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Does going to doctors contradict relying on Hashem (ה׳) as our healer? The Ramban (רמב"ן) holds medicine is a concession for those not on high spiritual levels, while the Rambam (רמב"ם) views medicine as a science—a domain Hashem established. The shiur resolves this by explaining that illness uniquely separates a person from Hashem, making self-cure through teshuvah impossible and necessitating medical intervention.
The shiur addresses a fundamental tension in Jewish thought: how to reconcile the Gemara (גמרא)'s statement that doctors have permission to heal (derived from the phrase "rapo yerapei" in Parshas Mishpatim) with the Torah (תורה)'s declaration "ki ani Hashem (ה׳) rofeicha"—I am Hashem your healer. This tension raises profound questions about the role of medicine versus prayer in Jewish life. Rabbi Zweig begins by presenting the Ramban (רמב"ן)'s position from Parshas Pinchas. The Ramban argues that ideally, people of high spiritual level should not turn to doctors but rather to prophets and direct connection with Hashem. He derives this from the criticism of King Chizkiyahu, who "was not darish el Hashem" and instead went to doctors—suggesting two separate wrongs: failing to turn to Hashem AND going to doctors. The Ramban concludes that while medicine is permitted, it represents a concession for those not on sufficiently high spiritual levels. The Birkei Yosef (Chida) adds that for someone not on that level, avoiding doctors would be like committing suicide.
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Mishpatim 21:19
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