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)