Lazer Beams

Swine Flu mentioned in the Gemara

Swine Flu is clearly mentioned in the Gemara, tractate Taanit 21a: Rav Yehuda was told about a plague among swine. He decreed a fast, something that is done in times of danger, even though the Jews didn't seem affected, certainly not by financial loss and not by a threat to their health. The Gemara asks if Rav Yehuda's rationale is that a plague on one type of livestock can spread to other types of livestock. The Gemara concludes that Rav Yehuda's fear was that the digestive tract of a pig resembles the digestive tract of a human, indicating that a health threat to the former is a health threat to the latter. The Tosefot commentary is somewhat different, explaining that Rav Yehuda was worried that the plague would spread from the swine to non-Jews, and then from the non-Jews to the Jew.

Clearly, one who neither eats swine nor acts like swine need worry about Swine Flu.

A Beam Blessing to Avi Y. for contributing to this post

Preventive measures for Swine Fever

Our good friend Janice A. in Colorado is doing a wonderful public service by reminding people the best preventive measure to take for Swine Fever:

"If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you." Exodus 15:26

Mitzvot and Body Health

Hello Rabbi,

Does the performance or violation of the mitzvot affect the body? More specifically, I have a pain in my right leg that no doctor has been able to cure? Is there something spiritual I may have done wrong or a correction to make? Thank you! Wim B., Amsterdam

Dear Wim,

A 16th century CE scholar from Tzfat, Rabbi Elazar Azikari (who composed "Yedid Nefesh" and was a colleague of the famed father of Kabbala Rabbi Yitzchak Luria) wrote a monumental book called "Sefer Hacharedim", or The Book of the (G-d) Fearing. In this book, he takes each part of the body and lists the corresponding mitzva. There are 613 mitzvas that correspond to the 613 parts of the body. The fulfillment of a mitzva adds to the spiritual vitality of the corresponding body part, and the spiritual vitality strongly influences the physical health of that particular body part.

For example, tefillin affects the left arm and the front part of the head. Belief in G-d affects the heart. Eye problems can often be traced to stinginess (refusal to give charity) or to looking at forbidden things. It's quite noteworthy that cervical cancer is almost unheard of among woman who practice family purity. The list is long and elaborate.

The famed Shatzer Rov of London o.b.m, the grandfather of the Melitzer Rebbe of Ashdod, would go to the doctor when he was sick and simply request a diagnosis. Then, he would go home and improve his practice of the mitzva that corresponds to his sick part of the body in order to cure himself.

I often use the Sefer Charedim in helping others. I've seen it do things that the doctors can't do. All a person needs is faith. Physical sicknesses are rooted in spiritual causes, since the spirit is the life force. Therefore, many physical ailments can be cured by Teshuva, that is, correcting a mitzva that in turn healthfully influences a certain part of the body. That's it while standing on one foot.

As far as the pain in your right leg, ask Hashem in your daily hitbodedut sessions to enlighten you as to what has brought on the pain and to help you to make teshuva for the root cause. I'd also suggest that you check if you haven't insulted your father or fail to honor him in any way.

Stay healthy, Wim. Warm regards to all our friends in Holland. Blessings always, Lazer

Teenage Drinking

Dear Rabbi Lazer,
I belong to a synagogue where refreshments are served after the services, including alcoholic beverages for the purpose of "l'chaim" (a toast - LB). The teenagers often descend like hornets on the vodka, and neither the rabbi nor their parents say a word. It bugs the heck out of me. Am I in the wrong? Is this a legitimate custom? Thanks for your attention. Yours, Marty from LA

Dear Marty,

The custom of "lekach und bronfan" (cakes and whiskey) goes back to Chassidishe Russia, where a person needed a shot of vodka to get his circulation going in the -30 F weather. Also, people were so poor that the little piece of cake that they were served after the daily prayers was often the only thing they ate all day long.

I am firmly against alcoholic consumption at any age and at any place, save for a minimum amount of wine required for a blessing on Sabbath and festivals. Rav Shalom Arush and I make "l'chayim" and "kiddush" on grape juice; we drink wine only twice a year - Purim and Seder night, after saying a long prayer before every glass. Tell your friends at the synagogue not to be so naive to think that their kids will limit drinking to the shul. Once they get used to the sauce, they'll be hiding bottles in their bedrooms.

