Visiting the Sick

Values

In Judaism, visiting the sick (bikur cholim) is an important act of loving-kindness (gemilut hasadim) that requires one to provide physical or emotional support to someone who isn't feeling well.

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Praying for the Sick

TALMUD

Praying for the sick is not just a personal act but a communal responsibility. The Talmudic tractate Shabbat discusses the proper way to include the sick in communal prayers, emphasizing the importance of their inclusion within the community of Israel.

Rabbi Yehuda says that it is appropriate to say: May the Omnipresent have compassion upon you and upon all the sick people of Israel. Rabbi Yosei says that it is appropriate to say: May the Omnipresent have compassion upon you among the sick people of Israel, thereby including this sick person within the community of Israel. When Shevna of Jerusalem would visit a sick person on Shabbat, upon entering, he would say shalom. And when he exited he would say: It is Shabbat when one is prohibited to cry out, and healing is soon to come…

Shabbat 12b:1

Fostering Peace through Charitable Acts

TALMUD

Fostering peaceful relations through acts of charity and compassion extends beyond Jewish communities to include gentiles. The Talmudic tractate Gittin discusses how Jewish charitable practices, such as visiting the sick, can promote peace by supporting both Jewish and non-Jewish communities.

§ The mishna teaches: One does not protest against poor gentiles who come to take gleanings, forgotten sheaves, and the produce in the corner of the field, which is given to the poor [pe’a], although they are meant exclusively for the Jewish poor, on account of the ways of peace. Similarly, the Sages taught in a baraita (Tosefta 5:4): One sustains poor gentiles along with poor Jews, and one visits sick gentiles along with sick Jews, and one buries dead gentiles along with dead Jews…

Gittin 61a:5

The Communal Duty to Heal

MUSAR

The obligation to seek medical treatment for a sick person is so extensive that it includes the community's responsibility to provide financial support and medical care if the individual cannot afford it. Rabbi Eliezer Papo’s early 19th-century ethical work, Pele Yoetz, emphasizes the immense value placed on human life and the communal responsibility in healthcare.

A person who has a sick person in his household, is obligated not to slumber, and not to remain silent, and not to rest until he seeks all types of doctors and all sorts of remedies according to his means / until he achieves his objective. And if he is a needy person, and he cannot afford [proper diagnosis and treatment], the obligation falls on the citizens of his city and/or on the Bikur Holim Organization (lit - visitation of the ill society - ie, the illness relief fund). - to assign for him doctors and cures - and they should not be concerned about the great expenses…

Pele Yoetz 335:5

King Hizkiyahu's Illness and Recovery

TANAKH

King Hizkiyahu's personal and emotional journey during his illness offers a profound reflection on the power of prayer and the human desire to praise God. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's modern translation and commentary on the Hebrew Bible provides a clear and engaging account of King Hizkiyahu's illness, prayer, prophecy of recovery, and song of thanksgiving.

(Isaiah 38:1–22)
Hizkiyahu's Illness and Recovery
This story is more personal in nature. It deals with King Hizkiyahu and his relationship with the prophet Isaiah. At a relatively young age, Hizkiyahu becomes ill and is lying on his deathbed when Isaiah visits him and prophesies his death. After Hizkiyahu prays to God from the depths of his heart, Isaiah returns with the news that his life will be saved and he will recover from his illness, and the city will likewise be delivered from the hand of Assyria. This section can also be viewed in the context of the previous section…

Steinsaltz Introductions to Tanakh, Isaiah, Section Preface 25

Empathy in Action

HALAKHAH

Ethiopian Jews cared for the ill out of a natural sense of empathy and shared human fate, rather than following written halakhah. Rabbi Sharon Shalom explores the deep cultural practice of caring for the ill within the Ethiopian Jewish community, emphasizing their communal responsibility and empathy.

