Chafetz Chaim and health

Chafetz Chaim and health [www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon]
The Chafetz Chaim, whose teachings we discussed in previous letters, stressed the importance of good health to his students. In a talk that he gave at his yeshiva in 1903, he said: “Don’t go learning and studying inordinately, beyond the normal amount of Talmud. A person must guard his body against ailments. He must therefore rest, renew his strength, breathe fresh air. An hour should be set aside regularly for a walk around evening time, or for resting at home. As much as possible, one should bathe in the river, to fortify the body. Excessive, exaggerated zeal and perseverance in study stems from the counsel of the bad inclination, which seeks to persuade a person to toil away beyond his strength, so that his body should become so weakened that he will be forced to give up the study of Torah completely; and thus his reward will be canceled by his loss. In my own self I have seen this: In my early years I kept learning and studying Torah beyond my strength, and as a result, my eyes became weakened; and so the doctors decreed that I must not read any printed work studiously for a full two years.” (“The Chafetz Chaim” by Rabbi Moses Yoshor, ArtScroll)

keywords: synagogue ,beit knesset, beit midrash, study halls, Gilo,Jerusalem, Israel, holy city, Rav Moshe Ben abu, bdmesq

Rav Moshe Ben Abu-the Sephardic rav of Gilo- a neighborhood in the south of Jerusalem with more then 40000 residents- asked me to help him find via the internet somebody [or even more then one person, if one would not be enough for this purpose] who is willing financially to help build a synagogue [beit knesset] with a beit misdrah [learning/study halls] in Gilo.

This house of prayer /study will be open for 24 hours a day for anybody who wants to be involved in Jewish studies or hear lectures on torah and related topics [and of course for prayers].

The person or persons who are willing to take this upon themselves may have the sole right to have their name[s] connected to this “eternal structure” [the building will be called after him/them or after who ever they choose]

The costs are: one million two hundred thousand U.S dollars.

Who ever blessed to have been given abundant richness by God may want to consider this proposal, knowing that he/she is building a home where for- ever torah wisdom will be transferred from generation to generation which may lead to eternal world peace.

If you wish you may write me or you may contact the rabbi directly ,

his telephone numbers in Jerusalem are: and

May God bless you,

Dr. harold jitschak bueno de mesquita, Family physician in gilo

Rehov ha-teena 8 ,gilo

Jerusalem 93384

tel:

E-mail: bdmesq@gmail.com

I declare hereby not to have any financial interest in this project

keywords: synagogue ,beit knesset, beit midrash, study halls, Gilo,Jerusalem, Israel, holy city, Rav Moshe Ben abu, bdmesq

A few medical-pesach issuses

A few medical-pesach issuses.
טובא גריר, פורתא סעיד [ברכות לה ,תעמוד ב]
A large quantity has an appetizing effect; a small quantity sustains.[berachot 35b]
It seems strange but a large quantity of wine will stimulate one’s appetite, whereas a small quantity will
satisfy and keeps hunger away.
Therefore if one drinks wine one on erev Pesach he should drink a larger [not to small] amount] so that he will not suppress his appetite for the seder.
In the journal Science [1982] it was published that an rapid infusion of glucose in the duodenum very much increased the appetite of rabbits and a slow infusion decreased the appetite.
This is may explain the statement of the Talmud.
[Source; insights, a Talmudic treasury by rabbi Saul Weiss]
So for over-eaters: it is clear what to do.
Drink a very little bit of wine before the meal [one or two teaspoons]

[Rambam mishne tora [ chapter 5,halacha 2 ]:
[translation by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, moznaim publ.corp]
“With regards to these five species of grain: if [flour from these species] is kneaded with fruit juice alone without any water, it will never become leavened.
Even if [flour] is placed in [these] juices the entire day until the dough rises, it is permitted to be eaten [on Pesach], for fruit juice does not cause [dough] to become leavened.
It merely causes [the flour] to decay.
The following are [included in the category] of fruit juice: wine ,milk, honey, olive oil, apple juice, pomegranate juice and all other similar wines ,oils, and beverages.
This applies so long as no water whatsoever is mixed with them.
If any water is mixed with them, they cause [the flour] to become leavened.”

