This week’s parasha opens with Hashem appearing to Avraham Avinu through prophecy while he was sitting in his tent in the heat of the day.
The Midrash famously comments that this interaction occurred on the third day of Avraham’s recovery from his brit milah. Based on this understanding, the Talmud in Masechet Sotah writes:
R. Hama son of R. Hanina further said: What does the verse: “You shall walk after the Lord your God (vehalachta bidrachav)” mean? Is it possible for a human being to walk after the Shechinah (Divine Presence); for has it not been said: “For the Lord thy God is a devouring fire”? But [the meaning is] to walk after the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He. As He … visited the sick, for it is written: “And the Lord appeared unto him (Avraham) by the oaks of Mamre”, so do you also visit the sick.
Through this teaching, our Chachamim convey that we are obligated to emulate Hashem’s ways of relating to the world. As He acts with mercy, so must we be merciful. As He acts with justice, so must we be just. As He acts with loving-kindness, so must we be kind. As Hashem visited Avraham as he was convalescing, so must we visit the sick – we are obligated to perform the mitzvah of bikkur cholim.
Based on the teachings of his father, Rav Ovadiah Yosef, Rav Yitzchak Yosef writes (Yalkut Yosef vol. 7, 1:2) that the ideal way to perform the mitzvah of visiting the sick is to go personally to visit the sick, if it is within his ability to do so. One does not fully complete his obligation to visit the sick by calling the sick person by phone or by sending him a letter inquiring about how he is doing. However, someone who is unable to visit the sick personally should phone the sick person or send him a letter to strengthen and support him through writing. Of course, Rav Yosef’s teaching would apply equally to sending an email or a text message to a sick person.
In this passage, Rav Yosef teaches that personal visitation is the only way to fully perform the obligation of visiting the sick. From the perspective of halacha, what about personal visitation is superior to remote communication?
Consider a situation in which a person’s friend is sick. The friend calls his or her sick friend and the sick friend enjoyed the call and feels better from the call. Halacha teaches that although the friend appreciated the call and felt uplifted – possibly as much as if the friend had visited personally – the performance of the mitzvah of bikkur holim was lacking. What is missing in the performance of the mitzvah of visiting the sick by not visiting personally?
From one perspective, the mitzvah of visiting the sick is about the one who is sick. The Torah is very concerned with addressing and protecting the needs of the sick during a visit. A visitor must adhere to many laws which proscribe when to visit, how to enter the room and where to sit – laws which are designed to safeguard the welfare of the sick. During a visit, a visitor must be solely focused on the needs and welfare of the sick. From this perspective, it would not make a difference whether the visitor personally visited or whether there was remote communication.
However, the passage from Masechet Sotah quoted above appears to be teaching an additional lesson. This passage teaches that we must emulate Hashem’s ways of relating to the world. From this perspective, the visit is not only an encounter with the sick individual – it is additionally an encounter with the Almighty. Through visiting the sick, a visitor imitates Hashem and is offered the opportunity for growth in his relationship with Hashem. From this perspective, through his visit, the visitor is confronted with the realization that the sick individual needs help – man’s help and help from the Almighty. The visitor should leave with a call to action – to support the sick, however possible, and to pray for his or her welfare. This prayer will potentially help the sick person and will also improve the visitor’s relationship with Hashem. Although, at its heart, bikkur cholim is a selfless act, a visitor does improve himself or herself through the act.
From the first perspective, the needs of the sick, no preference would be given to a personal visit. However, there is an additional perspective – the impact of the encounter on the visitor. Undoubtedly, a visitor is more intensely affected by a personal visit – he sees first-hand the effects of the illness on his friend. A personal visit, in a way that a phone call, email or text cannot do, serves as a catalyst for the visitor to realize that the one who is sick requires the help of Hashem – the visitor must turn to Hashem in prayer. From this perspective, a personal visit is superior to remote communication.