The mitzvah of visiting the sick was observed strictly by the Ethiopian Jews. A person who heard that a friend or relative was sick stopped work and went to visit, sometimes traveling a long distance to do so. This enthusiasm was not based on any halakhah written in a book, but rather out of natural emotion and a sense of shared human fate.

From Sinai to Ethiopia, Shulhan haOrit; The Halakhah of Ethiopian Jewry, Then and Now, 9 Laws of Mourning 1:3

Set Your House in Order

COMMENTARY

The prophet Isaiah's visit to King Hezekiah, when he was deathly ill, underscores the importance of preparing oneself and organizing one's affairs before death. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s modern translation and commentary on the Hebrew Bible offers a clear and engaging exploration of this significant moment in Jewish history.

In those days, Hizkiyahu fell deathly ill. His condition was so severe that it seemed he was near death. Isaiah son of Amotz, the prophet, came to visit him and said to him: So said the Lord: Instruct your household, prepare a will for your family, for you will die and will not live. You should prepare yourself and organize your affairs before you die.

Steinsaltz on II Kings 20:1

The Art of Offering Solace

TALMUD

Rabbi Yoḥanan's empathetic approach in comforting his ill student, Rabbi Elazar, offers a profound lesson in the personal and emotional aspects of offering solace. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Berakhot recounts this touching interaction, highlighting the importance of addressing specific emotional and spiritual concerns when offering comfort.

The Gemara relates that Rabbi Elazar, another of Rabbi Yoḥanan’s students, fell ill. Rabbi Yoḥanan entered to visit him, and saw that he was lying in a dark room. Rabbi Yoḥanan exposed his arm, and light radiated from his flesh, filling the house. He saw that Rabbi Elazar was crying, and said to him: Why are you crying? Thinking that his crying was over the suffering that he endured throughout his life, Rabbi Yoḥanan attempted to comfort him: If you are weeping because you did not study as much Torah as you would have…

Berakhot 5b:14

Divine Act of Kindness

TALMUD

The mitzvah of caring for others is so important that even God Himself visited Abraham after his circumcision. The Talmudic tractate Bava Metzia discusses the divine aspect of this mitzvah, illustrating its sanctity and importance.

§ The Gemara expounds another verse involving Abraham: “And the Lord appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day” (Genesis 18:1). The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of “the heat of the day”? Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says: That day was the third day after Abraham’s circumcision, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, came to inquire about the well-being of Abraham. The Holy One, Blessed be He, removed the sun from its sheath in order not to bother that righteous one with guests, i.e…

Bava Metzia 86b:17

The Best Time to Visit the Ill

TALMUD

Timing your visit to someone who is ill can inspire genuine prayers for their recovery. The Talmudic tractate Nedarim discusses the optimal times to visit a sick person to ensure that the visitor is motivated to pray for their recovery.

Rav Sheisha, son of Rav Idi, said: Let one not visit a sick person, neither during the first three hours of the day, nor in the last three hours of the day, so that he will not be diverted from praying for mercy. Rav Sheisha elaborates: During the first three hours the sick person is relieved, as after a night’s sleep his suffering is somewhat alleviated and the visitor will conclude that there is no need for prayer. In the last three hours of the day his weakness is exacerbated…

Nedarim 40a:8

Emulating Divine Kindness

TALMUD

Emulating divine attributes through acts of kindness allows individuals to reflect God's actions in their own lives. The Talmudic tractate Sotah highlights the importance of following God's example by performing acts such as clothing the naked and visiting the sick, demonstrating how these actions connect us to the divine.

He explains: Rather, the meaning is that one should follow the attributes of the Holy One, Blessed be He. He provides several examples. Just as He clothes the naked, as it is written: “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21), so too, should you clothe the naked. Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, visits the sick, as it is written with regard to God’s appearing to Abraham following his circumcision: “And the Lord appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre” (Genesis 18:1), so too…

Sotah 14a:4

The Role of Friendly Societies in Jewish Communal Life

COMMENTARY

The establishment of ḥevrot, or 'friendly societies,' was crucial for Jewish communal life during centuries of exile and dispersion. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explores the historical role of ḥevrot in providing essential services like visiting the sick, comforting mourners, and ensuring dignified burials.