Simply, the smallest amount of added water will cause the mentioned grains to become leavened[to become chametz]
It is fascinating to be able to remark here the halacha brought by the Rambam and to relate this to the fact that in traditional medicine [as well in homeopathy] all water is not just water.
Water in fruits is considered to be totally different
from just plain water [ both of them are H2O in chemistry]
In homeopathy water that is shaken very vigorously has found to be different [from the water before it has been shaken] when examined with atom spectrograpy.
It is as if water has a “memory” [like footprints in the snow, which show-like a memory- that somebody passed there some while ago]

On seder Pesach all of us will remember the leaning on the left side.
[Kitzur shulchan aruch [chapter 71,halacha 5 ]
“It is beneficial to begin one’s sleep while lying on the left side, and afterwards to change to the right side.
This is beneficial to one’s health, since the liver is on one’s right side, and the stomach on one’s left. When one leans to the left, the liver will lie on the stomach and warm it with its heat. This will hasten the digestion of the food. After the food is digested, it is preferable to lean to the right, thus allowing the stomach to rest and the wastes to descend. One should not turn frequently from side to side”
Do you know that I found in only one medical textbook form 1959 that the temperature in the liver veins is above 41 degrees!!
Thus, it becomes understandable that lying on the left side “cooks” the food in the stomach [see above] which means that the speed of digestion is increased significantly!!
Do you know that recently it has been found that people who sleep only one on side have more tendency for kidney stones?
Pesach sameach we-kasher.

tears : put Thou my tears into Thy bottle

נֹדִי, סָפַרְתָּה-אָתָּה: שִׂימָה דִמְעָתִי בְנֹאדֶךָ; הֲלֹא,
בְּסִפְרָתֶךָ.

Thou has counted my wanderings; put Thou my tears into Thy bottle;
are they not in Thy book?
tehilim:59-9 נט-ט תהילים

G-d counts and saves the tears of one who mourns for a good person: Shabbat 105b

BIRDS…….spring……aviv……..nisan………..israel….the stork

BIRDS

No, not about bird’s flu.
Something far more beautiful and fascinating.
This coming shabbath we are starting reading parshat
shemini [at mincha]
I am now quoting [see for the source at the end of the
article]:

In Nissan ,the skies of Eretz Israel are full of
birds.
Because this tiny strip of land is on the main
migration route to and from Africa ,it is the home to
a disproportionately large number of birds each
spring.
They each know “their appointed time……………the time of
their coming.”

Now, the fascinating fact is that the chasida [the
stork] is mentioned twice in the torah, in parshat
Shemini and in parshat Re’eh.
And pele pela-iem [miraculously] most of the time the
chasida flies over Israel [first to the south and then
back to the north] dafka in the 2 weeks that these
parshiot are read [in the spring and in the fall] in
the synagogues.

This fascinating fact and much more can be found in
the beautiful written book:
Seasons of life by [rabbi] Nosson Slifkin [Targum
press]

“Is it better to be a hater of falsehood or a lover of truth?”

written by: Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen [colouring by me]

Hazon – Our Universal Vision: www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/

“My Firstborn Child” – 37

As the media has reported, our enemies are calling for our destruction, God forbid. Two leading sages in Israel, Rav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv and Rav Aharon Y. Leib Shteinman, issued a statement on the dangerous state of affairs. Included in the suggestions of these sages was a call for each of us to strengthen Klal Yisrael – the Community of Israel – through examining one’s conduct and to especially avoid strife and arguments. They cited the tradition that in the generation of King Ahab, when many people worshiped idols, the People of Israel still merited to have some victories over their enemies, as in that generation, people avoided strife and had a sense of unity. Rav Eliashiv and Rav Shteinman therefore urged that each of us strive to make peace between one person and another. The following letter is in the spirit of their comments:

eeing the Good in the Other: Some Practical Suggestions

Dear Friends,

According to the Vilna Gaon, a leading 18th century sage, the following verse mentions a basic principle of how people react to one another:

“As water reflects a face back to a face, so one’s heart is reflected back to him by another.” (Proverbs 27:19).

Whatever expression is on your face when you look into water, that is the expression you will see staring back at you. So too, explains the Vilna Gaon, if you feel positive about another person, that person will feel positive towards you. But if inwardly you feel negative towards someone, even if you do not verbally say anything bad to him, he will have negative feelings toward you.

