Packed with material culled from classical and contemporay Jewish sources, Judaism, Medicine, and Healing explores a wide array of issues and topics relating to physical well-being. Jewish tradition teaches that everything, including our bodies, belongs to God. This belief that a person's body is only on loan for the course of his of her lifetime leads not only to prohibitions, but also to obligations to maintain good health. In this fascinating volume, noted author Rabbi Ronald H. Isaacs presents the general principles and specific instructions about medicine, its ethics, and the care of one's body. For each topic addressed, Rabbi Isaacs offers teachings, explanations, and supporting quotes from the Bible, Talmud, and other Jewish texts. Learn the laws relating to the mitzvah of bikkur cholim (visiting the sick), including when and how long to visit, who to visit, and what to do during the visit. The obligation to heal is examined with discussions of the role and status of the Jewish physician. Maimonides' beautiful and moving medical oath and physician's prayer are also presented. Biblical and talmudic medicine, diseases, and remedies are detailed, as are ancient folk remedies. Also included are the Jewish views on exercise, diet, and personal hygiene; healing prayers and psalms; and a variety of quotations on a wide array of topics, including physicians, the images of God as healer, and the Torah as therapy for healing.
by Ronald H. Isaacs