Amen Effect ch 6: HOLD the HEALERS (This one!)

God appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre; he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot.

God appeared to him: to visit the sick man. R. Hama the son of Hanina said: it was the third day after his circumcision and the Holy Blessed One came and enquired after the state of his health (Bava Metzia 86b)

Normally, if a student is ailing, and his master plans to visit him, his fellow students precede the master to their colleague’s home in order to inform him of the visitor who will be coming. The Holy Blessed One did not do so. After Abraham was circumcised, and while he was still suffering the effects of the circumcision, the Holy One told the angels: Go, visit him! However, before they even departed, the Holy One had already left! Thus, it is said: And the Lord appeared unto him (Gen. 18:1), and this is followed by the verse: And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood over against him (ibid., v. 2). Is there any humility greater than this?

The duty of visiting the sick applies to everybody. Even an eminent person must visit one who is of minor importance. The visits should be made several times a day. The more often one visits the sick, the more praise he deserves, provided that he does not weary the patient. Whoever visits a patient is as though he took away part of his illness and lightened his pain. Whoever does not visit the sick is almost guilty of bloodshed. A sick person should be visited only from the third day on. If his illness came on suddenly and his condition has become worse, he should be visited immediately. A patient should not be visited either during the first three hours or the last three hours of the day, because he is being attended to at the time.

Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba fell ill. His teacher Rabbi Yohanan came to visit him, and said: "Is your pain welcome to you?" "No!" replied Rabbi Hiyya, "not my pain, and not any reward it might bring me!" "Give me your hand," said Rabbi Yohanan - and he did, and Rabbi Yohanan raised him up.

Then Rabbi Yohanan fell ill, and Rabbi Hanina came to visit him, and said, "Is your pain welcome to you?" "No!" replied Rabbi Yohanan, "not my pain, and not any reward it might bring me!" "Give me your hand," said Rabbi Hanina - and he did, and Rabbi Hanina raised him up.

- Really?! Could Rabbi Yohanan not raise himself up on his own? No: the prisoner cannot release himself from prison...

God will establish you as God’s holy people, as was sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of your God and walk in God’s ways.

And Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “After the Lord your God shall you walk, and Him shall you fear, and His commandments shall you keep, and unto His voice shall you hearken, and Him shall you serve, and unto Him shall you cleave” (Deuteronomy 13:5)? But is it actually possible for a person to follow the Divine Presence? Hasn’t it already been stated: “For the Lord your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24), and one cannot approach fire. He explains: Rather, the meaning is that one should follow the attributes of the Holy Blessed One. He provides several examples. Just as He clothes the naked, as it is written: “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21), so too, should you clothe the naked. Just as the Holy Blessed One, visits the sick, as it is written with regard to God’s appearing to Abraham following his circumcision: “And the Lord appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre” (Genesis 18:1), so too, should you visit the sick. Just as the Holy Blessed One, consoles mourners, as it is written: “And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son” (Genesis 25:11), so too, should you console mourners. Just as the Holy Blessed One, buried the dead, as it is written: “And he was buried in the valley in the land of Moab” (Deuteronomy 34:6), so too, should you bury the dead.

Deeds of loving-kindness are mentioned at the beginning of the Torah, in its middle, and at its conclusion. At the beginning of the Torah, the naked are clothed, as it is said: The Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin, and He clothed them (Gen. 3:21); in the middle of the Torah, the sick are visited, as it is said: And God appeared unto him in the grove of Mamre (ibid. 18:1); and at the conclusion of the Torah, the dead are buried, as is said: And he was buried in the valley in the land of Moab (Deut. 34:6). In this way you must walk in the ways of the Holy Blessed One.

Rav Aḥa bar Ḥanina said: Anyone who visits an ill person takes from him one-sixtieth of his suffering. The Sages said to him: If so, let sixty people enter to visit him, and stand him up, and restore him to health! Rav Aḥa bar Ḥanina said to them: It is like the tenths of the school of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, who said that each of one’s daughters inherits one-tenth of his possessions. His intent was that each daughter would receive one-tenth of the remainder after the previous daughter took her portion. Here too, each visitor takes from the ill person one-sixtieth of the suffering that remains, and consequently a degree of suffering will always remain with the ill person. ...

Rabbi Akiva went out and taught: With regard to anyone who does not visit the sick, it is as though he is spilling blood, as it could be that the sick person has no one to care for him. If there are no visitors, no one will know his situation and therefore no one will come to his aid...