרים הלכות ז"ריא).
Another source is in this week's parashah (18:20), בה ילכו הדרך את להם והודעת, "You shall make known to them the path on which they should go..." The Gemara (Bava Metzia 30:) says that this refers to visiting the ill.
The Gemara (Nedarim 40.) relates that one of Reb Akiva's students was ill, and the yeshiva students neglected to visit him, so Reb Akiva himself visited him. Reb Akiva tidied up the room and washed the floors, and the sick student said, "Rebbe, you granted me life."
"Reb Akiva went out and taught, 'Whoever doesn’t visit the sick, it is like murder, and whoever visits the sick gives him life.’"
The Seder HaYom writes, "Bikur cholim is the from highest forms of gemilus chasadim, as Chazal (Nedarim 39:) write, 'Bikur cholim has not no limit (שיעור להם אין).' Sometimes, with clever, encouraging, and kind words, one can revive a sick person and grant him life. We have seen this happen many times. Sometimes a person visits an unwell person for an hour or two, and the sick person says, 'I feel like a new person. My neshamah came back to me,' and we see how his illness became lighter."
Happiness is a cure; this is one of the services we do for the ill when we visit them. We make them happy, making their condition easier to bear, and sometimes it can cure them. It states (Mishlei 18:14), איש רוח ישאנה מי נכאה ורוח מחלהו יכלכל, "A man's spirit will sustain his sickness, but who can support a broken spirit." The Vilna Gaon zt'l explains that ruach means happiness. "When a person is happy, he can handle his illness... His joy will dissolve it. But when one is sad, who can tolerate it?"
The Rambam writes, "Tell an ill person happy stories that will gladden his heart. Tell him interesting news that will take his mind off his illness, make him laugh, and make the people caring for him laugh. When you choose someone to be with a sick person, choose someone who can make him happy because this is what he needs."
Sodi Razyah (attributed to the Rokeach) writes, "When one visits the sick, he should speak to his heart comforting and encouraging words." These encouraging words will bring joy and, at times, refuah, too.
The Gemara (Nedarim 40.) writes the many rewards of visiting and caring for the ill. Among them are that he will be saved from Gehinom, he will be granted a long life, he will be protected from the yetzer hara, he will be saved from afflictions, everyone will honor him, and he will have good friends who give him good counsel, and be saved from bad friends who give lousy counsel.
The meforshim explain that these rewards are מדה כנגד מדה. For example, the Gemara says that visiting the sick saves one from afflictions. This reward is מדה כנגד מדה, measure per measure. He saved the ill person from afflictions; therefore, he is rewarded that he won't be afflicted.
We add that he will be saved from the illnesses. Just as he helped the ill person overcome his illness, Hashem will help that he won't be afflicted with illness.
Baron Rothschild and the Ksav Sofer
Every year, Baron Rothschild z'l would visit the Ksav Sofer zt'l, at a vacation/health resort they both frequented. The Ksav Sofer wasn't feeling well one year, and the Baron cut his visit short. The Ksav Sofer asked him why he wasn't staying longer. The Baron replied, "Chazal call visiting the sick (18:20) ילכו, 'to go.' This is because when you visit the sick, you have to know when to leave. This is because your visit might burden the ill person, and sometimes, the ill person is embarrassed to be seen in this state. Therefore, the Torah says ילכו, that you have to know when to leave." The Ksav Sofer often repeated this vort that he heard from Baron Rothschild.
