Parashat Mishpatim contains the pasuk Rapo Yerapeh, Heal you shall heal. From here we learn that the doctor was given permission to heal.
Furthermore, the pasuk says, “Diseases that are bad and loyal.”
What makes diseases loyal?
They are loyal messengers. God sends disease to a person and decrees how long it will last, how it will leave, and through whom it will leave.
But a Gemarah says, “Don’t live in a city without a doctor.”
What is going on here?
The Pele Yoetz asks: If Hashem is the One that heals, what is the doctor doing for us? We just learned that disease leaves by God’s decree. If so, why do we need a doctor? If God decided that a person will die, has v’shalom, all the doctors in the world won’t be able to help him. As the Pele Yoetz says, The doctor’s mistake is the Will of God. But if it’s decreed that he should live, then God will save him without a doctor.
So what’s going on?
The Pele Yoetz explains with a fundamental that applies not only to doctors, but to many types of hishtadlut.
He says there are three types of decrees:
The first type is when a person has powerful zechuyot, so even without a doctor, and without taking care of his health, he will live. Rabbi Khadouri is a good example of this- he smoked until 103.
The second type of decree is when a person, has v’shalom, was decreed to die. He can try everything in the world, but he’s wasting his time. He can be on the Atkins diet, like Dr. Atkins, then slip on the ice and break his head.
Then there is the third type:
This person, due to his sins, is placed under nature. That in itself is a decree. And God’s decree is, if you watch yourself, and take care of yourself naturally, you’ll live. And if not, you’ll die.
Hashem says, I am not dealing with you in an open way. You will be dealt with under the nature. That’s the decree.
This sounds like the Sadik, Rasha and Benoni. Most people are Benoni.
But since we don’t know which decree we are under, we have to involve ourselves in healing. Otherwise, a person is held responsible for whatever happens to him, even if it may have been decreed otherwise, because as the pasuk says וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם מְאֹד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם and he wasn’t careful. That in itself is a reason not to be healed.
The Pele Yoetz’s point is that, of course, everything is in the hands of God, but it might have been decreed that this is the way you’re going to get better.
He goes as far as saying that when a person is sick, he should check with the best doctors, and not worry about the expense. Firstly, because you should spend all the money in the world to save yourself, and furthermore, because, as he quotes from the Zohar, Sometimes God wants a person to be punished by losing money, and puts him a disease, and he won’t get better until he spends that amount of money. That’s a tremendous Hiddush. A person fights over a co-pays and fights with the insurance company, but according to this, that won’t work. Therefore, he says, spend it fast. His proof is that if we can be Mehalel Shabbat to save a life, surely we can spend a little money to safe a life.
Even better, spend it on Sedaka, because the mitzva of Sedaka is a segula to remove a gezerah.
As we have said in the past, there were people that, when they had to go to the doctor, would give an equal amount of money to Sedaka.
He says that before any Refuah, you have to believe with Emunah Shelemah that your Refuah is in the hands of God- and say a tefila before you go.
This is the balancing act of hishtadlut. We know that it’s decreed, but at the same time, we might be from those people that will only be healed if we follow the rules.
Have wonderful day.