BS”D

Brochos 10b (2)

Tamuz 8, 5786.  06/23/2026

Short notes and links.

1 –  In continuation of last week’s Shiur about two types of people: Those that do not accept gifts from their community (like שמואל הנביא) and those that do (like אלישע הנביא), we mentioned a very interesting ירושלמי in Yuma 3, 7 concerning the transmission of the שם המפורש.

Generally, this secret was/is transmitted by one individual to the next selected person(s) in the next generation.

The story in the ירשלמי:

חַד אַסִּי בְצִיפּוֹרִין אֲמַר לְרִבִּי פִינְחָס בַּר חָמָא: אִיתָא וַאֲנָא מְסַר לֵי לָךְ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: לֵית אֲנָא יְכִיל. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: לָמָּה? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: דַּאֲנָא אֲכִל מַעֲשֵׂר. וּמָאן דִּרְגִיל לֵיהּ לָאֵ יְכִיל מֵיכוּל מִבַּר נַשׁ כְּלוּם

A physician in Sepphoris said to Rebbi Pinchos bar Ḥama, come and I shall transmit it (the שם המפורש) to you. Rebbi Pinchos tells him, “I am unable to accept it”. He asked him, “why?”

He says to him, “because I accept and eat מעשר, and anybody that knows the שם המפורש cannot eat or accept any gifts from any person.

“I cannot accept…”

The reasons given is either that accepting gifts from others show a lack of purity or that when engaged with others gifting to you may cause a (farfetched) scenario of a dispute and the שם המפורש will be used to curse the donor….

מי שמשתמש בשם המפורש אסור ליהנות מאחרים ירושלמי יומא ג, ז.

2 – We discussed how this fits with the lifestyle of אלישע who did indeed accept gifts. It would be somewhat inconceivable that אלישע didn’t know the שם המפורש. However some actually suggest this idea. See פתח עינים from the חיד”א. See here as quoted in the מגדים חדשים.

We mentioned the רמ”א that this idea of taking gifts is only if it is taken as charity. If accepted as דורון וכבוד then this rule does not apply like אלישע.

3 – The story of  אלישע progresses when his host in Shunam (the אשה השונמית) realizes he is a “holy man” – איש אלוקים.

The גמרא offers 2 explanations on how the אשה השונמית realized the he is indeed a איש אלוקים.

They say in the name of the Belzer Rebbe, Reb Sholom, that when the גמרא says that she noticed  אלישע‘s holiness from bed,  it meant to say that whoever slept on his bed afterwards acquired the same קדושה.

We mentioned that Reb Levik refused to sleep in a hotel saying that ‘who knows who slept on this bed previously….

Received from a Shiur participant the following story:

About sleeping in a hotel:

When Levi L.  got married in a hotel in Boston, the hotel gave the family a few rooms for the night of the wedding.

When they showed R’ Mendel Futerfas his room, he told them to bring in a rollaway cot. His grandchildren said you have such a beautiful bed like you never ever had, but he insisted that he only will sleep on a rollaway cot.

When pressed for the reason, he said: ווייל די  בעטן זיינען מלכתחילה געמאכט פאר פריקת עול.

Interesting to note that this unique title איש אלוקים  is reserved elsewhere in תנ״ך exclusively for משה רבינו.

So the couple built a room or an attic space for him to use when he comes to שונם.

אלישע calls her and she stands by the door and he blesses her with a son and the rest is history.

There is an interesting פרקי דרבי אליעזר that explains why it’s necessary to state that ‘she stood by the door’.

‘אלישע was so holy that no woman that would look at his face would survive’.

 Therefore, when he called her to give her a ברכה she stood outside his room!!

See further there for more on this.

5 – See below an AI synopsis of a מאמר of the Previous Rebbe on the story of אלישע and the room that his hosts prepared for him.

6 – Our גמרא discusses the הלכה of not eating before Davening.

We discussed what the Alter Rebbe writes in Igeres HaTeshuva 3 about how to prepare the night before a fast by eating 3 hours before the נץ החמה.