Thinking about the good points of a person can have a positive influence on the way that person thinks about you; however, in some difficult cases, one may need to engage in this practice for a longer period before any positive change is noticed. In addition, the individual you are thinking about may be unusually stubborn or wicked; thus, he may constantly block out the positive effects of your thinking. Despite the possible exceptions, the above teaching from Proverbs is a recommended guideline for troubled relationships, and Rabbi Chayim Zaitchyk, a noted teacher of Mussar – Torah ethics – tells an amazing story which serves as an example of this guideline:

In the days of Rabbi Chayim of Volozhin (a noted disciple of the Vilna Gaon), it occurred that a butcher became very angry at the rabbi of his city for rendering a decision that the meat of a cow the butcher wanted to sell was not kosher. The decision cost the butcher a great loss. In his rage, the butcher devised a scheme to murder the rabbi! This was very shocking and unusual, as acts of murder were extremely rare among Jewish communities in the diaspora. On a pretext, he had the rabbi travel with him on a lonely road. In the middle of the way, the butcher took out his sharp knife and wanted to kill the rabbi.

At first, the rabbi pleaded with the butcher to have compassion on him. But this was to no avail. When the rabbi saw that nothing he could say would make a difference, he started to mentally focus on all of the positive qualities and attributes of the butcher that he was familiar with. Suddenly, there was an amazing transformation. In the middle of the rabbi’s thinking about the virtues of the butcher, the butcher changed his mind. With a strong feeling of love, the butcher – with tears in his eyes – kissed the rabbi and begged his forgiveness.

Even when we need to rebuke others for a constructive purpose, we should first see the good in them. In this way, we can remind them of their potential. For example, if a friend is about to commit an injustice, you should not say, “You must be a cruel and immoral person if you are planning to do this!” Instead, you can say, “I have always respected your character, but the act that you are planning to do is not in keeping with your own good values, as I shall explain.” I discovered this insight when I came across a teaching which was cited in the name of Rabbi Moshe Alshich, a noted sage and biblical commentator of the 16th century who taught Torah in the holy city of Tsfas (Safed), which is located in the northern section of the Land of Israel. He explains that in order for a rebuke to be effective, we need to address the good and wise part of the person – which is actually his true essence. He finds a reference to this idea in the following advice of King Solomon:

“Do not admonish the scoffer, lest he hate you; admonish the wise person, and he will love you.” (Proverbs 9:8)

According to Rabbi Moshe Alshich, the above verse has the following deeper meaning: There is a scoffer and a wise person within each of us. If you address the scoffer within the other person, he will resent your criticism and hate you; however, if you address the wise soul within him – his true essence – then he will love you for reminding him of his true and good nature . This is universal advice which all people can follow by remembering that the friend one is rebuking is created in the Divine image (Genesis 5:1).

In the spirit of the above teachings, I will share with you a story about Rabbi Aryeh Levin, who was a beloved sage of Jerusalem during the 20th century. He was once walking with his grandson, and he asked the boy the following question: “Is it better to be a hater of falsehood or a lover of truth?” Both are high levels, and the grandson did not know how to respond. Reb Aryeh answered:

“To be a lover of truth is a higher level. Someone who hates falsehood will see the falsehood that exists in every person, and he may come to despise them or even hate them, God forbid. A lover of truth, however, will see the truth in every person, and he will come to honor them and even love them.”

There is a bit of truth in each person. The Mishnah therefore teaches in the name of Ben Zoma: “Who is wise? The one who learns from every human being” (Pirkei Avos 4:1).

May we be blessed with a chodesh tov – a good month. And may this month bring us comfort, redemption, and true shalom.

Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen

Hazon – Our Universal Vision: www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/

my remark: if you wish you can all subscribe to this mailing-list [worth it!!]

Installing Love

Installing Love

Techniccal Support: Yes, … how can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I’ve decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?

Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I’m not very technical, but I think I’m ready. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running ?

Customer: Let’s see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.

Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ?

Customer: I don’t know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, “Error – Program not run on external components.” What should I do?

Tech Support: Don’t worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

Customer: So, what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

Customer: Okay, done.

Tech Support: Now, copy them to the “My Heart” directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

Customer: Thank you, God.

Please send this to every one you know. If you delete that is okay, God’s love is not based on emails .

absolutely fascinating: brit mila [circumcision] and some facts

What I am sending you now, is in my opinion absolutely fascinating.
A while ago I sent you an article about brit mila and metsisa [sucking of the blood by mouth after the circumcision by the mohel]
Far from being an expert in this field I wrote you some medical thoughts [new findings in medicine] and things that go back a long time in Jewish tradition]

The article below from French researchers: “Potent Painkiller Found in Human Saliva More powerful than morphine” brings a new dimension to what I wrote about the metsitsa.
I find it fascinating to see how again and again Torah truths are discovered these days by science [of course the Torah does not need science as a "proof" ]

Potent Painkiller Found in Human Saliva More powerful than morphine it could lead to better pain medicines, researchers say
Printer-friendly version Printer-friendly version

HealthDay

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

HealthDay news imageTUESDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) — French researchers say they’ve discovered a natural painkiller in human saliva that’s several times more potent than morphine used in animal studies.

