IS ILLNESS DIVINE PUNISHMENT?

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino. Ph.D

It was a prevalent belief in the ancient Near East that supernatural forces were often considered the cause of illness. In many places, the Hebrew Bible reflects a similar idea. For example, during the Exodus, when the Israelites waited in vain for Moses to come down from the mountain of revelation, they approached Aaron, his brother, and asked him to fashion for them a golden calf. According to the story, God was incensed at this request, and “ The Lord sent a plague upon the people for what they did with the calf that Aaron made” (EX. 32:35.) . Similarly, in the book of Leviticus, there is a reference to nega tzaraat, (Lev. 13: 2) where the word nega, meaning “touch,” refers to “divine touch,” with the implication that God afflicts people by “touching” them, just as Jacob was “touched” by an angel of God, when his hip was hit (Gen. 32: 26). (In Akkadian, the verb lapatu, to touch, also means to have a bad effect on, to plague.)

We do not know what kind of illness tzaraat refers to. Its etymology is not known. In the past, many Bible translations rendered it as “leprosy,” namely, Hanson’s disease. In reality, this illness was not known in biblical times, and besides, tzaraat can even appear on fabrics! Now, when it appears in a human body, it is assumed that we are dealing with some kind of a skin disease. However, the ancient Rabbis insisted that tzaraat was caused by people who slander others (motzi shem ra, Lev. Rabba 16: 1-16). They also taught that idol worship, forbidden sexual relations, bloodshed, desecration of God’s name, blaspheming God’s name, for robbing the public, for stealing, for being haughty and miserliness can also cause tzaraat (Lev. Rab 17). So, sin is punishable by divine decree.

In the book of Psalms we find a statement saying, “ Heal me, for I have sinned against you (God)” (Ps. 41:4), for, God is viewed in the Bible as the ultimate healer (Ex. 14: 26).

The New Testament reflects a similar belief when it states “ Confess your sins… so that you may be healed” (James 5:16).

However, in the wisdom literature of the Bible, illness appears as a normal part of life’s challenges ( Eccl. 1: 14; 3:1-2).

Today, with the advance of science, we know that illness is part of body’s decay or an affliction that is caused by contagion with bad viruses, and not the result of diving punishment. People who are sick should never see themselves as God’s victim. They should be healed with sound medical advice and appropriate medicine and not with healing prayers that are based on false hopes.

SONSINO’S BLOG. rsonsino.blogspot.com