ומ“מ כל בעל נפש החפץ קרבת ה’ לתקן נפשו להשיבה אל ה’ בתשובה מעולה מן המובחר. יחמיר על עצמו להשלים עכ”פ פעם א’ כל ימי חייו מספר הצומות לכל עון ועון מעונות החמורים שחייבין עליהם מיתה עכ”פ ואפי’ בידי שמים בלבד כגון להוצאות ז”ל פ”ד צומות פ”א בימי חייו. ויכול לדחותן לימים הקצרים בחורף ויתענה כעשר תעניות עד”מ בחורף א’ או פחות ויגמור מספר הפ”ד צומות בט’ שנים או יותר כפי כחו (וגם יכול לאכול מעט כג‘ שעות לפני נ“ה ואעפ“כ נחשב לתענית אם התנה כן)

In response to a question, the Rebbe outlines all the issues about eating when one wakes up in the middle of the night.

אג“ק ג ע‘ עה–ו.

1- Not eating before Davening – this prohibition begins only at עמוד השחר when one can actually start Davening .

“get out of my way…”

2 – Eating before a fast – which is permitted if a condition – תנאי- is made prior to going to sleep.

3 – The Kabalistic issue with eating at night. The Rebbe cites various opinions on this topic.

7- Other topic discussed:

• כנפי אש בשם המגיד: דם גשמיות. וצריך להמשיך את האלף להיות נקרא אדם. ולפני התפילה עדיין הוא דם. וזהו לא תאכלו על ה׳דם׳.
• מכאן ואילך לא הפסיד. מה הו״א שלא? ר׳ שלמה מן ההר: שיכול לומר בעל פה. ריטב״א: הו״א שלא יקרא כי מזכיר שלא קרא בזמנו!!
• לא ראתה זבוב על שולחנו ולא קרי על מיטתו. הזוהר הקשה הרי כו״כ כן. ותירץ שריח טוב עלה ממיטתו.

 

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By Gemini

The Chassidic discourse “Ne’aseh Na Aliyat Kir Ketanah” (“Let us make a small walled attic room”) was delivered by the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rayatz (Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn) in the year 5691 (1931). It is based on the verse from the Book of Kings II concerning the room built by the Shunamite woman for Elisha the Prophet.

The discourse deals with the spiritual service of the Jew and the inner meaning of the four pieces of furniture placed in the attic: a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp.

Below is a summary and the core points of the discourse:

Lodging and the Shechinah: The Purpose of Divine Service

The discourse opens with an explanation (based on the Zohar and Chassidut) that by building the attic room, the Shunamite woman was not merely providing a physical space for Elisha, but sought to create a “dwelling place” and rectification for the Holy Divine Presence (Shechinah) in this world. The four vessels she prepares represent the order of spiritual inner work through which a Jew transforms themselves and their surroundings into a sanctuary for G-dliness.

The Meaning of the Four Vessels in the Service of the Soul

1. Bed (Mitah/Matah) – Self-Accounting and Nullification

• In the literal sense (Pshat): A place for sleeping and resting.
• In Chassidut: Represents the nighttime service—the Bedtime Shema and the personal accounting of the soul (cheshbon hanefesh).
• The Content: The discourse strongly emphasizes the importance of a person’s daily introspection with themselves before going to sleep. A Jew must review in thought everything that passed over them during the day (in thought, speech, and action), examine what requires rectification, and make a firm resolve that the next day (“tomorrow”) they will conduct themselves in a completely different manner. This work brings about the attribute of nullification and humility (“Into Your hand I entrust my spirit”).

2. Table (Shulchan) – Torah Study and the Elevation of Materiality

• In the literal sense (Pshat): A place for eating and dining.
• In Chassidut: The table represents the study of Torah (as in the Shulchan Aruch—the “Set Table”) and the way a person utilizes worldly matters.
• The Content: Eating and engaging with materiality must be done for the sake of Heaven, in order to gain strength for serving G-d. Studying Torah at the table transforms the physical act of eating into a spiritual offering and refines the physical body.

3. Chair (Kisei) – Awe, Acceptance of the Yoke, and Sovereignty

• In the literal sense (Pshat): A place for sitting and stability.
• In Chassidut: The chair hints at the “Throne of Glory” (Kisei HaKavod), which signifies the attribute of Sovereignty (Malchut) and the acceptance of the yoke of Heaven’s Sovereignty.
• The Content: Sitting represents settling down, permanence, and submission. This is the work of fear of Heaven and accepting the yoke—the awareness that there is a King who guides the world, and that man is obligated to nullify his personal will before the will of G-d.