May it be the will of Hashem, that He quickly sends a speedy recovery – of soul and of body – to all of the infirmed of Israel.
The Midrash famously comments that this interaction occurred on the third day of Avraham’s recovery from his brit milah. Based on this understanding, the Talmud in Masechet Sotah writes:
R. Hama son of R. Hanina further said: What does the verse: “You shall walk after the Lord your God (vehalachta bidrachav)” mean? Is it possible for a human being to walk after the Shechinah (Divine Presence); for has it not been said: “For the Lord thy God is a devouring fire”? But [the meaning is] to walk after the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He. As He … visited the sick, for it is written: “And the Lord appeared unto him (Avraham) by the oaks of Mamre”, so do you also visit the sick.
Through this teaching, our Chachamim convey that we are obligated to emulate Hashem’s ways of relating to the world. As He acts with mercy, so must we be merciful. As He acts with justice, so must we be just. As He acts with loving-kindness, so must we be kind. As Hashem visited Avraham as he was convalescing, so must we visit the sick – we are obligated to perform the mitzvah of bikkur cholim.
Based on the teachings of his father, Rav Ovadiah Yosef, Rav Yitzchak Yosef writes (Yalkut Yosef vol. 7, 1:2) that the ideal way to perform the mitzvah of visiting the sick is to go personally to visit the sick, if it is within his ability to do so. One does not fully complete his obligation to visit the sick by calling the sick person by phone or by sending him a letter inquiring about how he is doing. However, someone who is unable to visit the sick personally should phone the sick person or send him a letter to strengthen and support him through writing. Of course, Rav Yosef’s teaching would apply equally to sending an email or a text message to a sick person.
In this passage, Rav Yosef teaches that personal visitation is the only way to fully perform the obligation of visiting the sick. From the perspective of halacha, what about personal visitation is superior to remote communication?
Consider a situation in which a person’s friend is sick. The friend calls his or her sick friend and the sick friend enjoyed the call and feels better from the call. Halacha teaches that although the friend appreciated the call and felt uplifted – possibly as much as if the friend had visited personally – the performance of the mitzvah of bikkur holim was lacking. What is missing in the performance of the mitzvah of visiting the sick by not visiting personally?
From one perspective, the mitzvah of visiting the sick is about the one who is sick. The Torah is very concerned with addressing and protecting the needs of the sick during a visit. A visitor must adhere to many laws which proscribe when to visit, how to enter the room and where to sit – laws which are designed to safeguard the welfare of the sick. During a visit, a visitor must be solely focused on the needs and welfare of the sick. From this perspective, it would not make a difference whether the visitor personally visited or whether there was remote communication.
However, the passage from Masechet Sotah quoted above appears to be teaching an additional lesson. This passage teaches that we must emulate Hashem’s ways of relating to the world. From this perspective, the visit is not only an encounter with the sick individual – it is additionally an encounter with the Almighty. Through visiting the sick, a visitor imitates Hashem and is offered the opportunity for growth in his relationship with Hashem. From this perspective, through his visit, the visitor is confronted with the realization that the sick individual needs help – man’s help and help from the Almighty. The visitor should leave with a call to action – to support the sick, however possible, and to pray for his or her welfare. This prayer will potentially help the sick person and will also improve the visitor’s relationship with Hashem. Although, at its heart, bikkur cholim is a selfless act, a visitor does improve himself or herself through the act.
From the first perspective, the needs of the sick, no preference would be given to a personal visit. However, there is an additional perspective – the impact of the encounter on the visitor. Undoubtedly, a visitor is more intensely affected by a personal visit – he sees first-hand the effects of the illness on his friend. A personal visit, in a way that a phone call, email or text cannot do, serves as a catalyst for the visitor to realize that the one who is sick requires the help of Hashem – the visitor must turn to Hashem in prayer. From this perspective, a personal visit is superior to remote communication.
May it be the will of Hashem, that He quickly sends a speedy recovery – of soul and of body – to all of the infirmed of Israel.
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