Health and Healing

׳׳ זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה...לְמִרְיָם בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם”

׳׳ רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי אָמַר משֶׁה רבש׳׳ע כְּבָר עָשִׂיתָ אוֹתִי רוֹפֵא, אִם אַתָּה מְרַפֵּא אוֹתָהּ הֲרֵי מוּטָב, וְאִם לָאו מְרַפֵּא אֲנִי אוֹתָהּ “

Among the myriad Mitzvos taught in Parshas Ki Seitzei is one that applies each day: “זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה...לְמִרְיָם בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם”. After speaking generally about Negaim , “הִשָּׁמֶר בְּנֶגַע־הַצָּרַעַת לִשְׁמֹר מְאֹד וְלַעֲשׂוֹת ”, the Torah enjoins us to remember the time that Miriam was stricken with Tzaras during our travels in the Midbar . Although the Pessukim here do not expand on those events, we learn in Parshas Behalosecha that Miriam and Aharon spoke Lashon Harah about Moshe Rabbeinu , and Miriam became a Metzorah as a result.

The Medrash, here, speaks about what happened when Moshe Rabbeinu learned of his sister’s Tzaras : “הִתְחִיל צוֹוֵחַ וּמִתְפַּלֵּל עָלֶיהָ בְּכָל לִבּוֹ וְנַפְשׁוֹ”, he began to Daven intensely for her Refuah. In Parshas Behalosecha , the Torah recounts the words of his Teffilah : “קַל נָא רְפָא נָא לָהּ”. The Medrash, here, however, expands on this short formulation: “אָמַר משֶׁה רבש׳׳ע כְּבָר עָשִׂיתָ אוֹתִי רוֹפֵא, אִם אַתָּה מְרַפֵּא אוֹתָהּ הֲרֵי מוּטָב, וְאִם לָאו מְרַפֵּא אֲנִי אוֹתָהּ”. Somehow Moshe felt that HKBH had taught him how to heal Tzaras , and he would use this knowledge to heal Miriam if Hashem did not heal her.

What does this mean? When did HKBH teach Moshe how to heal Tzaras , as the Medrash says “כְּבָר עָשִׂיתָ אוֹתִי רוֹפֵא”, and why does he seem to threaten Hashem with this knowledge? If Moshe knew how to heal his sister, why didn’t he do so immediately—why wait to see if HBKH would do so? Clearly there is more to this Teffilah than meets the eyes—what does it mean?

It should be pointed out that Avos

D’Reb Nosson brings the story slightly differently: “בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה עג מֹשֶׁה עוּגָה קְטַנָּה וְעָמַד בְּתוֹכָהּ וּבִקֵּשׁ רַחֲמִים עֲלִיָּה וְאָמַר אֵינִי זָז מִכָּאן עַד שֶׁתִּתְרַפֵּא מִרְיָם אֲחוֹתִי”. Moshe Rabbeinu etched a circle in the ground and stood inside it, pledging not to move until Miriam was healed. This Mishna helps us understand the actions of Choni HaMa’agal brought by the Gemara Tannis, but also highlights the urgency of Moshe’s Teffilah at that time.

It is also interesting to note that this Medrash is found here, in relation to the Mitzvah of “ זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה...לְמִרְיָם בַּדֶּרֶךְ” and not in Parshas Behalosecha when the Torah tells us the story itself. Why may this be? Why wouldn’t the Medrash mention the details of Moshe’s Teffilah when discussing the actual episode?

If we wish to better understand this Medrash, so that its message will become clear, two more general questions must be asked as wel .

First, how does the Lashon of Refuah fit here? Miriam suffered from Tzaras , which we know is anything but a physical ailment: why did Moshe speak as though she was ill? In the Parshios of Tazriah and Metzorah where the Dinim of Tzaras are discussed, the Torah uses the word “ V’Nirpah ” to refer to the Negga receding, but the Metzorah himself is always spoken about in terms of Tahor and Tammei . Why, here, does Moshe ask that Miriam be healed, and not that she become Tahor ?

Second, how are we to understand the Mitzvah contained in this Passuk? Why, indeed, are we instructed to remember this story? There are six Mitzvos that include Zechira , known as the שֵׁשׁ זְכִירוֹת: Yetzias Mitzrayim , Milchemes Amalek, Mattan Torah, Shabbos, the Chet HaEggel and Miriam. Most of these Mitzvos are easily understood, as it is axiomatic that we must recall the Nissim that HKBH did for us, and that we must remember Shabbos each week. Even the Mitzva to remember the Chet HaEggel is understandable, as that incident had an everlasting effect. But why are we meant to remember the Tzaras of Miriam forevermore? What do the words “זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה...לְמִרְיָם בַּדֶּרֶךְ” teach us?

