וּכְב֤וֹד יַעְרוֹ֙ וְכַרְמִלּ֔וֹ מִנֶּ֥פֶשׁ וְעַד־בָּשָׂ֖ר יְכַלֶּ֑ה וְהָיָ֖ה כִּמְסֹ֥ס נֹסֵֽס׃
Kemuliaan hutannya dan ladangnya yang subur akan Ia binasakan, dari jiwa sampai tubuh, dan ia akan menjadi seperti serbuk kayu yang dikunyah ulat kayu.
Ma'avar Yabbok
It is said in Midrash Tehillim, שוחר טוב מ''א מדרש תהילים, “A man is sick for one day, what does he need to do? Pray, and the second day and the third day. On the 4th day, what does he do? He says he is sick and afflicted, and the Holy One Blessed be He says now I will support him and raise him up and his sickness shall be overturned. What of the person who has sinned all his days, the Holy One Blessed be He shall bring sickness upon him. Therefore, a person who follows a way that is worthy of God, he shall see the salvation of God.” They say in Sanhedrin 44b: “Anyone who concentrates himself and his energy in prayer in the world below will have no enemies in Heaven above causing him trouble. As it says in Job 36:19, ‘Will your wealth matter to God in straits and all the efforts of power?’ and in Job 22:25, ‘and God Shaddai will be your gold, heaped up silver for you.’ Therefore, the spirit of a person will nourish him from his illness. He whose spirit, however, is broken, who will lift him up? For the sickness of the soul will grow greater than that of the body, for a body that is sick can hold up the soul and can be strengthened by it, but when a soul is sick, the body cannot bear its suffering and does not have the strength to help it, ‘and it shall be as when a sick man wastes away.’”(Is. 10:18) Further, the thought of a wise king is taught in this chapter that the Yetzer Hara causes a person to feed, to nourish, to hold on to those things that cause sickness, for by it a person chases after his desires, and the first thing that causes problems is that he worries about everyday things. These things cause, as it is written, “a broken spirit dries the bones.” (Prov 17:22). They say that worry causes illness of the soul, and he who worries all the time will fall prey to terrible illnesses, as they write in הרואה ברכות ס ע''א Berachot 60a, “R. Judah ben Nathan used to follow R. Humnuna. Once he sighed, and the other said to him: This man wants to bring suffering on himself, since it is written; For the thing which I did fear is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of has overtaken me” (Job 3:25). In אע''פ כתובות סב ע''א Ketubot 62a it is written, “Rab said: A sigh breaks down half the human condition”, and in חלק סנהדרין ק ע''ב Sanhedrin 100b “in the words of Ben Sira ‘All the days of the poor are evil. Ben Sira said: His nights too. A person should not worry about everything and thus when things are going well, he should see good and also pleasantness in the difficult experiences as well.” In מדרש תהילים שוחד טוב צב “You are exalted Adonai, Your hand is stretched out overall, for of the good it is said, ‘Blessed is the good and the One who causes good’, and for the bad it is said, ‘Blessed is the Judge of Truth.’ Thus, it is our judgement that God is to be gracious for God’s goodness and mercy will be shown as a compassionate father who heals. Our bones that languish will then rejoice and God will send the divine word for good and heal the sick of God’s people, for there is none other than God.” It seems to me that for a person who is afflicted with a strange illness it is good to accustom himself to pray the words: “There is none other than God.” As Rabbi Hanina said “Even by sorcery, a woman once attempted to take earth from under Rabbi Hanina’s feet. He said to her, ‘If you succeed in your attempts go and practice sorcery, it is written, and however, ‘There is no one else beside Him”. (Sanhedrin 67b) It is God’s will, that it is God who is merciful upon those who are despondent and ill. If that person turns to God and sounds the silver shofar calls Teruah, formed by these insights I have prepared based upon the teachings of scholars, then these particular and potent verses will cause a light from the Divine Will to shine upon all those who are sick and despondent. The mercies of God will proceed from the central theme of these verses in which they are hidden. They will also appear through the words as one is freed from prison. God will send God’s word and heal those in need of healing. By God’s love and compassion God will send an angel who will save them. Understand what I have written. By these words, live and enjoy the oil (fatness) of the soul. The meaning of these words and instructions are found at the beginning of this book in Siftei Tzedek chapter 6. Study them and live. (Rabbi Steven Moss)