Friday, September 04, 2009
The King Has No Healthcare!
There is no record of public outcry against King Chizkiyahu’s Healthcare Reform Plan. Until Chizkiyahu, doctors and patients consulted the Sefer Harefuos. It was an ancient book dating back King Solomon and, according to the Rambam, an effective medical text. Some say that the original manuscript was actually written by Noach and preserved carefully for centuries.
Chizkiyahu threw away the Book of Cures. He hid it and told people to rely on G-d instead (Pesachim 4).
Apparently, it worked. There were no protests that we know of, no town hall meetings and no angry talk show hosts. The Rabbinic leaders of the time praised Chizkiyahu. The people began to pray and the Jewish kingdom entered one of its brightest eras.
And then King Chizkiyahu got very sick. He was going to die and, by his own design, he had no book of cures to consult. The prophet Yeshaya made an unprecedented visit to the palace and prophesized that the king would die. There was no hope.
Chizkiyahu turned to Yeshaya and asked him to leave. He turned to the wall and prayed. His prayers were answered and Yeshaya was back in minutes with a new message from G-d: the king would live for fifteen more years. He would marry Yeshaya’s daughter, raise two children, revive the Davidic line and lead the Jewish people.
Chizkiahu learned from his grandfather King David: Even if a sharp sword is tickling your neck – Prayer works.
I am not suggesting that we abolish doctors (neither is President Obama, by the way). I’m just putting things into perspective. Ultimately our health does not lie in the hands of insurers, congressmen, or doctors. Life and death are in the hands of Hashem.
ChizkiahuCare worked, and the results were immediate.