As we noted, Moshe reminds Hashem that he himself had been given the power to heal, “כְּבָר עָשִׂיתָ אוֹתִי רוֹפֵא”, but it is not clear when or how this happened. Perhaps, however, the answer can be found in a Medrash in Parshas Beshalach .

Following Krias Yam Suf , and Shiras HaYam, Bnei Yisroel travelled to Marah, where the water was too bitter to drink. After Moshe sweetened the water, using an Eitz, the Torah tells us that Hashem made a promise: “אִם־שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע לְקוֹל  ה ׳ אֱלֹקיךָ וְהַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו תַּעֲשֶׂה... כֹּל־הַמַּחֲלָה אֲשֶׁר־שַׂמְתִּי בְמִצְרַיִם לֹא־אָשִׂים עָלֶיךָ”, if we follow the Dvar Hashem, clinging the Mitzvos and Chukim , we will be spared the Machalos that afflicted the Mitzriyim , “כִּי אֲנִי ה׳ רֹפְאֶךָ׃”.

The Mechilta explains the final words of the Passuk, “כִּי אֲנִי ה׳ רֹפְאֶךָ׃”, as follows: “אָמַר לוֹ הקב״ה לְמֹשֶׁה דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לְךָ חַיִּים הֵן לְךָ רְפוּאָה הֵן לְךָ”. When Hashem said that he is the ultimate Rofeh , it was because He gave us the Torah, which is itself the means to a cure. The Divrei Torah themselves are the Refuah, “דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה...רְפוּאָה הֵן לְךָ”.

Perhaps this was the moment to which Moshe referred with the words “כְּבָר עָשִׂיתָ אוֹתִי רוֹפֵא”, for it was then that HKBH taught him about the true source of Refuah. When Moshe was told “דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה...רְפוּאָה הֵן לְךָ”, he was entrusted with the secret of Refuah, which he recounted as he saw his sister afflicted with Tzaras .

Even if this is the case, however, we still must understand the Teffilah said by Moshe Rabbeinu at that time. If the words “כְּבָר עָשִׂיתָ אוֹתִי רוֹפֵא” refer to the fact that he was told, in Marrah, “דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה...רְפוּאָה הֵן לְךָ”, why did he mention this now? In what way was this connected to the Refuah he sought for Miriam?

To answer these questions, we must gain a deeper understanding of the Mechilta , which appears to redefine the concept of Refuah.

Many ask a simple question on the words of the Passuk, which first say “כׇּל הַמַּחֲלָה אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי בְמִצְרַיִם לֹא אָשִׂים עָלֶיךָ”, and then “כִּי אֲנִי ה' רֹפְאֶךָ”: If Hashem has promised not to bring upon Bnei Yisroel the Malachos that affected Mitzrayim , why would a Refuah be necessary? A similar question can be asked on the Mechilta : if the Machalos would not be brought, why was Moshe Rabbeinu told “דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה רְפוּאָה הֵן לְךָ”?

The Berach Moshe adds another question: what were the Machalos that were brought in Mitzrayim ? The Makkos were destructive and debilitating, but they were not illnesses. What does the Torah refer to with the words “כׇּל הַמַּחֲלָה אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי בְמִצְרַיִם”? The word “Machala” is not found anywhere in the Parshios that discuss the Makkos, why would it be used here?

The answer, the Rebbe says, can be found in the words of the Rambam in Hilchos Dayos, who refers to two types of illness: חוֹלֵי הַגּוּף and חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ. The instinct and drive that a person has toward Aveirah , explains the Rambam, is also a type of sickness, though not a physical one—these are חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ. Among the various חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ, explains the Berach Moshe, there is one that stands out.

The Gemara in in Chulin tells us that HKBH explained why he chose Klal Yisroel as his Am HaNivchar : “חוֹשְׁקָנִי בָּכֶם שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאֲנִי מַשְׁפִּיעַ לָכֶם גְּדוֹלָה אַתֶּם מְמַעֲטִין עַצְמְכֶם לִפְנֵי”. The Avos lowered themselves before Hashem, even when granted Gedulah . The Gemara brings examples of this Middah : “נָתַתִּי גְּדוֹלָה לְאַבְרָהָם אָמַר לִפְנֵי וְאָנֹכִי עָפָר וְאֵפֶר לְמֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אָמַר וְנַחְנוּ מָה לְדָוִד אָמַר וְאָנֹכִי תּוֹלַעַת וְלֹא אִישׁ אֲבָל.” Each of these individuals was given a prominent stature, and still expressed a sense of humility. The Umos HaOlam, says the Gemara, are different: when figures such as Nimrod, Phaorah , Sancherev and Nevuchadnetzar were granted some level of success, they responded with ego-driven illusions of grandeur.

