Nedarim 79

רב חלבו באיש לא איכא דקא אתי אמר להו לא כך היה מעשה בתלמיד אחד מתלמידי ר' עקיבא שחלה לא נכנסו חכמים לבקרו ונכנס ר' עקיבא לבקרו ובשביל שכיבדו וריבצו לפניו חיה א"ל רבי החייתני יצא ר' עקיבא ודרש כל מי שאין מבקר חולים כאילו שופך דמים

R. Helbo is sick. But none visited him. He rebuked them [sc. the scholars], saying, 'Did it not once happen that one of R. Akiba's disciples fell sick, and the Sages did not visit him? So R. Akiba himself entered [his house] to visit him, and because they swept and sprinkled the ground before him,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Asheri: R. Akiba, finding the chamber neglected, gave the necessary orders. ');">¹</span> he recovered. 'My master,' said he, 'you have revived me!' [Straightway] R. Akiba went forth and lectured: He who does not visit the sick is like a shedder of blood.

כי אתא רב דימי אמר כל המבקר את החולה גורם לו שיחיה וכל שאינו מבקר את החולה גורם לו שימות מאי גרמא אילימא כל המבקר את החולה מבקש עליו רחמים שיחיה וכל שאין מבקר את החולה מבקש עליו רחמים שימות שימות ס"ד אלא כל שאין מבקר חולה אין מבקש עליו רחמים לא שיחיה ולא שימות

When R. Dimi came,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From Palestine. ');">²</span> he said: He who visits the sick causes him to live, whilst he who does not causes him to die. How does he cause [this]? Shall we say that he who visits the sick prays<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'begs mercy for him'. ');">³</span>

רבא יומא קדמאה דחליש אמר להון לא תיגלו לאיניש דלא לתרע מזליה מכאן ואילך אמר להון פוקו ואכריזו בשוקא דכל דסני לי ליחדי לי וכתיב (משלי כד, יז) בנפול אויבך אל תשמח וגו' ודרחים לי ליבעי עלי רחמי

that he may live, whilst he who does not prays that he should die, — 'that he should die!' can you really think so? But [say thus:] He who does not visit the sick prays neither that he may live nor die.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Through the lack of his prayers, which might have been accepted, he is said to cause his death. ');">⁴</span> Whenever Raba fell sick, on the first day he would ask that his sickness should not be made known to any one lest his fortune be impaired.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If his illness became known, people might talk about it and thus affect his fate (Rashi). ');">⁵</span>

אמר רב כל המבקר את החולה ניצול מדינה של גיהנם שנאמר (תהלים מא, ב) אשרי משכיל אל דל ביום רעה ימלטהו י"י אין דל אלא חולה שנאמר (ישעיהו לח, יב) מדלה יבצעני אי נמי מן הדין קרא (שמואל ב יג, ד) מדוע אתה ככה דל בן המלך בבקר בבקר וגו' אין רעה אלא גיהנם שנאמר (משלי טז, ד) כל פעל י"י למענהו וגם רשע ליום רעה

But after that, he said to them [his servants], 'Go, proclaim my illness in the market place, so that whoever is my enemy may rejoice, and it is written, Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth&nbsp;… Lest the Lord see it, and it displeases him, and he turn away his wrath from him.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Prov. XXIV, 17f. ');">⁶</span> whilst he who loves me will pray for me.

ואם ביקר מה שכרו מה שכרו כדאמר ניצול מדינה של גיהנם אלא מה שכרו בעוה"ז

Rab said: He who visits the sick will be delivered from the punishments of Gehenna, for it is written, Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in the day of evil.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. XLI, 2. ');">⁷</span> 'The poor' [dal] means none but the sick, as it is written, He will cut me off from pining sickness [mi-dalah];<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Isa. XXXVIII, 12. ');">⁸</span>

(תהלים מא, ג) י"י ישמרהו ויחייהו ואושר בארץ ואל תתנהו בנפש אויביו יי' ישמרהו מיצר הרע ויחייהו מן היסורין ואושר בארץ שיהו הכל מתכבדין בו ואל תתנהו בנפש אויביו שיזדמנו לו רועים כנעמן שריפו את צרעתו ואל יזדמנו לו ריעים כרחבעם שחילקו את מלכותו

or from this verse: Why art thou so poorly [dal], thou son of the King?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Sam. XIII, 4. ');">⁹</span> Whilst 'evil' refers to Gehenna, for it is written, The Lord hath made all things for himself' Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Prov. XVI, 4. ');">¹⁰</span>

