Siman 335

We maintain in Shabbat (Shabbat 32a): A person should always seek mercy that he should not fall ill. For if he falls ill, they say to him: "Bring merit and be released, etc." A person going out to the market—it should be in his eyes as if he were handed over to the officer. If he feels a pain in his head—it should be in his eyes as if they placed him in a collar. If he went to bed and fell [ill]—it should be in his eyes as if they brought him up to the scaffold to be judged. For anyone who is brought up to the scaffold to be judged, if he has great advocates—he is saved, and if not—he is not saved. And these are the advocates of a person: repentance and good deeds. See there. Therefore, every person should take this to heart and especially at the time of his illness, and he should not rely on the doctors alone, as it is written regarding Asa: "And even in his illness he did not seek Hashem"—only the doctors. And he should take upon himself to improve his ways, and distribute tzedakah according to his means, as it is written: "And tzedakah saves from death." And he should trust in Hashem that He will raise him from his illness. And the majority of the sick are for life. And even if nine hundred and ninety-nine teach of his guilt, and one teaches of his merit—he is saved, as it is said: "If there be for him an angel, an advocate, one among a thousand, to declare for man his uprightness. Then He is gracious unto him, and says: Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom." (Job 33:24. And "peda'ehu" is like "pedahu," for the letters Aleph, Het, He, Ayin, Resh are interchangeable.)

Visiting the sick is among the greatest mitzvot. It is among the things for which a person eats their fruits in this world, while the principal remains for him in the world to come, as we learned in the Mishnah of "These are the things etc." It is included in the category of gemilut chasadim (Bava Metzia 30b). This is what the Torah said: "And you shall make known to them the path in which they shall walk" (ibid.). And what is the meaning of that which is written: "After the Lord your God you shall walk"? Is it possible for a person to walk after the Divine Presence? Has it not already been said: "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire"? Rather, it means to walk after the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He: just as He clothes the naked, as it is written, "And the Lord God made for the man and for his wife garments of skin and He clothed them" – so too you shall clothe the naked. Just as the Holy One, blessed be He, visited the sick, as it is written: "And the Lord appeared to him in the plains of Mamre" – so too you shall visit the sick. The Holy One, blessed be He, comforted mourners, as it is written: "And it was after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son" – so too you shall comfort mourners. The Holy One, blessed be He, buries the dead, as it is written: "And He buried him in the valley etc." – so too you shall bury the dead (Sotah 14a). And this is included in the verse "After the Lord your God you shall walk."

The essence of the mitzvah of bikur cholim is to look into the needs of the sick person and to do for him what is necessary. As it is stated in Nedarim (Nedarim 40a): It happened that a certain student from the students of Rabbi Akiva became ill etc., and Rabbi Akiva entered to visit him. And because he swept and sprinkled the floor before him—he lived. He said to him: "My teacher, you have revived me!" Rabbi Akiva went out and expounded: "Anyone who does not visit the sick—it is as if he spills blood." And how beautiful are the societies in several cities called "Chevra Lina," who sleep over with the sick all night to see what they need. For during the day, for the most part, the members of his household serve him, which is not the case at night, for the members of his household are weary from the day's work and sink into sleep by necessity. Therefore, the reward of the "Chevra Lina" is very, very great. And our sages, of blessed memory, said (ibid.): Anyone who visits the sick is saved from the judgment of Gehenna. And what is his reward in this world? Hashem will protect him from the yetzer hara, and grant him life from suffering, and he will be praised in the land such that everyone will honor him etc., see there. And anyone who visits the sick causes him to live, for he prays for him that he should live. And anyone who does not visit does not seek mercy for him, neither that he should live nor that he should die. For sometimes one must seek mercy that he should die, such as when he has much suffering in his illness and it is impossible for him to live, like the incident of Rabbi in the chapter "HaNosei" (Ran ibid.).

One must be careful in bikur cholim that the visitor should not be a burden upon the sick person. For sometimes speech is difficult for him, and due to the honor of the visitor he is forced to speak. And also there are times when he needs his personal needs and he is ashamed to tell him. Therefore, one must be careful, wise, and understanding in this. And for this reason our sages, of blessed memory, said (Nedarim 41a): One does not visit those with intestinal illnesses, nor those with eye illnesses, nor those with head illnesses, for speech is difficult for them. And those with intestinal illnesses, because perhaps he will be ashamed to say that he needs his personal needs. And how should they act? They enter the outer room, not the room where the sick person lies there, and they ask and inquire of the members of the household if perhaps he needs anything. And they hear his pain, and they seek mercy and pray for him.

Relatives and friends enter immediately upon his falling ill, and distant acquaintances after three days, so that his fortune is not impaired by having the status of "ill" called upon him. However, if the illness gripped him with intensity—both these and those enter immediately. And even the great shall go to the small, and even several times a day. And even if he is of his same age, who takes away one-sixtieth of his illness (Bava Metzia 30a). And whoever adds—this is praiseworthy. Provided that he is not a burden upon the ill person, as I wrote in the previous section.

