If he rises again, and walks abroad upon his staff, then shall he that struck him be acquitted: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed. (Shemos 21:19)

The Torah tells us in Parshas Beshalach, “ani hashem rophecha” – “I am G-d, your healer.” (Shemos 15:26). Yet, in this week’s parsha, regarding the subject of human doctors having permission to heal the sick, the Torah uses a double expression: “rapo yerapei” – “he shall surely heal”. The obvious question is why does Hashem’s healing appear with a single verb, while a human doctor’s healing requires a doubled verb?

The Brisker Rav (Yitzchok Zev Halevi Soloveitchik 1886-1959) once visited a doctor due to an ailment, and the doctor prescribed a certain medication. When the Rav asked the doctor about side effects, the doctor proudly responded, “There are no side effects to this drug.” Hearing this, the Brisker Rav immediately handed the medication back. Surprised, the doctor asked why he refused it. The Brisker Rav explained, “Chazal teach that every medicine has some side effect. If this one has none, it must be a placebo—and if it’s only a placebo, I don’t need it!”

I recently read about one of the great elderly rabbis of our generation. When he was just three months old in London, he developed severe double pneumonia. The doctors had essentially given up hope, but they told his father about an experimental drug called penicillin that had shown promising results in similar cases. “It hasn’t been tested enough for us to administer freely,” they warned. “If you want your son to receive it, you’ll need to sign a release form and join the trial.” With no better option, the father signed. The doctors administered the new medication, and the infant made a full recovery. For years after, the father would often remark: When healing comes through human hands, there are frequently side effects or complications that require further intervention by doctors.  That, he explained, is why the Torah says “rapo yerapei”—the doctor heals the illness, but then must also heal the aftermath of his own treatment. By contrast, Hashem’s healing is absolute – “ani hashem rophecha” said once, no need for repair.

But there is an even simpler idea that explains difference between the two verses. We all know of situations in which doctors give up on a sick person. The individual davens to Hashem, and then experiences a miraculous recovery. In those situations, the Torah writes “ani hashem rophecha” with a soft pei (without a dot). This teaches us that Hashem’s healing is gentle and soft, without pain or secondary damage.

When we must rely on human medicine, however, the process is often complex, invasive, and sometimes even brutal to the body. Hence, the hard pei in “rapo yerapei” – because human healing can be harsh and require a double measure of intervention.

I think that many of us don’t always daven for the sick in a way that truly shows our belief that all healing ultimately comes from Hashem. We tend to place our trust in the doctor because he is the “professional” or the “expert”. The halacha in Shulchan Aruch (YD 335:10 Rema) is clear: If someone has a sick person in his house, he should go to a talmid chacham and ask him to daven for the ill person. This is because, whether directly or indirectly, all healing comes from Hashem. This is also why the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 230:4) teaches that before taking medication or undergoing medical treatment, one should recite:

“May it be your will Hashem that this treatment should heal me.”

May we merit to daven with emunah, with trust in Hashem’s gentle and absolute healing, and to see refuah sheleimah for all who are ill.