רְפָאֵ֤נִי יְהוָה֙ וְאֵ֣רָפֵ֔א הוֹשִׁיעֵ֖נִי וְאִוָּשֵׁ֑עָה כִּ֥י תְהִלָּתִ֖י אָֽתָּה׃
הײל מיך, גאָט, איך זאָל געהײלט װערן, העלף מיך, איך זאָל גהאָלפֿן װערן, װאָרום דו ביסט מײַן לױב.
Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael
The Holy One Blessed be He heals all who enter the world, viz. (Exodus 15:26) "for I am the L–rd who heals you", (Jeremiah 17:14) "Heal me, O L–rd, and I will be healed. Save me, and I will be saved.", (Ibid. 3:22) "Return, wayward sons; I will heal your waywardness." Come and see that the healing of the Holy One Blessed be He is not like the healing of flesh and blood. The healing of flesh and blood — With what he smites, he does not heal. He smites with a knife and heals with a plaster. Not so the Holy One Blessed be He. With what He smites, He heals. When He smote Iyyov, He smote him with a tempest, viz. (Iyyov 9:11) "He struck me with a tempest and multiplied my wounds in vain." When He healed him, He healed him with a tempest, viz. (Ibid. 38:1) "And the L–rd answered Iyyov from the tempest." He answered him from the tempest and He healed him. And when the Holy One Blessed be He exiled Israel, He did so with clouds, viz. (Eichah 2:1) "How the L–rd has beclouded in His wrath the daughter of Zion." And when He gathers them in, He does so with clouds, viz. (Isaiah 60:8) "Who are those who fly like a cloud, like doves to their dove-cotes?" When He scatters them, He scatters them like doves, viz. (Ezekiel 7:16) "And their fugitives will flee. They will be in the mountains, all of them moaning like the doves of the valleys, each man in his sin." And when He returns them, He returns them like doves, viz.: "like doves to their dove-cotes." When He blesses Israel, He blesses them with looking, viz. (Devarim 26:15) "Look down from Your holy abode, from the heavens, and bless Your people, Israel." And when He exacted punishment of Egypt, He did so with "looking," viz. "and the L–rd looked to the camp of Egypt with a pillar of fire and cloud, and He confounded the camp of Egypt, etc." The pillar of cloud descended and made the sea-bed clay, and the pillar of fire made it so hot that the horses' hooves fell off. "and He confounded the camp of Egypt": He confounded them, He mixed them up, He removed their ensigns and they did not know what they were doing. Variantly: "Confounding" is plague, viz. (Devarim 7:23) "And He will confound them with a great confusion until they are destroyed."
Vayikra Rabbah
“The priest shall command and one shall slaughter the one bird in an earthenware vessel over springwater” (Leviticus 14:5).
“The priest shall command and one shall slaughter the one bird.” Why does he slaughter one and leave one? It is to say to you: Just as it is impossible for the slaughtered one to return, so it is impossible for the leprosy to return.26Just as the slaughtered bird will not come back to life, so the leprosy will not return to the individual once he has repented, if he does not return to his sinful ways. At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He summons His legions and says: ‘It was not for nothing that I struck him, but rather, “I became angry because of his sinful thievery; I struck him…[and he went waywardly in the way of his heart]”’ (Isaiah 57:17). Rabbi Abba bar Kahan said: The vomiter had returned to his vomit, just as it says: “Like a dog that returns to its vomit” (Proverbs 26:11).27God did not strike him for nothing, but rather because “he went waywardly in the way of his heart.” Rabbi Abba compares this to one who returns to his vomit because before this individual was afflicted with leprosy he had received divine warnings in the form of leprous marks on his house and clothing, and yet he repeated his sin (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The fool returns to his path of folly, just as it says: “So a fool repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). “I saw his ways and I will heal him; I will guide him and pay condolences to him and his mourners” (Isaiah 57:18); these are his limbs that mourn him.
“Creator of the expression [niv] of the lips” (Isaiah 57:19), Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: If a person’s lips produced [henivu] prayer, he is guaranteed that his prayer is heard. What is the source? “Creator of the expression of the lips: Peace, peace [for the distant and for the near said the Lord, and I will heal him]” (Isaiah 57:19). Rabbi Yehoshua bar Naḥmani says: If one focused [kiven] his heart in prayer, he is guaranteed that his prayer will be heard, as it is stated: “Prepare [takhin] their heart, incline your ear” (Psalms 10:17).