Vodka is not the proper way to attract young people to the synagogue. Sincere and fervent prayer with plenty of singing and joy is. Blessings for an inscription in the Book of Life for a wonderful New Year 5769, LB

Shepherd's Purse

An American tourist once asked a Jerusalem rabbi how religious Israelis succeed in having such large families? The rabbi answered, "It's because Shepherd's Purse grows wild by the roadside all over the Land of Israel."

Lately, I've had numerous letters from women that complain of lengthy menstrual cycles that leave them few days of purity and reduce their chances of pregnancy.

Rebbe Nachman says there's no such thing as despair. Save your money, don't run to the gynecologist, and don't fill yourself with pills. There's an easier, more natural way to become clean on the 5th day, so with hefsek tahara and 7 clean days, the unpure period is reduced to 12 days. With ritual immesion in the mikva after sundown of the 12th day, a woman's chances for pregnancy are highest, since for many women, ovulation is on the 13th day of the cycle.

Here's all you need to do (I learned this remedy from the great Rabbi Yisroel Yaacov Fisher ob"m of the Eda Haredis in Jerusalem): Gather 5 or 6 young green leaves from a shepherd's purse plant that grows all over the place here, at roadsides and on empty lots. If you live outside of Israel, ask your local herb specialist for the leaves. Wash them off in cold water and make sure they have no bugs in them. Then, boil them in a small tea kettle with water, letting the herb tea brew for about 5 minutes. It may be a bit bitter, so sweeten the tea with a teaspoon of honey. Drink a glass of this tea on the mornings of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th day of the menstrual period. Before sundown of the 5th day, you'll hopefully be clean as a whistle, so you can begin counting the 7 clean days and therefore immerse G-d willing at the end of the 12th day of the cycle.

This remedy has worked for many families in Israel. Hopefully, it will work for you too.

Read more about Shepherd's Purse here and here.

Baby's Stomach Pains

Dear Rabbi Lazer,

My first baby is only three months old, and he's been suffering from stomach pains that keep him yelling and screaming much of the time. Yesterday, I went to the pediatrician, and he gave me a prescription and told me not to breastfeed any more. I read so much about the importance of nursing, and I hate to give it up. My nextdoor neighbor is a regular reader of yours, and suggested that I ask you before putting my baby on the bottle. Is there some urgent advice you can give me? I'm eagerly awaiting your answer. Thanks very much, Karen from NYC

Dear Karen,

You're correct about the importance of breastfeeding. The value it has on your baby's healthy emotional development is inestimable. Here are a list of things - well known to our sages all the way back to Moses - that cause a baby to have gas and sharp stomach pains from mothers milk: Squash, garlic, onions, liver, and hearts (animal or poultry). Hot peppers, highly-spiced foods, and fried foods are also notorious in raising the acidic content of mother's milk, and wreaking havoc on the baby's digestive system. Avoid these foods and the stomach pains should vanish, G-d willing. Hold off on the bottle and the doctor's prescription for 72 hours; as soon as you correct your diet, the baby's stomach pains will most likely disappear in a day.

If you've been eating liver for iron, then start eating beets instead. For your mother's milk to be plentiful, sweet, and digestible, eat lots of almonds, whole-grained rice, and melted cheese (natural, not processed).

One additional important point: Substances - especially tobacco, marijuana, alcohol, and narcotics destroy the quality of mother's milk and have a sorely detrimental effect on the child.

May you have all the joy in the world from your baby, and may he grow to strength of body and strength of spirit. Blessings always, LB

Natural & Spiritual Remedy for Acne

Several of our readers have asked me for a natural & spiritual remedy for acne. Here it is:

First of all, be very careful not to say a bad word about anyone - no matter what - even about those that hurt you, G-d forbid.

Second, don't eat any fried foods. Don't eat any milk products that contain more than 5% fat.

Third, eat only whole grains and brown cane sugar - no white flour or white sugar.