Our teacher, the Rema, wrote in section 2 (Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 335:2): There are those who say that a hater may go to visit a sick person, but it does not seem so to me. Rather, one who is his hater should not visit a sick person, nor comfort a mourner, so that he should not think that he is rejoicing in his misfortune, and it is nothing to him but distress. Thus far his words. However, everything is according to what the hatred is, and according to who the haters are (Shach, subsection 2). But if a hater died – one may escort him, for in this "rejoicing in his misfortune" is not applicable, as this is the end of all man (ibid.). And so too, if the hater sends word to him beforehand that he wishes to visit him or comfort him, and he gives him permission – it is permitted. And on the contrary, through this, peace is made between them. Therefore, there are those who wrote that now it is the custom that the hater goes, for it leads to peace (Ba'er Heitev in the name of the Keneset HaGedolah and Sefer HaChaim, see there).

One who visits the sick shall not sit on the bed, nor on a chair, nor on a bench, but rather wraps himself and sits before him, because the Shekhinah is above the head of the sick person (Shabbat 12b). This applies specifically when the sick person is lying on the ground, for then the one sitting is higher than him, and this is not proper conduct. But when he lies on a bed – it is permitted to sit on a chair or a bench. And such is the custom. And in the Zohar, Parashat Pinchas, it is explained that when the sick person is an average person – one should not sit at the feet of the sick person, for the Angel of Death's place is there. And "at his head" implies there that this is in every case, even if he is not higher than the sick person. And if the sick person is a complete tzadik – one should sit only at his feet, because the Shekhinah surrounds him from every side except for his feet, see there.

One does not visit the sick during the first three hours of the day, because every sick person's illness is eased for him in the morning, and the visitor will not feel to request mercy for him. Nor during the last three hours of the day, for then his illness weighs heavily upon him, and the visitor will despair from requesting mercy for him. Rather, one should visit in the middle of the day. This is not a prohibition but merely advice; therefore, they are not now accustomed to be exacting in this (it seems to me). And anyone who visited the sick and did not request mercy for him—he has not fulfilled the mitzvah.

When one requests mercy for him, if he prays not in the presence of the sick person, he should only pray in the holy tongue, for the ministering angels do not recognize the Aramaic language even though it is close to the holy tongue, and all the more so regarding other languages. And even though there are those who say that they only do not attend to the Aramaic language, but not to other languages, nevertheless, certainly even according to this opinion it is better in the holy tongue (see Taz, subsection 4). But in the presence of the sick person, he may pray in any language, for the Shekhinah is there, and as it were, he requests from before the Shekhinah. And in the prayer he should include him "among the rest of the sick of Israel," as he should say: "May the Place have mercy upon you among the rest of the sick of Israel." For a prayer on behalf of many is more significant, for He does not despise their prayer. And on Shabbat he says: "It is Shabbat, [prohibiting] from crying out, and healing is soon to come. And His mercies are many, and rest in peace." And see Orach Chaim siman 287.

We say to him that he should turn his attention to his affairs, whether he lent to others or others deposited with him, or perhaps he has something to command his children after him. And he should not fear death because of this, for such is the duty of a man; for even in a man's health it is proper that his affairs be arranged, and all the more so in his illness. And this is the will of the Creator, may He be blessed, and in this merit Hashem will send him a complete recovery. However, regarding saying viduy – they should not mention it to him as long as the illness has not overcome him with a strong hand. And it will be explained in siman 338.

A man may visit a woman, and a woman a man, provided that they are not secluded alone together. And one visits the sick of the Cutheans for the sake of the ways of peace. In the case of an intestinal illness, a man may not attend to a woman, so that he does not come to the point of wasting seed, Heaven forbid. However, a woman may attend to a man. But in an illness other than an intestinal illness—the man may raise her and lay her down, and similarly he may attend to her (Birkei Yosef, and see Shach subsection 9, and Taz subsection 5).

Some say that one who has a sick person in his house should go to the sage of the city so that he may request mercy for him and bless him. And so they are accustomed to bless the sick in the synagogue at the time of the reading of the Torah, for then mercy is awakened. And if the illness is strong, they change the name, which is to say: they add another name to his name. For this is one of the things that tears up the decree of a person, as our sages, of blessed memory, said in Rosh Hashanah (Rosh Hashanah 16b). And there is one who wishes to say that when the sick person is in another place, they should not pray for him, for who knows if he is alive. In my humble opinion, this is not clear at all, for even regarding a get we maintain a presumption of life, as the majority of the sick are for life (Gittin 28a), and all the more so regarding the matter of prayer. And such is the simple custom, and there is no reason to doubt this at all. And comforting mourners precedes visiting the sick, for this is a kindness with the living and the dead, while visiting the sick is for the living alone. But if he knows of a benefit to the sick person, visiting the sick precedes.