4. Lamp (Menorah) – Light, Love, and the Dissemination of Chassidut

• In the literal sense (Pshat): A luminary vessel that banishes darkness.
• In Chassidut: The menorah represents the lamp of a mitzvah and the light of Torah, specifically the service of love and spreading light outward.
• The Content: The role of a Jew is not only to remain within their personal spiritual work (nullification and awe), but to illuminate the world. The menorah symbolizes the duty to disseminate the wellsprings of Chassidut and Torah, to bring other Jews closer, and to reveal the Divine light within the darkness of the world.

The Virtue of Ahavat Yisrael and Hospitality

In various parts of the discourse (and the talks associated with it), the Rebbe Rayatz connects the building of the attic room to the actual mitzvot of hospitality (hachnasat orchim) and love for a fellow Jew (ahavat Yisrael). The discourse explains that it is precisely through physical exertion and action for the sake of another—with physical effort and an intention for the sake of Heaven—that one reaches the highest spiritual levels (the four rectifications of the Shechinah). This draws down an exalted Divine revelation that fulfills the ultimate purpose of creation: making a dwelling place for Him in the lower realms.

 

 

 

BSD

Brochos 10b

Sivan 24, 5786.  06/10/2026

Short notes.

1 – Last week we came across the story of the 3 things חזקיהו המלך did that was lauded by the חכמים.

עַל שָׁלֹשׁ הוֹדוּ לוֹ: גָּנַז סֵפֶר רְפוּאוֹת, והוֹדוּ לוֹ; כִּתֵּת נָחָשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת, והוֹדוּ לוֹ; גֵּירֵר עַצְמוֹת אָבִיו עַל מִטָּה שֶׁל חֲבָלִים, והוֹדוּ לוֹ.

With regard to three actions the Sages agreed with him:

1 – He suppressed the Book of Remedies, and they agreed with him.

2 – He ground the copper snake through which miracles were performed for Israel (Numbers 21:9), destroying it because it had been used in idol worship (II Kings 18:4), and they agreed with him.

3 – He dragged the bones of his evil father, King Ahaz, on a bed of ropes; meaning he did not accord his father a funeral fit for a king (II Chronicles 28:27), and they agreed with him.

The first was that he ‘hid the book of medicines’. A few ideas were discussed last week as to the contents and origin of this mysterious ספר הרפואות, including the interesting explanation by Rambam.

We added that some say that this book was actually a map that showed the locations of therapeutic hot springs that formed after the מבול that were used for healing.  רוקח פ’ בשלח.

Others suggest that it was a manual on how to heal using דברי תורה. See עיון יעקב-  גיטין ע, א.

[Story of the fellow that ‘just took the towels of the spa’…]

2 – One of the things that חזקיהו did that the חכמים  were unhappy about was that he decided to add another month- אדר שני, on the 30th day of אדר.

The opinion of the חכמים is that the latest one can proclaim an additional month – אדר שני- is on the 29th of Adar.

(See this previous Shiur for a discussion of עִבֵּר ניסן בניסן)

We discussed how חזקיהו could have even participated in the deliberations if to be מעבר השנה , when it states explicitly that a king is biased and cannot sit on this quorum?

However he was biased in that he paid his army and garrisons based on a ‘yearly salary’. Thus by adding a 13th month he would have much to gain thus disqualifying him from voicing his opinion.

3 – We mentioned the other person that would no be permitted a join in the deliberations – the כהן גדול. His bias not to lengthen the year was so that Yom Kippur would occur earlier – closer to the summer months, so that when he goes to the Mikvah 5 times on Yom Kippur he would not be cold!

The Rebbe often cited this as an example of natural human bias. Even the כהן גדול , when he was thinking about the lofty עבודות of Yom Kippur…is still human and biased…

4 – Another thing חזקיה did was that he embarrassed his father after his passing away to atone for his father’s sins.

We spoke about the interesting שער הגלגולים from Reb חיים ויטאל the student of the אריז”ל.

In regards to חזקיה המלך, he writes (הקדמה לח) that his נשמה was נתגלגל in Rav דימי מנהרדעא who was diligent in the מצווה of הלווית המת.

Some suggest that despite his intention for the benefit of his father’s נשמה, with the חכמים agreeing to this action, perhaps there was a bit of dishonor which was atoned by רב דימי practicing  הלווית המת.

Similar to what it says in זהר concerning רחל stealing her father’s idols.

5 – Speaking of the שער הגלגולים we mentioned the מחלוקת as to who רבי יהושע בן קרחה was. Rashi says that he was the son of , Reb Yehoshua,  who was called בן קרחה because רבי עקיבא was bald!