Fourth, stay far away from junk foods and processed foods, especially smoked and preserved meats. No more pizzas!

Fifth, discontinue the creams and pills, and all other medications. Don't squeeze pimples, because that only increases inflammation and infection.

Sixth, eat lots of lettuce leaves and sunflower seeds. Vitamin E is good for the skin.

Seventh, wash your face with a gentle baby liquid soap. Keep your hands and your hair off your face.

Eighth, water washes away impurity from the body. Drink plenty of water, but no softdrinks and certainly no alcohol.

Ninth, Vitamin A shortage triggers acne. Snack on fresh carrot sticks or drink fresh carrot juice.

Tenth, ask Hashem to heal your skin, but thank Him for the problem because everything He does is for the very best!

With Hashem's help, your skin will clear up fast, G-d willing.

The Expanding Succoth Waistline

My good buddy Yankel'e "Dry Bones" Kirschen, the creator of Emuna Outreach's mascot little Natty Emuna , really hits home. The perenniel post-holiday problem of many Jewish people is the added calories, pounds, flab, and cholesterol of a week of eating and rejoicing in the Succa. As the Beams is committed to the health of body, mind, and soul, we've composed a few guidelines to combat the expanding Succoth waistline.

Beware of the cakes: Many people want to make a blessing on the Succa every time they enter it. But, one really shouldn't make a blessing unless he eats something. For that reason, many folks eat cake ("mezonos", at a minimum amount of a little over and ounce) so they can say the "Leshev B'Succa" blessing, the blessing to sit in the Succa. If a person eats 2 ounces of cake 3 times a day, that adds another 840 calories to his daily intake. The Melitzer Rebbe shlit'a says that one should make a "Leshev B'Succa" blessing only when eating a proper meal that includes washing your hands and breaking bread. So, don't eat cake for the purpose of making a blessing to sit in the Succa. If a person eats 3 average-sized portions of cake a day for the 9 (outside of Israel, 8 in Israel) days of the Succoth/Simchat Torah holiday, he'll gain more than two pounds. We suggest eating sliced fresh carrots or sliced green apples instead of the cake.

Beware of the liquor: Many people make a "Lechayim" every time they visit the Succa of a friend and relative. In Israel, quite a few people that barely touch alcoholic beverages all year long keep them on hand to serve guests, and end up toasting glass-per-glass with the guest. A one-ounce shot of vodka or 86-proof Whiskey is 70 calories, while an ounce of a 72-proof liqueur such as Kahlua or Banana Liqueur is a hefty 117 calories. 3 "Lechayims" a day is enough to pick up another half pound during the week of the holiday. Adding that to the cakes (see above), you've already gained 2.5 pounds during Succoth. Putting the weight on is so much easier than taking it off.

Beware of sweet beverages: Succoth is a time when parents allow the Pepsi and the Coke to flow frely all week long. Now hear this - an 8-ounce glass of Coke Classic is a whopping 97 calories, just as caloric as the equivalent amount of beer or of a slice and a half of bread. A person that drinks 6 glasses of cola a day will gain almost a pound on Succoth, please wreck his teeth in the process. We suggest that you reach for the mineral water, sparkling water, or herb tea instead, for they have zero caloric value.

Beware of snacks: People like to munch in the Succa. We all know that you can't eat one Frito or potato chip - therefore, those plastic bags empty fast. One ounce of fritos, potato chips, or our Bamba and Bisli add another 160 calories to your calorie-aglore score. If a person drinks two glasses of cola and consumes two ounces of snack foods a day, he'll gain over a pound during Succoth. Again, fresh carrot and cucumber sticks are a virtually non-cloric and healthy replacement for the junky snack foods.

So, with the cakes, the l'chayims, the cokes and the snacks alone - without the heavy meals that include kugel and fat meats, you've already gained close to 5 pounds. And, if you drink diet beverages and use artificial sweeteners, you might not gain the weight but you'll be likely to suffer from headaches and anxiety.

