The Torah relates the events of the miraculous exodus of the Jewish people from the land of Egypt. The Jews leave Egypt; a few days later, Pharaoh regrets letting them go, takes his army and chases the Jews through the desert until they are locked between his army and the river. Hashem performs a great miracle; the sea splits; the Jews go through and when the Egyptians follow, they are all drowned in the river.
The Jews then sing praises to Hashem for freeing and saving them. They start to travel in the desert, but, after three days with no water, they arrive in מרה. They try to drink the water there, but the water is bitter, so they complain to Moshe. He cries to Hashem who shows him a stick which he throws into the water. Again miraculously, the water turns sweet and the people have what to drink.
The next posuk says, ויאמר אם שמוע תשמע לקול ה אלקיך, He said, if you will listen diligently to the voice of Hashem, והישר בעיניו תעשה והאזנת למצותיו ושמרת כל חקיו, and you will do what is just in His eyes and you will give ear to His commandments and observe all His statutes, כל המחלה אשר שמתי במצרים לא אשים עליך, then any of the diseases that I placed on Egypt I will not place on you, כי אני ה רפאך, for I am Hashem your healer. The posuk after this returns to the details of their next stop and what they had to eat and drink.
Now, it seems like this posuk is out of place. Why does Moshe tell the Jews now that if they do the commandments, then they won't have the sicknesses that Hashem brought in Mitzrayim. All they asked for was water; no one was sick, and they hadn’t even received the Torah yet to tell them to listen to all the commandments?
The Chasam Sofer explains this posuk by comparing it to two types of doctors. One doctor takes care of the patient once he gets sick; he only gets paid when he helps the person. Then there is the family doctor, one who gets a monthly payment from the family; if someone gets sick, he takes care of them with no additional payment. Understandably, the family doctor will be much more concerned with making sure that no one gets sick, for it’s in his own best interest that the family stay healthy. He will do all kinds of preventative measures to ensure that no one gets sick. Hashem is like the family doctor because He loves us so much. He doesn't want us to be in pain or sick; as the Gemara says, “when a person is in pain, Hashem also feels the pain.”
The Rashba tells us that the posuk also refers to another kind of sickness - the spiritual kind. When the doctor tells one who is sick, not to eat certain foods or to drink certain drinks, he listens even though he doesn't understand why or how this will help. So, too, the Torah tells us all kinds of laws that we need to keep, some of which we don't even understand. However, it's the Doctor telling us what we need for our spiritual well-being, so we ought to listen.
A few commandments were given in מרה, one of which was the laws of the red cow, which is called a חק, a law that we can't understand. Perhaps, Moshe was telling them that just like you were in pain and needed water, Hashem showed that he could change the bitter water to sweet in a way you can't understand, so, too, with the mitzvos. The few mitzvos that we’ve received already and the ones we will get, even though we don't understand how they can help us, Hashem is the Doctor saying, “listen to me and you will be healthy, spiritually and physically.”
There was a story about a chosid who was very sick and went to all the doctors and tried every medicine but to no avail. He came to his Rebbi, רבי מרדכי מנישכיז to ask what to do. The Rebbi told him to go to the town of Anipoli, seek out the professor and he will help you. After searching high and wide, he can't find a professor in Anipoli, so he comes back to his Rebbi. He says that there is no professor, no doctor, nothing in Anipoli! The Rebbi asks him, “so what do the people in Anipoli do when they get sick?” The chosid answered, “what can they do? They have no choice but to daven to Hashem and hope in His infinite mercy that he cures them.” The Rebbi tells him, “that's the professor I wanted you to see; the same professor that helps them, will help you too!”
The Jews then sing praises to Hashem for freeing and saving them. They start to travel in the desert, but, after three days with no water, they arrive in מרה. They try to drink the water there, but the water is bitter, so they complain to Moshe. He cries to Hashem who shows him a stick which he throws into the water. Again miraculously, the water turns sweet and the people have what to drink.
The next posuk says, ויאמר אם שמוע תשמע לקול ה אלקיך, He said, if you will listen diligently to the voice of Hashem, והישר בעיניו תעשה והאזנת למצותיו ושמרת כל חקיו, and you will do what is just in His eyes and you will give ear to His commandments and observe all His statutes, כל המחלה אשר שמתי במצרים לא אשים עליך, then any of the diseases that I placed on Egypt I will not place on you, כי אני ה רפאך, for I am Hashem your healer. The posuk after this returns to the details of their next stop and what they had to eat and drink.
Now, it seems like this posuk is out of place. Why does Moshe tell the Jews now that if they do the commandments, then they won't have the sicknesses that Hashem brought in Mitzrayim. All they asked for was water; no one was sick, and they hadn’t even received the Torah yet to tell them to listen to all the commandments?
The Chasam Sofer explains this posuk by comparing it to two types of doctors. One doctor takes care of the patient once he gets sick; he only gets paid when he helps the person. Then there is the family doctor, one who gets a monthly payment from the family; if someone gets sick, he takes care of them with no additional payment. Understandably, the family doctor will be much more concerned with making sure that no one gets sick, for it’s in his own best interest that the family stay healthy. He will do all kinds of preventative measures to ensure that no one gets sick. Hashem is like the family doctor because He loves us so much. He doesn't want us to be in pain or sick; as the Gemara says, “when a person is in pain, Hashem also feels the pain.”
The Rashba tells us that the posuk also refers to another kind of sickness - the spiritual kind. When the doctor tells one who is sick, not to eat certain foods or to drink certain drinks, he listens even though he doesn't understand why or how this will help. So, too, the Torah tells us all kinds of laws that we need to keep, some of which we don't even understand. However, it's the Doctor telling us what we need for our spiritual well-being, so we ought to listen.
A few commandments were given in מרה, one of which was the laws of the red cow, which is called a חק, a law that we can't understand. Perhaps, Moshe was telling them that just like you were in pain and needed water, Hashem showed that he could change the bitter water to sweet in a way you can't understand, so, too, with the mitzvos. The few mitzvos that we’ve received already and the ones we will get, even though we don't understand how they can help us, Hashem is the Doctor saying, “listen to me and you will be healthy, spiritually and physically.”
There was a story about a chosid who was very sick and went to all the doctors and tried every medicine but to no avail. He came to his Rebbi, רבי מרדכי מנישכיז to ask what to do. The Rebbi told him to go to the town of Anipoli, seek out the professor and he will help you. After searching high and wide, he can't find a professor in Anipoli, so he comes back to his Rebbi. He says that there is no professor, no doctor, nothing in Anipoli! The Rebbi asks him, “so what do the people in Anipoli do when they get sick?” The chosid answered, “what can they do? They have no choice but to daven to Hashem and hope in His infinite mercy that he cures them.” The Rebbi tells him, “that's the professor I wanted you to see; the same professor that helps them, will help you too!”
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