The Berach Moshe explains that this Gemara teaches us the root of all חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ: Gaiva and Gasus HaRuach . All Midos Ra’os , which in turn lead to Aveiros , can be traced back to Gaivah , and it is this Middah which is the downfall not only of Reshaim , but of each person in their own Avodas Hashem.

Based on this, the Rebbe explains the Passuk in Parshas Beshalach : the words “כׇּל הַמַּחֲלָה אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי בְמִצְרַיִם” do not refer to חוֹלֵי הַגּוּף but to חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ, and especially Gaiva , which the Gemara in Chullin attributes specifically to Pharoah. The Passuk thus tells us that the חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ that afflicted Pharoah, Gaiva in the extreme, will not affect us, “כִּי אֲנִי ה' רֹפְאֶךָ”. The Mechilta , in turn, explains how this is the case: HKBH gave us the Torah and Mitzvos , which are the antithesis of Gaiva . This was the message given to Moshe Rabbeinu : “דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לְךָ חַיִּים הֵן לְךָ רְפוּאָה הֵן לְךָ”. The Torah itself is the ultimate Refuah, because it dispels Gaiva and all therefore all the חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ that threaten our Ruchnias .

This idea can allow us to explain the Medrash here.

When Moshe Rabbienu learned that his sister had been stricken with Metzorah , he was not concerned with her physical wellbeing— Tzaras is not a sign of חוֹלֵי הַגּוּף, but of חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ. He therefore cried out to Hashem using the words “קֵל נָא רְפָא נָא לָהּ”, asking Hashem to act in the role of כִּי אֲנִי ה' רֹפְאֶךָ, and remove the חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ from Miriam.

The Medrash, here, explains what Moshe meant with his words: “כְּבָר עָשִׂיתָ אוֹתִי רוֹפֵא, אִם אַתָּה מְרַפֵּא אוֹתָהּ הֲרֵי מוּטָב, וְאִם לָאו מְרַפֵּא אֲנִי אוֹתָהּ “. Moshe understood that חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ are rooted in Gaiva , and HKBH had told him that we would be protected from this Middah by the Torah and Mitzvos . He therefore had a question: it was impossible that Miriam suffered from a level of Gaiva that led to an Aveira of Lashon Harah and therefore Tzaras —she ought to have been protected by her Shemiras HaTorah V’Hamitzos , after all, HKBH had said: “דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לְךָ רְפוּאָה הֵן לְךָ”. Moshe therefore insisted that the חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶש, including the outward sign of Tzaras , be removed from Miriam.

If HKBH would not do this under the rubric of כִּי אֲנִי ה' רֹפְאֶךָ, Moshe insisted that he would use his own Hashpa’ah , the effect of his defining Midas Anivus —which is mentioned explicitly in the Pessukim that discuss the conversation between Aharon and Miriam—to cure his sister. Moshe knew that if he wished, he could instill a new level of Anivus in Miriam, dispelling any trace of חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ, but wished for HKBH to bring the Refuah quickly, in the realm of כִּי אֲנִי ה' רֹפְאֶךָ.

Perhaps this is the purpose of this Mitzvah, and why the Medrash mentions the Teffilah of Moshe here and not earlier, in Parshas Behaloscha .

We know that Miriam was a Neviah, and a Tzadekes of unmatched caliber, yet she was stricken by Tzaras because of Gaiva , the ultimate חוֹלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ. The Torah tells us that we should remember the story of Miriam, so that we do not fall victim to the same illness. The Teffilah of Moshe, as explained by the Medrash, helps us understand the root cause of the Aveirah that Miriam did, but also its antidote. By referencing his understanding of Refuah, as taught by HKBH in Marrah, Moshe ensured that anyone who thinks of the story of Miriam is reminded that “דברי תורה שנתתי לך - חיים הן לך, רפואה הן לך”. If we wish to avoid the pitfalls of Gaiva , we must engage in Limud HaTorah and Shemiras HaMitzvos , so that our health is assured.