Parshas Vayikra
By Rabbi Dovid Zauderer
We are living in difficult, even dangerous times. This coronavirus has gone viral, affecting an enormous number of people across the globe. Many have already died, and there seems to be no end in sight.
At times such as these, we need any extra segulah (pronounced suh-GOO-luh; a segulah is a spiritual practice that is efficacious in improving a situation or protecting a person from harm) that we can do so that we can stay healthy and survive this ordeal - and I have just the segulah for you!
According to Jewish tradition, the recitation of the Asher Yatzar blessing with real kavanah (intent) upon leaving the bathroom is a segulah/protection that one will never become ill or need a doctor his entire life.
As the 16th century kabbalist Rabbi Moshe ben Machir writes in his classic work Seder Hayom (page 6):
“After washing his hands [in the morning] one should recite the Asher Yatzar blessing with great intent – focusing on the meaning of each and every word. He should have in mind the great kindness that G-d does for him every time he goes to the bathroom by allowing his body to digest the beneficial nutrients and to expel the waste, thus keeping his body healthy. And if a person is complete in his attributes and he carefully utters these words, he will not become sick all of his days and will never need a doctor. Certainly, then, it is worthy to recite the blessing with strong intent and a complete mind to the Healer of all flesh.â€
One of the main themes of the Asher Yatzar blessing is the fact that G-d created us with many nekavim (lit. “holesâ€) i.e. openings like the mouth, nostrils, and other orifices that lead in and out of the body. He also created us with many chalulim (lit. “cavitiesâ€) i.e. the inner hollows in our bodies that contain such organs as the lungs, heart, stomach, and brain. And should any of the openings be blocked, or should any of the cavities be ruptured, G-d forbid, then it would be impossible for us to survive for too long.
The Asher Yatzar blessing has special significance and meaning in our times when there are many thousands of people in hospitals all around the world who are suffering from the coronavirus and whose mouths are “blockedâ€, making it very difficult for them to breathe normally without a ventilator. May G-d have mercy on them!
The blessing ends off praising G-d Who “acts wondrouslyâ€. And the Rama explains that it is truly wondrous how G-d fuses together the spiritual soul with the physical body to create a human being.
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