(As discussed previously in this Shiur).

Tosfos argues very strongly against Rashi that one would refer to רבי עקיבא in a non respectful way.

Tosfos says that רבי יהושע בן קרחה was a different person who came from the town of Korcho!

We also find that בן עזאי said:  כל חכמי ישראל דומין עלי כקליפת השום חוץ מן הקרח הזה

In comparison to me, all the חכמים are like the skin of a garlic except for this baldie!

Did he mean Reb Akiva? Again – it’s a bit unbecoming to refer to Reb Akiva in such a way.

See Tosfos above.

Some suggest that he meant רבי אלעזר בן עזריה who became a נשיא prior to growing a beard at a young age and was ‘bald’ on his face!

So the question is: was רבי יהושע בן רבי עקיבא  and רבי יהושוע בן קרחה the same person or not.

In שער הגלגולים Reb ויטאל חיים write that the Arizal saw both and told him that they are two separate individuals!

גם אמר לי מורי ז”ל, כי הוא ראה בעיניו את ר’ יהושע בן קרחה, ואת ר’ יהושע בנו של ר’ עקיבא, ואינם איש אחד, הפך מה שכתב רש”י ז”ל בפ”ק דשבועות בסוגיא דבהרת ששניהם אחד

6 – We spoke about the בן השונמית that was revived by אלישע and the many actions it took until the body of the child became warm and came back to life.

וַיַּ֜עַל וַיִּשְׁכַּ֣ב עַל־הַיֶּ֗לֶד וַיָּ֩שֶׂם֩ פִּ֨יו עַל־פִּ֜יו וְעֵינָ֤יו עַל־עֵינָיו֙ וְכַפָּ֣יו עַל־כַּפָּ֔ו וַיִּגְהַ֖ר עָלָ֑יו וַיָּ֖חׇם בְּשַׂ֥ר הַיָּֽלֶד׃

And he went up and lay upon the child, and he put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and he stretched himself upon him; and the flesh of the child grew warm.

Half in jest we suggested that it refers to a situation when you are approached by a poor soul that is so desperate that he is ‘hardly alive’. You allow him into your house and hear him out. You talk to him and offer suggestions etc. פִּ֨יו עַל־פִּ֜יו

This needy fellow, despite your comforting words, remains ‘lifeless’. Your words of comfort cannot pay his rent or wedding expenses.

So you try another approach. וְעֵינָ֤יו עַל־עֵינָיו֙. You look him in the eyes and say ‘I would like to help you but my financial situation is not great. You may both even shed a tear. OK. However he will leave your home just as ‘lifeless’ as when he entered.

Only when you try the וְכַפָּ֣יו עַל־כַּפָּ֔ו method…. giving from your hand to hi$ hand….וַיָּ֖חׇם בְּשַׂ֥ר הַיָּֽלֶד׃ and the flesh of the child grew warm….you literally revive this needy fellow.

 

 

 

 

BSD

Brochos 10a (3) 10b

Sivan 17, 5786.  06/2/2026

Brief notes:

We touched on some unfinished topics of last week’s Shiur regarding the story of

הנביא ישעיהו and חזקיהו המלך.

1-  חזקיהו המלך did not get married because he foresaw בנבואה that his descendants would be not יראי  שמים, at the very least.

Topics: How could he have ‘seen’ when by his action (of not getting married) his children would not have been born?!

And how could this נבואה have predetermined his children’s lifestyles if הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת ;שמים ie man has free choice.

We mentioned the תוספות in Yevomos that tackles the second question and suggests 2 answers.

Disclaimer – both answers touch upon deep philosophical concepts and thus we’re unsure if what follows is correct.

A – Hashem’s knowledge (and נבואה) of the future does not cause it to happen, but rather ‘reports’ what will happen, depending on the future free choice of humans.

B – It’s true that a human has free will, however, he is, concerning personal traits and character, somewhat bound by the מזלות. He surely has the power to change the course ‘predestined’ for him, but generally, a person will follow his מזל. And that is what חזקיהו saw בנבואה.

2- Feeling some regrets, [this happened while סנחריב, had surrounded ירושלים and was about to destroy it] חזקיהו wanted to discuss it with his משפיע…who happened to be ישעיהו.

Did he do the correct thing by remaining a bachelor?

Topic: Was he married and just didn’t want/have children? Or he never married?