True, tradition is important; that is, as long as it doesn't ruin your health. Here at the Brody homestead, whole-grained rice, buckwheat groats and quinoa have replaced fried farfel and oil-dripping kugel. We don't fry, but boil and bake. We eat loads of veggies and fresh fruit, and drink a great brand of Golan-Heights mineral water. Fish and lean poultry have replaced the beef and veal. Dessert is homemade applesauce, fresh cantelope cubes, or an almond-stuffed fresh date. Our bread is home-baked and whole-grain. We want to control what enters our bodies; the manufacturers care about making money, not about our health. That's why we don't buy their products. Our bodies weren't designed to digest the myriad of chemical additives and preservatives that they force-feed us.

The Rambam gives an important reminder - don't eat until you're full. The stomach resembles a washing machine - if you overload it, it can't do the laundry. By the same token, an overloaded stomach can't digest, resulting in indigestion, another common Succoth ailment.

A great way to combat the the expanding Succoth waistline is to walk for an hour a day. Better yet, while you're walking, talk to Hashem in personal prayer. That way, your body gets its exercise and your soul gets its nourishment, that is none other than connecting with Hashem. What could be better? Emuna Outreach and the Beams wish you a happy and healthy Succoth with no indigestion and no expanding waistline, amen.

The Danger of Vancomycin

Greetings once again Rabbi Brody. Some time ago you were graciously offering prayers on behalf on my mother, Terri. While our prayers were answered and she saw tremendous improvement, I feel that in the past few days the big prayer was answered - we finally discovered what actually ailed her over these few months.

I was told various stories (each seemingly different) from each of the doctors that were administering 'care' to her during her stay in the hospital. My family and I needed to place her in a full-service rehabilitation center to help her recover from the sores on her body. Yet, more than anything, she needed to recover from what the doctors did to her while in the hospital. My mother is the victim and I feel that you and your readers should know about a very dangerous drug used in the medical field (although I realize this is probably one of many). The drug is an antibiotic called Vancomycin. This is often used when a person has staph infection. While there are side-effects the one that seems to be common is that the person sheds unusual amounts of skin and can also result in lesions forming on the skin due to the shedding. The nurse at the rehab center reveled to me what the doctors kept hidden. The nurse providing my mother with care is a very compassionate person who has dealt with this before; I am very grateful that she informed me of this. Her advice to me was that if I ever need to inform a medical staff of any allergies, I should tell them I am allergic to this particular type of antibiotic just for the sake of not having to risk its horrible side-effects.

You mentioned in one of our emails about the possibility of the doctors experimenting on my mother; as it turns out, this is what they were doing (although very secretly and without informing the family). Let me conclude that I am still very appreciative of your prayers on behalf of my mother. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for standing by me in this crisis. You have been and continue to be a great blessing to not only me but the whole world. With deep gratitude, Brian from the USA

In my visits to sick people in hospitals, I've seen doctors look for the easy way out, especially in treating the elderly and in treating those who have no one to come to their aid. The latter are prime candidates to become human guinea pigs. In one case similar to Brian's mother, a family from Tel Aviv with an 86-year old grandfather compained to me that each doctor had a different explanation; either they don't know what's ailing the elderly patient, or someone's not telling the truth. I visited the patient, checked his treatment log, and saw that he was being treated with Vancomycin intravenously, getting 750 mg three times a day - enough to kill a horse.

I asked the attending physician if they had done a seriological culture to isolate the type of bacterial infection that the elderly elderly patient suffered from, and the doctor answered no. A simple culture and antibiotic-resistance test that any 2nd year bacteriology student knows how to perform was too much effort in invest in what the doctors see as a useless old man. To make life easy, they often fire away with the strongest antibiotic they have.

Today, there are dangerous strains of Staphylococcus and other enterococci that are resistant to Vancomycin. One of the closest-guarded secrets in Israel is the presence of these bacteria - particularly fatal to the elderly and the weak - in Israeli hospitals. Don't let doctors indiscriminately give your loved ones Vancomycin without first establishing two important factors:

1) Is there no other choice, such as a weaker antibiotic?

2) Is the bacterial infection that your loved one suffers from susceptible to Vancomycin? This requires a routine culture and seriological test.

By strengthening our emuna, we also improve our health. May Hashem guard us from sickness and from doctors with no emuna; may He give the ailing a speedy and complete recovery, amen.

