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Siman 68

סימן 68

Segment 1

שַׁיָּךְ לְהַתְחָלַת הַמַּעֲשֶׂה שֶׁל הַשִּׁבְעָה בֶּעטְלֶירְס הַנִּדְפָּס
(9.) Pertaining to the conversation regarding doctors, that one must distance oneself from them very greatly and to the utmost — see there in Sichos HaRan §50. And he said: one who has a sick person in his house, G-d forbid — if someone came to him and told him to give the sick person a great blow with a thick piece of wood called a druk, certainly he would be alarmed by this. Yet when he hands the sick person over to the doctor, he is as one who hands him over to an actual murderer! For the doctor's medicines will certainly harm him more than a blow from the murderer — and how can he then consent to kill the sick person with his own hands? And because he is compelled to do something for the sick person and strive for his salvation — is it for this reason that he hands him over to the doctor? If so, let him call someone to immediately strike the sick person with a lethal blow! — and understand this well. (And regarding the fact that Rabbainu o.b.m. himself traveled to Lemberg and was occupied there with medical treatments — there are in this very deep secrets and very hidden matters, for his intention in traveling there was not at all for the medical treatments, but for other matters known to him. Just as all his journeys were wondrous, hidden, and exalted matters — like the journey to Kaminitz, to Navoritch, to Sharihrad, and the like mentioned a little in our words [below #118–251] — for he had in these very awesome secrets hidden from the eye of all living. Just as once, when he returned from the aforementioned journeys, he told a certain awesome story [of the fly and the spider] which is explained in the Legendary Tales, and he said that this story elucidates the matter of his journey. And in truth the matter is very sealed and concealed — for who can fathom the secret of the stories he told, or the secret of his wondrous hidden journeys and conduct? And so too was his journey to Lemberg. And since he had gone forth and arrived there, he was compelled from Heaven to occupy himself there with medical treatments, for reasons and secrets known to him. But when he returned from there, precisely then he multiplied his telling regarding the distancing from doctors — and he then said several teachings from Sichos HaRan about this [§50]. And even before he traveled to Lemberg he had spoken of this matter, but afterwards he spoke a great deal more about it — to distance oneself from them to the utmost.)