One Who Enters to Visit the Sick on Shabbat

119 – One Who Enters to Visit the Sick on Shabbat One who enters to visit the sick on Shabbat may say: “It is able that He have mercy” (Shabbat 12a), because when a person needs mercy, the Name blessedbeHe sends him mercy, that he should have mercy on another; and by that they have mercy on him (Shabbat 151b): all who have mercy on the creatures, they have mercy on him. And as it is written: “And will give you mercy and have mercy on you” (Deuteronomy 13:18). In knowledge—one who has knowledge—has mercy, because anger—the opposite of mercy—derives from folly, as it is written: “Anger rests in the bosom of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9). Therefore our rabbis said ( Berakhot 33a): “All who have no knowledge—it is forbidden to have mercy on him,” because if he has no knowledge he has no mercy. As anger rests in the bosom of fools, it is forbidden to have mercy on him. It is found that this sick person, who needs mercy, needs that he have mercy on others—and that depends on knowledge as above. Moreover: “They roamed the people and gathered” (Numbers 11:32) refers to folly (Zohar Beshalach 63a). But on Shabbat knowledge is drawn to each one. And when visitors say to the sick, “It is able that he have mercy,” that language of present tense means: may **you** have mercy—that is, you have mercy on others by means of the knowledge you possess from the aspect of Shabbat; and since you have mercy, certainly they will have mercy on you from the heavens, for “all who have mercy…” as above.