LEV1119 Humans may and should use medicine to prevent, mitigate, or cure illnesses. The Torah maintains that God imposes illness as punishment for sin [this verse, Deuteronomy 28:22, 59-61] – although the biblical Book of Job strongly challenges this belief – and that God is our healer. (Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 32:39; cf. Isaiah 19:22; 57:18-9; Jeremiah 30:17; 33:6, etc.). That idea might lead some to conclude that medicine is an improper human intervention in God's decision to inflict illness, indeed, an act of human hubris. The Rabbis of the Talmud and Midrash were aware of this line of reasoning, but they countered it by pointing out that God Himself authorizes us to heal. In fact, the Rabbis maintained, God requires us to heal. They found that authorization and that imperative in several biblical verses. Exodus 21:19–20 requires that an assailant must provide for his victim to be "thoroughly healed," thus presuming that physicians have permission to cure. Deuteronomy 22:2 ("And you shall restore the lost property to him"), in their interpretation, imposes an obligation to restore another person's body as well as his/her property. On the basis of Leviticus 19:16 ("nor shall you stand idly by the blood of your fellow"), the Talmud expands the obligation to provide medical aid to encompass expenditure of financial resources for this purpose. (Continued at [[LEV649]] Leviticus 19:18 love OXFORD 314). (By Elliot N. Dorff)

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NUM6 See [[LEV1062]] Leviticus 25:36 interest OXFORD 46

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NUM16 See [[LEV38]] Leviticus 5:1 testify OXFORD 479-80

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NUM75 See [[LEV795]] Leviticus 19:34 love OXFORD 46-7

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NUM81 See [[LEV795]] Leviticus 19:34 love OXFORD 46-7

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NUM93 [God] is angered by human craving for meat (basar); (reluctantly?) allows humans to eat all living things within a sacrificial system that includes an absolute prohibition on consuming blood as a permanent symbol of the sanctity of life. (By Aaron S. Gross, "Jewish Animal Ethics")

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NUM152 While family, community, authority figures, and even God are used by other societies to create moral character, albeit in different ways and degrees than Judaism uses those elements, study is one Jewish method for creating moral people that few other societies use. Moreover, this is an ancient Jewish method, stemming from the Torah itself. The Torah was not given to a group of elders who alone would know it; it was rather given to the entire People Israel assembled at Mount Sinai. In keeping with the public nature of revelation in Judaism, God tells Moses a number of times, "Speak to the people Israel and say to them (or command them)." (For example, [this verse], Numbers 15:17-18, 37-38; 19:1-2; 28:1-2; 34:1-2; 35:1-2, 9-10. Moreover, every Jew is responsible to know God's commands (Deuteronomy 5:1) and to teach them to their children (Deuteronomy 6:7, 11;19). (By Elliot N. Dorff and Jonathan K. Crane)

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NUM158 See [[NUM152]] Numbers 15:2 speak OXFORD 13-4

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NUM171 See [[NUM152]] Numbers 15:2 speak OXFORD 13-4

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NUM243 See [[NUM152]] Numbers 15:2 speak OXFORD 13-4

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