Question:
Is there a special power of refuah (healing) in the Hebrew month of “Iyar”?
Answer:
As is well-known, the Hebrew word “Iyar” (אייר) is an acronym for the verse, אני ה' רופאיך, “Ani Hashem Rofecha”, “I am Hashem, your Healer”, and the Talmud teaches that the request in Shemoneh Esrei for healing, Refoeinu, is placed near the request about teshuvah-repentance, Hashiveinu, to show that healing is a result of doing teshuvah. This is based on the verse, “And understand with its heart, so that it will repent and be healed.” (Yeshayahu 6:10). Through attaining the heart’s ability to understand, one draws forth refuah/healing from there. The verse is teaching us that through gaining the ability to “understanding” (hirhur, which is the special power contained in the month of Iyar), one can get healed. Iyar is a month of gaining the ability to understand deeply (hirhur) and that is precisely how one gains refuah/healing that is inherent in the month of Iyar. But it depends on one condition – doing teshuvah (repentance).
Categories
