Tazria: Medicine’s Trajectory?

Before Organized Medicine, the Torah addressed the Healing Arts with a multi-factorial approach. A Pantheon of Professionals, Prophets and Priests collaborated with the Israelite Deity to address national health care concerns.

The Torah Portion Tazria focuses on the Priest’s role in medicine. With Tazria, and other Torah Portions, both politics and theology flesh out various concepts within medicine. Further, the designation of scriptural healers created a societal footprint.

These expressions in scripture, though not necessarily tackling actual medicine, contributed to shaping modern conceptions, perceptions and ethics relating to health care.

This post begins with Tazria’s Priestly commandments. From there, along with a survey of other Torah portions, insights into medicine.

Tazria

The Portion Tazria’s laws provides a partial picture- with the Priestly Portion- of the Pentateuch’s Pantheon of medical care. Tazria discusses the Priest’s role in addressing a series of skin diseases

One of the commandments provides a general understanding of the portion. It was commanded that “[w]hen a person will have a swelling or a rash or a bright spot in his flesh’s skin, and it becomes an affliction of leprosy in his flesh’s skin, and he will be brought to Aaron, the priest, or to one of his sons, the priests.” Leviticus 13:1

The priest was to identify the skin condition-diagnose- and address whether the condition was impure. Leviticus 13:2-3. The priest was directed to confine the individual for a week and then re-examine. Leviticus 13:4-5.

In sum, the Priests were responsible for observing and diagnosing particular skin disorders. The only treatment offered was the imposition of a quarantine. Additionally, Priests would then render further diagnosis as to whether the condition healed.

Within this apparent attempt to treat the medical condition, a theological assessment was also made: was the person was clean or unclean?

This concept injected theology into disease. With it, the notion that that sick people harbor some theological defect is something that entered into the belief systems. (Note: did this theology lead to the stigmatization of medical conditions? On a biological basis, is the stigmatization of illness a natural and instinctual response to contagious disease?)

While the Priests did not truly render treatment beyond quarantine instructions, the Israelites did have Professionals who labored in medicine. The Book of Exodus documents their activity.

The Egyptian Legacy

Before the Exodus from Egypt, the Torah tells of an episode involving Hebrew Health Care Professionals.

Before the Israelite nation formed at Mt. Sinai, there were Hebrew Midwives. The two- Shiphrah and Puah- were directed by the Egyptian King to kill the boys they delivered. Exodus 1:15-16. This, however, did not happen. It was reported that “[t]hey [the midwives] feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had spoken to them.” Exodus 1:17.

In the end, “God was good to the midwives.” He “made them households.” Exodus 1:20-21.

From this episode, there are multiple takeaways. First, Medical Practitioners, despite being under government dictates, conducted themselves in a moral manner. Protecting patient’s lives was found to be paramount to their profession. Further, they rewarded by the highest of authorities. This episode inspires public respect towards medical professionals.

After the leaving Egypt, a Divine expression on the Healing Arts was made in the Wilderness.

Divine Healing

During the Exodus, the Israelite Deity explained his role in medicine. He proclaimed: “I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” Exodus 15:26.

Thus, this passage suggests a divine role with respect to both disease prevention and with respect to healing. With this passage, theology once again entered into the concept of medicine.

The Deity, alone, however, was not the only healer with the Exodus story.

The Prophet as the Healer

In the Book of Numbers, Moses was enlisted by the Israelite Deity to provide a form of medical care. After an episode of Israelite impatience, the passage tells of the Lord sending venomous snakes who proceeded to bite people. Numbers 21:6. As a result, many died.

After that, the Children of Israel sought forgiveness from the Lord and prayed for the Lord to take the snakes away. Numbers 21: 7

In order to address this problem, the Lord instructed Moses to make a snake. “Make a fiery one and set it on a pole, and it will be that everyone who is bittern and sees it will live,” said the Lord. Numbers 21:8. It was told that “And Moses made a bronze snake and set it on a pole, and it was, if a snake bit a man, then he would look at the bronze snake and live.” Numbers 21:9.

This passage might be construed as “faith healing.”

Again, this passage injected theology into medicine. It brings forward the notion of sin being a cause of illness. It also brings forward the notion of seeking redemption as a cure. It further places the Prophet- an emissary of the Lord- as the agent.

In scriptural times, the bronze snake became problematic. During King Hezekiah’s reign, the object was destroyed. The reason being that the object was the subject to worship; it was called the Nehushtan. 2 Kings 18:3-4.

The Sum of the Parts

The Torah’s instances involving medicine, while multi-direction, offer up concepts which play into the practice of medicine. Medicine, scripturally, has a theological component. Disease has an element of purity with respect to both encountering the Deity and participating in the congregation. The Deity has some control over both disease and health. Beyond the deity, humans- either Deity designated or otherwise- can be agents in providing medical care. And, finally, those providing medical care can hold a position of honor. They do so when they act in accordance with an ethical code of loyalty to their patients.

Conclusion

At a time before modern medicine, the Torah addressed the topic in a multi-factorial function. While theology played a significant role in conceptions of illness, disease and treatment, the Torah also addressed medicine within ethical confines as well. While the Torah is not the Gray’s Anatomy or an instruction book on how to treat medicine, it does offer some valuable insights that remain issues to the present day. Practitioners’ roles and responsibilities are increasingly being challenged by both the government and by rules and regulations concerning medical treatment. Thus, their role of being loyal to their patients remains as an essential medical issue impacting health care.

Be well!!

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