We mentioned the various opinions and discussed if he did have a wife that bore him no children, he could have easily married another 17 wives…. (the limit of wives a king is permitted to have).

We diverged to the חרם דרבינו גרשום and the fact that many ספרדים did not accept this תקנה and that some say that it expired in the year 5,000 – or in the year 1240.

2 more to go

3- So חזקיהו asks ישעיהו to come to his palace.

However, ישעיהו felt that as a נביא the King would need to come to him.

Each one claimed that the history of the relationship of kings and prophets was on his side.

Neither of these two wanted to go see the other.

Topic: According to הלכה the King חזקיהו was correct. See Rambam  מלכים ב, ה.

אפילו נביא עומד לפני המלך ומשתחוה לו

So what was the reason of ישעיהו’s insistence for חזקיהו to come to him?

שו”ת שואל ומשיב תלתאי א, תכג

“דאיך אמר ישעי’ שחזקי’ יבא אליו והא הוא היה מלך והנביא צריך לעמוד לפני “המלך

We mentioned that Ren Yonosson Eibshytz suggests that there are ‘extra years of life floating’ that are available to be gifted to deserving humans.

Sounds weird but the גמרא In :חגיגה ד explains how these years are in a ‘cloud’.

The source of these floating years comes from the following: Occasionally, some pass away ‘before their time comes up’. [this too is a tough to comprehend idea].

“Wrong Miriam!”

Regardless, the years taken from such unfortunate humans, are transferred and added to תלמידי חכמים that act לפנים משורת הדין.

מעביר על מידותיו.

“אִי אִיכָּא צוּרְבָּא מֵרַבָּנַן דְּמַעְבֵּיר בְּמִילֵּיהּ — מוֹסֵיפְנָא לְהוּ לֵיהּ, וְהָוְיָא חִלּוּפֵיהּ”

So ישעיהו, seeing with נבואה, that חזקיהו׳’s life will soon come to an end, calculates that by causing חזקיהו to overlook his status and position, by him coming to see him, it will cause some years to be granted to חזקיהו! And that is indeed what happened and 15 years were added to his life.

4- The story continues with הקב”ה causing חזקיהו to become ill causing ישעיהו to come and be מבקר חולים!

The גמרא mentions the בעל החלומות, saying that even if one see him in his dreams and tells him ‘tomorrow you will die’ one should not cease to ask for רחמנות from הקב״ה.

 אָמַר רִבִּי חָנָן: אֲפִילּוּ בַּעַל הַחֲלוֹמוֹת אוֹמֵר לוֹ לָאָדָם ״לְמָחָר הוּא מֵת״, אַל יִמְנַע עַצְמוֹ מִן הָרַחֲמִים

.Rabbi Ḥanan said: Even if the master of dreams, in a true dream, an angel tells a person that tomorrow he will die, he should not prevent himself from praying for mercy, 6). Although the dream may seem real to him, that is not necessarily the case, and one must place his trust in God.

We discussed the general idea of the validity in what one sees in his dreams. Can one rely on dreams? Does one need to follow what he sees in a dream?

To be continued and will write on this in the future.

5 – One of the 3 things חזקיהו המלך did and was lauded by the חכמים was that he ‘hid the book of medicines’.

גנז ספר הרפואות.

What exactly is this  ספר הרפואות? And who wrote it?

Discussed the opinions on who the author is- ranging from אדם הראשון, to מלאך רפאל  gave it to נח in the תיבה to שלמה המלך.

Now as to what was written in this ספר רפואה is a wide discussion in the ראשונים.

רש”י and others say it was a book of medicines that was used to heal illnesses. So why hide it?

Rashi:

שגנז ספר רפואות – כדי שיבקשו רחמים

Rabbeinu חננאל:

גנז ספר רפואות – שהיו נתלין בו ולא היו מבקשין רחמים על החולה.

We read the text of the Rambam that, uncharacteristically, strongly disagrees with this interpretation.

Hide a book of medicine? Because it causes people not to pray to  ’ה? But people are suffering and the book offers medical instruction on how to heal them!

With this logic, when one is suffering from hunger should he not eat bread?

The Rambam offers his own two explanations as to the meaning of ספר רפואות.

A- A book of remedies based on amulets and talisman artifacts. See here.

B- A book of medicines.

See translation below.