A Doctor's Feedback: My esteemed friend, Dr. EY from Haifa's Rambam Hospital, comments:

Vancomycin is indeed a very potent antibiotic with sometimes dangerous side effects. It is used only when the benefit of controlling an serious(life threatening) infection due to microorganisms sensitive to it , is greater than the risks involved in its use. In every hospital there is an "infection doc" who monitors the use of antibiotics and is frequently consulted in difficult cases. They strongly oppose to the indiscriminate use of vancomycin. Another point is that "experiments" are never done without the approval of the Helsinki committee which exists in every hospital and the informed consent of the patient. Lack if communication between the doctors and their patients and families is by far more common than true lack of care of the patients or even negligence. With my deep respect, EY

LB: Rambam is a superb hospital; I've (unfortunately) visited many other hospitals in Israel, and have yet to encounter an "infection Doc" or a Helsinki Committee.

Coping with a medical crisis - part 4

This is the concluding segment of Yocheved Golani's outstanding essay

Necessary Resources

As I wrote my text, I realized how many slip-ups and slowdowns in my medical care could have been prevented had my loved ones, friends, and I known about some necessary resources. So, I created a Resource Section in the back of my book for other people. It lists worldwide resources with full contact information for medical advice and treatment, clinical trials, free medication, transportation services to medical appointments, counseling organizations, excellent reading materials, several ethnic group needs, geographical locations and more. Who has benefited from the information so far? A South African rabbi seeking resources for a sick child in his congregation. A young woman in an Israeli seminary diagnosed with a brain tumor, the family of a baby with a most unusual case of cleft lip, and other grateful people experiencing medical crises found my listings of helpful outlets beneficial before my book has even been published!

Entitled "It's MY Crisis and I'll Cry if I Need To; A Lifebook for Drying Your Tears and Coping with a Medical Crisis," my book bears praises from Rabbi Dr. Avraham Twerski, a host of other medical and mental health practitioners and even clergy of other faiths. Mainstream and Jewish publishers are competing with each other for publication rights to sell it.

Live, Love and Let Go

This is the future I enabled the day I decided that I could not afford to fall on a cold tile floor in a dead faint anymore. I needed to get up, get real, and cope with my situation. I dialogued with HaKadosh Baruch Hu and understood the unfolding saga of my miraculous surgery and gradual recovery to be His answers. I became more compassionate with myself and with others. The love that friends lavished on me affected my soul. The blessings that HaShem showered upon me in the days and years that followed have been indescribable. I connected with the only doctor in Israel able and willing to perform necessary surgery. Friends gathered the funds to see me through a period of unemployment. I did not suffer death on the operating table or lifelong physical debilitation that medical professionals knew could have happened. The therapists who worked with me were brilliantly effective. I enjoy a full social life despite slight facial disfigurement. And the most amusing miracle of all is that I've written a book despite temporary blindness, double vision, and other daunting obstacles that kept getting in my way.

I still pause in silence from time to time over painful memories. I'm normal. And I am functional. I'll tell you how to master my method. Release the cold grip of fear around your head and heart again and again until it is gone. Speak out loud with HaShem and listen for His answers. Someone did you an unexpected favor? HaShem is hugging you. All your appointments went smoothly? Thank the LORD for order in your life. The clear weather helped you to commute to stores, social engagements or medical appointments, and even to cope better with pain? Hodu l'HaShem the thoughtful weather Man!

I invite you to recreate your lives as I've recreated mine. The decisions you make will be tailor-made for your specific situations, not copycats of mine. But what will be the same is that you will ACT by paying Attention to details, increasing Compassion for yourselves and those around you, and creating the Tenacity to recover from every shock, upset and setback along the way to your future. It won’t be easy, but the effort will be worthwhile. You'll realize this when you look yourself in the mirror and smile, after people remark "GOD you're fantastic for managing the way you do." Yes, they'll call you GOD because you will be reflecting the love of our Compassionate Father, Av Harachamim, with your behavior.

The Beam Team and Emuna Outreach thank Yocheved for her splendid essay, and pray for her good health, happiness, and success in all her endeavors.