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Gleanings
The Editors

From the Jewish Tradition

", R. Joshua asked, "shall I find the Messiah?" "At the gate of the city", Elijah replied.
"How shall I recognize him?"
"He sits among the lepers".
"Among the lepers!" cried R. Joshua: "What is he doing there?"
"He changes their bandages", Elijah answered, "He changes them one by one".
(B. Tat San. 98a)

Rabin said in Rabe name: Whence do we know that the Almighty sustains the sick? From the verse, The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing. Rabin also said in Rab's name: Whence do we know that the Divine Presence rests above an invalid's bed? From the verse, The Lord doth set himself upon the bed of languishing. It was taught likewise: He who visits the sick must not sit upon the bed, or on a stool or a chair, but must [reverently] robe himself and sit upon the ground, because the Divine Presence rests above an invalid's bed, as it is written. The Lord doth set himself upon the bed of languishing.
(B. Tat Ned. 40a)

His Own Suffering:Whenever the rabbi of Sasov saw anyone's suffering either of spirit or of body, he shared it so earnestly that the other's suffering became his own. Once someone expressed his astonishment at this capacity to share in another's troubles. "What do you mean 'share'?" said the rabbi. "It is my own sorrow; how can I help but suffer it?"
How the Rabbi of Sasov Learned How to Love: Rabbi Moshe Leib told this story: "How to love men is something I learn from a peasant. He was sitting in an inn along with other peasants, drinking. For a long time he was as silent as all the rest, but when he was moved by the wine, he asked one of the men seated beside him: 'Tell me, do you love me or don't you love me?' The other replied: 'I love you very much'. But the first peasant replied: 'You say that you love me, but you do not know what I need. If you really loved me, you would know'. The other had not a word to say to this, and the peasant who had put the question fell silent again. But I understood. To know the needs of men and to bear the burden of their sorrow – that is the true love of men."
(Moshe Leib of Sasov - Buber Tales of the Hasidim, Later Masters, choken Books. N.Y.)

"Happy is he that considereth the poor (Ps. 41:2).
Ray Huna said: That is he who visits the sick.
For, Ray Huna said: All who visit the sick lessen his sickness by one sixtieth part.
Objection was raised:
If so, let sixty go up to visit him, and he can return to the market place with them!
Ray Huna said to those who objected:
Sixty – but only if they each love him as they love themselves Nevertheless – his suffering is eased.
(Mid. Rab. Lev. XXXIV:1)

Harold Kushner, the rabbi who has written so much about pain and about what happens When Bad Things Happen to Good People, tells of this incident while visiting an AIDS patient.
"I entered the room and saw a pale, thin man lying in bed, hooked up to tubes. I said, 'How are you doing?' And he answered, 'Not too good, but I'm getting used to it.' I asked him, 'Do you think you are dying without God?' because I know that this is an issue for a lot of religious AIDS patients, as this person was dying of AIDS. 'Do you feel that God is punishing you, and that's why you're sick?'
He answered, 'No, I don't. I think I have misused my sexuality as a lot of people do in different ways, and I'm paying the price for that and it's a high price. But I don't feel I'm dying without God, just the opposite. The only good thing about my illness is that I learned that something is true which I could only have hoped was true before: That God loves and forgives people no matter how much they have messed up their lives. My main source of comfort is that God has not turned away from me'."
Steven Jacobs, "The Greatness of Reform Judaism", Jewish Spectator, Spring-Summer 1989


Extracts from some Christian Statements on AIDS

Pope John Paul II: Christmas Message 1988
"My thoughts also go to those who are lacking in that precious gift that is good health, to all those who are affected by illness and struggle with it in hospital wards, clinics or their own homes. I think of them all, and to all of them I say: Do not lose hope!
These words are addressed above all to the victims of AIDS, called to face the challenge not only of the sickness but also the mistrust of a fearful society that instinctively turns away from them. I invite everyone to take up the tragic burden of these brethren of ours, and, as I assure them of my deep affection, I exhort scientists and researchers to increase their efforts to find an effective treatment for this mysterious illness. May the concerted efforts of science and love soon find the hoped-for remedy: This is the hope that I lay at the crib of the newborn Savior."

United States Bishops' Conference: "The Many Faces of AIDS", December 1987
"Our response to... the needs of... persons with AIDS, will be judged to be truly effective both when we discover God in them and when they through their encounter with us, are able to say 'In my pain, fear and alienation, I have felt in your presence a God of strength, love and solidarity'."

Canadian Bishops: Statement on AIDS, 16 March 1989
"We warmly invite Christians to strive, in accordance with the teaching of Jesus, to believe more in the contagious power of good than in the eventual spread of any evil or disease. It seems to us that Christians should do everything they can so that no one suffering from AIDS feels rejected by his or her brothers and sisters or by God. Among those who are open to persons with AIDS, the followers of Jesus should strive to reflect in very special ways the tenderness and saving will of a God whom Jesus calls Father. With others who help, Christians who believe in the resurrection can help those suffering from AIDS to transform their ordeal into a path to life and rebirth."