In this weeks Parsha theres the first latte and learning, as Bnei Yisroel are being giving newly sweetened water and being taught MItzvot by Moshe Rabeinu Hashem shares with them the following
וַיֹּאמֶר אִם שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע לְקוֹל | יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְהַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו תַּעֲשֶׂה וְהַאֲזַנְתָּ לְמִצְוֹתָיו וְשָׁמַרְתָּ כָּל חֻקָּיו כָּל הַמַּחֲלָה
אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי בְמִצְרַיִם לֹא אָשִׂים עָלֶיךָ כִּי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה רֹפְאֶךָ
If Bnei Yisroel keep Hashem's Mitzvot then the illness that the Egyptians suffered from will not befall them. What illnesses did the Egyptians have? Rabbi Elchanan Samet informs us that archeologists have discovered that the ancient Egyptians suffered from a form of jaundice..... probably coming from a kidney disease. This is probably because they all drank from the Nile which is the same place they used as a sewer, the Jews living in Egypt probably suffered from the same illness. Here at Marah as Hashem is providing them with sweet clean water He tells them that in their future they will no longer be sick like the Egyptians, He will give them clean water. Is it possible that this is really all about water hygiene? Is this the only way to understand the illness of the Egyptians?
Rabbi Markowits comments on this idea. He says, after witnessing the makot and the yam soof, Bnei Yisroel had no difficulty believing that Hashem was capable of incredible things, but they weren't certain Hashem would continue to be with them. This Pasuk is telling the nation that if they stay with Hashem, He will never leave them and cause them sickness.
ReplyDeleteRashi explains this idea saying that what Hashem tells Bnei Yisrael implies that they should be accepting Hashems commands in every detail and way even if you don't know the reason why, like not understanding the prohibition of wearing a mixture of wool and linen. Hashem said that if He does place the sickness on Bnei Israel He will remove it immediately if they are obedient to Him and listen. So if you listen to the obedience of God then you will not get the disease.
ReplyDeleteRashi explains that Hashem is telling bnei yisrael that by learning torah and accepting His mitzvoth they will be spared from illness. Rashi makes Hashem to be bnei yisrael's healer. An example is brought up of a doctor protecting his patient from stomach pain instructing him not to eat certain foods. Possibly, Rashi feels the sickness the Egyptians had was stomach related.
ReplyDelete- Gabrielle Posner
The Rambam writes in one of his medical works, "Most of the illnesses which befall man are his own fault, resulting from his ignorance of how to preserve his health – like a blind man who stumbles and hurts himself and even injures others in the process due to not having of a sense of vision.” So Hashem is saying that if Beni Yisrael keep Hashem's mitzvot and avoid being ignorant and careless (like the Egyptians) they will avoid unnecessary illness.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the chizkuni he does not specify state the sickness the Egyptian were sick with rather he focuses on the fact that ה is the physician. He states that ה is saying that if בני listen to him He will protect them from unnatural sickness that he gave to the Egyptian. If בני does not listen to him then they will be afflicted with disease like the Egyptians and no other physician can cute them becuase they are not ה. The chizkuni then brings examples like when ה turned the mile into blood and reversed the process.
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