תניא ר"ש בן אלעזר אומר אם יאמרו לך ילדים בנה וזקנים סתור שמע לזקנים ואל תשמע לילדים שבנין ילדים סתירה וסתירת זקנים בנין וסימן לדבר (מלכים א יב, כא) רחבעם בן שלמה

Now, if one does visit, what is his reward? [You ask,] 'what is his reward?' Even as hath been said; 'he will be delivered from the punishment of Gehenna!' — But what is his reward in this world? — The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive, and he shall be blessed upon the earth; and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. XLI, 3. ');">¹¹</span> 'The Lord will preserve him'. — from the Evil Urge, 'and keep him alive' — [saving him] from sufferings; 'and he shall be blessed upon the' earth,' — that all will take pride in him;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'all will be honoured in him' — he will be a source of pride to all. ');">¹²</span>

אמר רב שישא בריה דרב אידי לא ליסעוד איניש קצירא לא בתלת שעי קדמייתא ולא בתלת שעי בתרייתא דיומא כי היכי דלא ליסח דעתיה מן רחמי תלת שעי קדמייתא רווחא דעתיה בתרייתא תקיף חולשיה

'and the wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies', — that he may procure friends like Naaman's, who healed his leprosy; and not chance upon friends like Rehoboam's, who divided his kingdom. It was taught: R. Simeon b. Eleazar said: If the young tell you to build, and the old to destroy, hearken to the elders, but hearken not to the young, for the building of youth is destruction, whilst the destruction of the old is building. And a sign for the matter is Rehoboam the son of Solomon.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' His elder councillors advised him to submit to the malcontents, thus apparently weakening his authority; whilst his young friends advised him to strengthen his rule by rejecting their demands. As a result of listening to the young men his kingdom was split. Kings XII. ');">¹³</span>

אמר רבין אמר רב מניין שהקב"ה זן את החולה שנאמר (תהלים מא, ד) יי' יסעדנו על ערש דוי וגו' ואמר רבין אמר רב מניין שהשכינה שרויה למעלה ממטתו של חולה שנאמר יי' יסעדנו על ערש דוי

R. Shisha son of R. Idi said: One should not visit the sick during the first three or the last three hours [of the day], lest he thereby omit to pray<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'dismiss' his mind from mercies. ');">¹⁴</span> for him. During the first three hours of the day his [the invalid's] illness is alleviated; in the last three hours his sickness is most virulent.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Consequently, a visitor in the first three hours may think him on the road to recovery, and consider prayer unnecessary; in the last three hours, on the other hand, he may feel that prayer is hopeless. ');">¹⁵</span>

תניא נמי הכי הנכנס לבקר את החולה לא ישב לא על גבי מטה ולא ע"ג ספסל ולא על גבי כסא אלא מתעטף ויושב ע"ג קרקע מפני שהשכינה שרויה למעלה ממטתו של חולה שנאמר יי' יסעדנו על ערש דוי

Rabin said in Rab's name: Whence do we know that the Almighty sustains the sick? From the verse, The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. XLI, 4. ');">¹⁶</span> Rabin also said in Rab's name: Whence do we know that the Divine Presence rests above an invalid's bed? From the verse, The Lord doth set himself upon the bed of languishing.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is another rendering of the same verse. Rashi suggests another interpretation; for yisa'denu, meaning 'he will strengthen him', read yesharenu, 'he will abide with him'. ');">¹⁷</span>

ואמר רבין אמר רב מטרא במערבא סהדא רבה פרת ופליגא דשמואל דאמר שמואל נהרא מכיפיה מתבריך ופליגא דשמואל אדשמואל דאמר שמואל אין המים מטהרין בזוחלין

It was taught likewise: He who visits the sick must not sit upon the bed, or on a stool or a chair, but must [reverently] robe himself and sit upon the ground, because the Divine Presence rests above an invalid's bed, as it is written, The Lord doth set himself upon the bed of languishing. Rabin also said in Rab's name: [The swelling of] the Euphrates testifies abundantly to rain in the West.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Palestine. When it rains in Palestine, which is higher than Babylon, the water flows down and causes the swelling of the Euphrates. This is another way of saying that the rise of a river is due to the rains. The practical bearing of this on ritual law is discussed below. ');">¹⁸</span> Now, he disagrees with Samuel, who said: A river increases [in volume] from its bed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'From its rock': though it appears to swell through the rains, actually more water gushes upwards from the river bed than is added by the rain, ');">¹⁹</span> Now, Samuel is self-contradictory. For Samuel said: Running water does not purify,