Contemporary Jewish popular medicine
Judaism’s approach to healing is illuminated in the traditional centuries old
MiSheberachprayer for healing which is said when someone is ill. The
prayer calls for a ‘complete healing’ (refuah shleimah) which includes a
‘healing of body’ (refuat ha-guf) and a ‘healing of spirit’ (refuat ha-nefesh).
It is understood that this is no guarantee of a cure but gives patient, family
and community voice to their belief that the course of the illness will reach
a favourable outcome. Prayer is naturally a familiar source for achieving a
cure and, even in modern times, despite studies of prayer effectiveness
producing negative results, it retains its popularity as evidenced by the
existence of websites such as http://www.jewishinghealing.com. Many believe that
prayer can aid in recovery, due not just to divine influence but also to the
psychological and physical benefits to a person who knows that he or she is
being prayed for. The increase in morale may thus aid recovery. Many
studies have suggested that prayer can reduce physical stress and that ‘the
psychological benefits of prayer may help reduce stress and anxiety,
promote a more positive outlook, and strengthen the will to live’. The rise
of the pietistic Hasidic movement in eastern Europe in the eighteenth
century, with its veneration of leaders, known as Zaddikim, led to a belief
in the power of the Zaddikto cure the sick.
It should not be thought that traditional Jewish medicine has disap-
peared in the modern period with its emphasis on scientific progress and
evidence-based procedures. Customs common in eastern Europe a century
ago, such as placing pigeons on the abdomen of a jaundiced patient, have
become common practice in Israel among all sectors of the population.^78
Popular adherence to the use of amulets and charms has persisted even
among contemporary Jews. These amulets are often made of stone or metal
to be worn by the patient and, over the past few years, it has been observed
that there has been an increasing tendency for the use of amulets in Israeli
hospitals. A study of parents of children admitted to a paediatric intensive
care unit in Zerifin (Sarafand), Israel showed that around a third of Jewish
families used such amulets, claiming that it reduced parental anxiety and
warned medical staff to respect the emotional and psychological value that
they represent.^79 Such people find the contact with the healer to be of value
even if he fails to bring a cure. Moslem patients in Israel also made use of
healing charms, many of Jewish origin with Hebrew lettering, reflecting a
tradition dating back to mediaeval times. Amulets have persisted despite
almost universal opposition through the ages by rabbis and Jewish physicians
who consistently described their use as irrational and superstitious.
Of course, religious Jews have long regarded positively the value of
prayer, whether by the reciting of Psalms or the direct blessing of the patient,
and as we have seen there remained a strand within the rabbinic leadership
310 | Traditional medicine