ספר רפואות היה ספר המציע להתרפא במה שאין ראוי לפי התורה להתרפא בו, כמו שדימו אנשי הטלסמאות שיעשו טלסמה בתואר כזה לחולי כזה, או כיוצא בזה מן הדברים האסורים. ומחברו אמנם חיברו על דרך הידיעה בטבע המציאות, לא על דרך שייעשה בדבר ממה שכלל, וזה מותר, לפי שעוד יתבאר לך שהדברים אשר הזהיר ה׳ מעשייתם מותר ללמדם ולהורות הלכה בהם, לפי שה׳ אמר ״לא תלמד לעשות״, ובאה הקבלה אבל למד אתה להבין ולהורות. וכאשר התקלקלו בני אדם התרפאו בו, וגנזו.

או אולי הוא ספר שהיתה בו רפואת הסמים, ואומר שסם פלוני יורכב כך, וישקו אותו בתואר כזה, ויתחדשו ממנו מן המקרים כך וכך, ורפואתו בדבר פלוני, ואם יראה הרופא את המקרים האלה ידע שהושקה בסם פלוני, ויעמוד כנגדו במה שיצילהו. וכאשר התקלקלו בני אדם והחלו להרוג בו, גנזו.

ואמנם הרביתי לך דברים בענין זה, לפי שאני שמעתי, וכך פירשו לי, ששלמה חיבר ספר רפואה שכאשר יפגע באדם חולי מן החליים יפנה אליו ויעשה מה שמתאר ויבריא, וראה חזקיה שבני אדם אינם בוטחים בה׳ בחלייהם אלא ברפואה, וגנזו. ומלבד הפסד זה המאמר ומה שיש בו מן ההזיות, הנה ייחסו לחזקיה מן הסכלות מה שאין לייחס כמותה אלא לפחותים שבהמון, וכן לסיעתו אשר הודו לו. ולפי סברתם המשובשת הטיפשית, אדם שהיה רעב ופנה אל הלחם ואכלו, אשר בודאי יבריא מאותו הצער החזק, האם סר בטחונו בה׳. הוי שוטים, ייאמר להם, כמו שאודה לה׳ בעת האוכל שהמציא לי מה שיסיר רעבוני ואחיה, כן אודה לו על המצאת תרופה שתרפא חליי כשאשתמש בה. ולא הייתי צריך לסתור כמו זה המאמר הפחות לולא פרסומו.

Translated by Gemini:

The Book of Remedies (Sefer Refuot) was a book that offered healing through methods that are improper to heal with according to the Torah, such as what the masters of talismans imagined—that making a talisman of a certain form would cure a certain illness, or similar forbidden practices. Its author composed it merely for the sake of understanding the nature of reality, not for its content to be practically applied. This is permissible, as it will further be explained to you that regarding matters the Lord warned against doing, it is permissible to study them and to render legal rulings on them, since the Lord said, “You shall not learn to do,” and the tradition clarifies: but you may learn to understand and to teach. However, when people became corrupted, they used it for healing, and so it was hidden away.

Or perhaps it was a book containing the remedies of poisons, stating that a certain poison should be compounded in such a way, and administered in such a manner, and that such and such symptoms would arise from it, and its remedy is with such and such a thing; so if a physician sees these symptoms, he would know which poison was administered and could counteract it with what would save the patient. But when people became corrupted and began using it to murder, it was hidden away.

Now, I have spoken at length on this matter because I have heard—and it was explained to this effect to me—that Solomon composed a medical book so that whenever a person was afflicted with any illness, they could turn to it, do what it prescribed, and be cured. Then Hezekiah saw that people were not trusting in God for their illnesses but rather in the medicine, so he hid it away.

Aside from the flaw in this statement and the delusions it contains, they have attributed to Hezekiah a level of foolishness that should only be attributed to the lowest of the masses, and the same to his court who agreed with him. According to their distorted, foolish logic, if a person is hungry and turns to bread and eats it, which will certainly cure him of that intense pain, has his trust in God departed? “O fools!” it should be said to them. Just as I thank God at the time of eating for providing me with that which removes my hunger and allows me to live, so too do I thank Him for providing a remedy that cures my illness when I use it. I would not have needed to refute such a flawed statement were it not for its popularity.

Context Note

This text is a famous passage from Maimonides (the Rambam) in his Commentary on the Mishnah (Pesachim 4:10), where he vehemently rejects the popular folklore that King Hezekiah hid a book of medical cures because people stopped praying to God. Maimonides argues that using medicine is no different than eating food when hungry, and that practicing medicine does not contradict faith in God.