When the punishment has been completed, he is absolved.28This is based on the double usage of the word “peace [shalom]” in the verse cited above (Isaiah 57:19). The midrash interprets this to mean that when his punishment has been completed [shelimin] he will live in peace. “For the distant” (Isaiah 57:19), Rav Huna and Rav Yudan in the name of Rav Aḥa: This is the leper, who had been distant but has drawn near. “Said the Lord and I will heal him” (Isaiah 57:19), He will heal him Himself, as it is stated: “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved…” (Jeremiah 17:14).
“The priest shall command and one shall slaughter the one bird.” Why does he slaughter one and leave one? It is to say to you: Just as it is impossible for the slaughtered one to return, so it is impossible for the leprosy to return.26Just as the slaughtered bird will not come back to life, so the leprosy will not return to the individual once he has repented, if he does not return to his sinful ways. At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He summons His legions and says: ‘It was not for nothing that I struck him, but rather, “I became angry because of his sinful thievery; I struck him…[and he went waywardly in the way of his heart]”’ (Isaiah 57:17). Rabbi Abba bar Kahan said: The vomiter had returned to his vomit, just as it says: “Like a dog that returns to its vomit” (Proverbs 26:11).27God did not strike him for nothing, but rather because “he went waywardly in the way of his heart.” Rabbi Abba compares this to one who returns to his vomit because before this individual was afflicted with leprosy he had received divine warnings in the form of leprous marks on his house and clothing, and yet he repeated his sin (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The fool returns to his path of folly, just as it says: “So a fool repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). “I saw his ways and I will heal him; I will guide him and pay condolences to him and his mourners” (Isaiah 57:18); these are his limbs that mourn him.
“Creator of the expression [niv] of the lips” (Isaiah 57:19), Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: If a person’s lips produced [henivu] prayer, he is guaranteed that his prayer is heard. What is the source? “Creator of the expression of the lips: Peace, peace [for the distant and for the near said the Lord, and I will heal him]” (Isaiah 57:19). Rabbi Yehoshua bar Naḥmani says: If one focused [kiven] his heart in prayer, he is guaranteed that his prayer will be heard, as it is stated: “Prepare [takhin] their heart, incline your ear” (Psalms 10:17).
When the punishment has been completed, he is absolved.28This is based on the double usage of the word “peace [shalom]” in the verse cited above (Isaiah 57:19). The midrash interprets this to mean that when his punishment has been completed [shelimin] he will live in peace. “For the distant” (Isaiah 57:19), Rav Huna and Rav Yudan in the name of Rav Aḥa: This is the leper, who had been distant but has drawn near. “Said the Lord and I will heal him” (Isaiah 57:19), He will heal him Himself, as it is stated: “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved…” (Jeremiah 17:14).
Midrash Tehillim
Another interpretation: The precepts of the LORD are straightforward (Psalm 19:9) — Taught Ḥizkiyah son of Ḥiyyah, these are words of Torah, which are a crown for the head, as it is said For a graceful wreath are they on your head, a necklace on your throat. (Proverbs 1:9). A remedy for the heart — making the heart rejoice. A salve for the eyes — The commandment of the LORD is clear, illuminating the eyes. An elixir for plague — Cure for your gut it will be (Proverbs 3:8). And a potion for the intestines — and a potion for your innards. (ibid.) And the number of swallowings is 248 organs — and to all his flesh it heals. (Proverbs 4:24). ...ALTERNATIVE translation...: Another interpretation of "פקודי ה' ישרים" is given by Rabbi Hizkiyah bar Hayya. He said that these are the words of the Torah that are a crown for the head, as it is written, "for they shall be a garland of grace to your head and a necklace around your neck" (Proverbs 1:9). They are balm for the heart, and they give joy to the soul. The commandments of the Lord are clear and enlighten the eyes. They are a remedy for the wound, as it is written, "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise" (Jeremiah 17:14). They are a tonic for the stomach and give strength to the bones, as it is written, "It will be health to your flesh and refreshment to your bones" (Proverbs 3:8). And how do we know that they penetrate to the two hundred and forty-eight organs and heal the whole body? As it is written, "For they are life to those who find them and healing to all their flesh" (Proverbs 4:22).