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Prayer for people with physical ailments
#1
Shalom!
Is it appropriate to say "bless you" when someone sneezes? If not, what shall we say, if anything?
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#2
Our sages tell us that until the time of our Patriarch Jacob, people passed away without prior illness. Jacob prayed for mercy that he have time to prepare his family and bless them properly before he died. Hashem granted this to the world and people from then on took ill first and then died. When a person sneezed all were afraid that death was imminent, as before Jacob people sneezed and died. When G-d created Adam it says, He "blew it" (the soul) into Adam's nostrils. Thus, when it comes time for the soul to be returned to its Maker, it departs through the same place that it entered. The custom to say "bless you" or as many say "gezuntheit" came into being to bless the ill to recover and not pass away, as sneezing is a sign of illness, so indeed it is proper.
Rabbi Yitz
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#3
Dear Rabbis and Director:
I was wondering how to pray for someone or for oneself if struck with a physical ailment, ie)psoriasis, exzema, allergies? Should it be with our own personal prayers or are their any specific psalms one could say?
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#4
Dear cbell14,
Thanks for this important question. When you pray, you can tell G-d exactly what it is that you need or another person needs, and you can pray that G-d please send the blessing or the healing. It is good to combine the prayer with a gift to a proper charity, because the merit of that good deed on behalf of the sick person will be added to the prayer.

Certainly along with the prayers, the patient should be following the treatment prescribed by an expert doctor, with the faith that G-d sends the healing through the "natural" channel of the medical treatment.
The following is from https://asknoah.org/faq/doctors-and-medication
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Here are short prayers that can be said before and after taking medication. From the Mishneh Brurah - the following prayer may be recited BEFORE taking medicine or before undergoing a medical procedure:
"May it be Your will L-rd G-d, that this use of medicine bring me good health, for You heal graciously." [From Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 230:4]

After taking medicine or after a medical procedure, you can say: "Blessed is the Healer of the sick."
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When praying for a person, you should mention his or her name. When praying for healing or help, mention the given names of the person, and the father's given names (if the person is a Gentile), or the mother's given names (if the person is a Jew).
Example:
if you are praying for a speedy recovery for a Gentile named James John Smith, whose father is Thomas Timothy Smith, mention the name as "James John son of Thomas Timothy."

With the prayer for someone who is ill, it is good to recite one or more chapters of Psalms. There are several Psalms which express prayers for help or healing. Include AT LEAST Psalm 20.

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov and a holy tzaddik, specified ten Psalms that he said contain the general remedy for matters of the *soul.* These ten Psalms, about which he said that they were revealed to him from Heaven as being "Tikkun HaKlali" (The Complete Remedy) are: 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150.
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#5
The Midrash explains that near the end of his life, Jacob was the first person who ever had a "natural" illness (Genesis 48:1). Before that time, a person lived a healthy life until the moment came when it was time for him to die. Then the person would sneeze, and his soul would exit from his body through his nostrils, and he would be dead. So when a person sneezed, it was considered to be a matter of life and death, and others who witnessed the sneeze would say a quick prayer to G-d, that the person should be blessed to continue living. Thus it became a tradition to bless (as a prayer for the person's health) anyone who sneezes.

[In the days of Abraham, the households of Pharoah and King Abimelech were stricken with illness, but those were temporary miraculous plagues that G-d inflicted upon them, because of the sinful intentions that those kings had for Abraham's wife, Sarah. See Genesis 12:17 and 20:17-18.]
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#6
Director Michael Wrote:Dear cbell14,
Thanks for this important question. When you pray, you can tell G-d exactly what it is that you need or another person needs, and you can pray that G-d please send the blessing or the healing. It is good to combine the prayer with a gift to a proper charity, because the merit of that good deed on behalf of the sick person will be added to the prayer.

With your permission

I will suggest that in addition to this, when you do a good deed, it adds goodness to the world, and it sets up a chain reaction of more and more good that will be done and added to the world. You can tell G-d that you're adding that goodness for the sake of this-and-that person, and He will take that into account. And certainly this is in itself prayer!
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#7
Thank you for pointing this out! Dedicating a specific good deed that you're about to do for the purposes you've described is a worthy thing to do.

However, actually vowing to do good deeds into the future is not appropriate, because one never knows what the next minute or even hour may bring. The Talmud tells of a Kohain Gadol (High Priest) who served in righteousness for 80 years, and then he abandoned his faith. Thus we promise only what we can guarantee: a good deed or charity at that moment. Or one can make a righteous commitment (a "good resolution") to do such-and-such in the future without a vow.
Rabbi Yitz
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#8
(10-29-2014, 05:18 AM)Nick Wrote: Form Member Nick sent this question:
B"H Hello AskNoah International, I would like to ask a question: are there any prayers one can say to G-d when expecting a new baby? I find the whole process scary because it’s something we have no control over. It feels like there are an infinite number of things that can go wrong, but only one way for everything to work out fine. G-d has already blessed us with a healthy, energetic boy – born in 2012. My wife is pregnant again (approximately 32 weeks). This second pregnancy has been different. The first trimester was stressful. And we’ve been going for a number of scans because the head circumference is small – 97% of other foetuses are bigger. I don’t know whether I should just trust G-d that He will give us a healthy baby or whether He wants me to do something in addition. But then if I do something, isn’t that akin to bribing? Are there any suggestions for this situation? I am in no way saying that I won’t be happy or that I won’t love a baby with health problems. I just don’t understand why an innocent child should suffer. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Yours faithfully, Nick
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#9
Thank you for your question!

(10-29-2014, 05:18 AM)Nick Wrote: are there any prayers one can say to G-d when expecting a new baby?

The best prayers to G-d that you and your wife can say are those that come from the depth of your hearts, individually and each in your own words, expressing to G-d what you need and yearn for.

That being said, I have seen Psalm 103 cited as a Psalm to recite for having children, and it seems to me that it would be appropriate for both you and your wife, if you also think so.

(10-29-2014, 05:18 AM)Nick Wrote: I don’t know whether I should just trust G-d that He will give us a healthy baby

Yes, most definitely you should, and that trust will be counted as a big merit for you.

(10-29-2014, 05:18 AM)Nick Wrote: or whether He wants me to do something in addition. But then if I do something, isn’t that akin to bribing?

There are definitely things you should be doing anyway in your service to G-d, and if you will go ahead and do those things, and especially if you go above and beyond (to any extent) what you would be inclined to do in the natural course of things when all is well, that will (still) be counted as extra merit for you. Especially when it comes to giving proper charity, we know that G-d does not remain "in debt" in rewarding that effort in practically-applied goodness and kindness.

(10-29-2014, 05:18 AM)Nick Wrote: I just don’t understand why an innocent child should suffer.

If we understood that, we wouldn't be mere humans of flesh and blood living here in this physical world. In other words, that understanding will come soon enough. Right now we have a life to live in the service of our infinitely wise Creator.

May you and your wife be blessed for involving yourselves with populating the world with righteous, G'd-fearing children, as that is certainly very precious in G-d's eyes.
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