Ḥesed – providing shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry, or assistance to the poor; visiting the sick, comforting mourners, and providing a dignified burial for all – became constitutive of Jewish life. During the many centuries of exile and dispersion Jewish communities were built around these needs. There were ḥevrot, “friendly societies,” for each of them.

Essays in Ethics; A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, Hayei Sara; The Kindness of Strangers 12

Going Beyond the Letter of the Law

TALMUD

The Torah mandates that we go beyond the letter of the law, especially in acts of kindness. The Talmudic tractate Bava Kamma explores various aspects of ethical and moral behavior, including the importance of going beyond mere legal obligations.

the core of their existence, i.e., Torah study, which is the source of life. “The way”; this is referring to acts of kindness. “They must walk”; this is referring to visiting the sick. “Wherein”; this is referring to the burial of the dead. “The work”; this is referring to conducting oneself in accordance with the law. “That they must do”; this is referring to conducting oneself beyond the letter of the law. This indicates that the Torah mandates that people conduct themselves beyond the letter of the law.

Bava Kamma 100a:1

The Healing Power of Presence

COMMENTARY

Being present with someone who is suffering can be part of the cure for their emotional and psychological distress. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explores the Jewish value of visiting the sick, emphasizing the importance of communal responsibility and compassion.

The essential principle here is what the Sages meant when they said, “A prisoner cannot release himself from prison” (Berakhot 5b). It needs someone else to lift you out of depression. That is why Judaism is so insistent on not leaving people alone at times of maximum vulnerability. Hence the principles of visiting the sick, comforting mourners, including the lonely (“the stranger, the orphan, and the widow”) in festive celebrations, and offering hospitality – an act said to be “greater than receiving the Shekhina” (Shabbat 127a)…

Studies in Spirituality; A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, Behaalotekha; From Despair to Hope 18

The Etiquette of Compassionate Care

HALAKHAH

Showing compassion to the ill is not just a kind gesture but a deeply rooted mitzvah with specific guidelines to ensure respect and humility. Maimonides, in his famed 12th-century code of Jewish law, Mishneh Torah, provides detailed instructions on the proper conduct and rituals when attending to a sick person, emphasizing humility and prayer.

When one comes to visit a sick person, he should not sit on a bed, nor on a chair, nor on a bench, nor on a high place, nor above the invalid's head. Instead, he should wrap himself in a tallit, sit below his head, entreat God for mercy on his behalf and depart.

Mishneh Torah, Mourning 14:6

The Spiritual Benefits of Supporting the Ill

MIDRASH

Supporting those who are ill is a deeply meaningful mitzvah with significant spiritual rewards. The fifth-century midrashic text, Vayikra Rabbah, which is a commentary on Leviticus from the Land of Israel, explores various interpretations and spiritual benefits of this mitzvah. It discusses different aspects of helping the sick, including the spiritual elevation it offers, such as reducing suffering and embodying compassion.

“If your brother will become poor, and his means fail in proximity to you; you shall support him, stranger or resident alien, and he shall live with you” (Leviticus 25:35).
“If your brother will become poor” – that is what is written: “Happy is one who attends to the indigent; the Lord will deliver him on a day of evil” (Psalms 41:2). Abba bar Yimeya said in the name of Rabbi Meir: This is one who crowns the good inclination over the evil inclination. Isi said: This is one who gives a peruta to the poor. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: This is one who buries an unattended corpse…

Vayikra Rabbah 34:1

The Gemara in Nedarim 39b, arguing that the mitzva of visiting the ill has no fixed measure. Romm Vilna Pressing (1880-86 CE), from nli.org.il

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