The researchers have named the pain inhibitor opiorphin, because it acts on the same pathways as morphine and other opiate painkillers. The finding could lead to improved pain medications because opiorphin is a naturally occurring molecule that is quickly metabolized, according to a report by researchers at the Pasteur Institute, in Paris.

Not much is known as yet about opiorphin, said study author Dr. Catherine Rougeot, director of the institute’s Laboratory of Pharmacology of Neuroendocrine Regulation.

“We found it in saliva, that was the first step,” she said. “Now, we are exploring its presence in other human biological tissues. Maybe it is localized in the blood, the brain. Now, I cannot answer.”

It’s not even known where in the body the substance is produced, Rougeot added. “We need more information to answer this question. Now, we need to characterize its function at physiological levels and learn by which tissues it is produced,” she added.

The study was published in this week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The discovery was made after the researchers identified a powerful pain-inhibiting molecule in rats. Their search for a similar molecule in humans turned up opiorphin. In rat studies, injections of 1 milligram of opiorphin per kilogram of body weight equaled the painkilling power of 3 to 6 milligrams of morphine per kilogram. Opiorphin was equally effective against chemical-induced inflammation and acute physical pain.

In addition to studying opiorphin, Rougeot and her colleagues plan to make and study variations of the original molecule. “It is important to mimic such compounds,” she said.

A painkiller arising from the research could have important applications for human use, Rougeot said. “Opiorphin is natural, so it is quickly metabolized,” she said, so its effects on the body would be more limited than those of existing painkillers.

Rougeot already has contacted a pharmaceutical company about funding for more research on opiorphin. “To complete this program, I need very much money,” she explained.

Identification of opiorphin is “a potentially very significant finding,” said Dr. Max Kelz, an assistant professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Pennsylvania. “This new compound could serve as a potentially useful therapy for fighting pain in a number of conditions.”

Kelz agreed that the discovery was just a beginning. “More has to be done to elucidate how this affects other endogenous painkillers,” he said. “But the results are certainly promising.”

Dr. Ed Ross, director of the pain management center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said opiorphin could be an important addition to the only other natural painkillers found in the human body — endorphins.

“Endorphins have been around for quite a while, but they are weak and have a short half-life, so the problems in using them clinically are very significant,” Ross said. “Now, this is a compound that has much more strength than the endorphins. It also suggests a potential for other synthetic compounds that work on different receptors that we have known before, and, for a pain doctor, that is very significant.”

Another paper in the same issue of the journal described the discovery of toxins from two species of snails that hold promise for relief of severe nerve pain such as sciatica. The toxins lock onto nerve cell receptors to block nerve pain, said the report by researchers at the University of Utah.

One of the toxins, designated Vc1.1, is being developed by an Australian company and already is undergoing trials in human patients. It is administered by injection.

It may be possible to develop a version that could be taken orally, but that might require 10 years, said a statement by J. Michael McIntosh, a research professor of biology and a member of the team reporting the discovery.

“There really is no highly effective treatment available for this kind of severe pain, so having a new way to treat it is exciting,” he said.

This I sent you a while ago in english and in hebrew:

Leviticus: 12-3: And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

Did you know that the 8th day is the safest day for the child to be circumcised??

The ” rofe kol basar ” ["the Healer of all flesh"] knew this-so to speak- very well and may have probably engineered the system of every newborn this way.

Of course these kind of medical facts are just an example of the wonderful ways in which we may recognize our creator.

On this day the clotting factors in the blood are super-optimal.

Before that date and after that date they are or sub-optimal or just “normal”.

Do you know that metsitsa[ sucking by mouth] of the blood during/after the brit [circumcision ]is the best and safest method there is to regulate the bleeding after the circumcision[and not by a tube]?

This is of course not meant to criticize anybody /any mohel who does otherwise now a day.]

I am speaking pure medically and expressing the ideas of many rabbis of the past.

It has been shown that morning saliva [the first saliva in the morning, before eating or drinking makes the chance of transferring diseases nil

[even Aids!!]

How proper would it be for this medical reason alone to do the brit early in the morning!! and to use metsitsa.

For the same reason we advise people with severe acne to dap there face ,as first thing in the morning ,with the morning saliva ,directly after netilat yadayim] , the antibacterial effect is tremendous.