Tehillim 77 or the Cause of Illness

Tehillim 77 or the Cause of Illness

Tehillim 77:11 - “Va'omar ḥaloti hi, shenot Yemin Elyon” - (And I said: This is my illness—the alteration of the right hand of the Most High.) David HaMelech speaks in Tehillim 77 about the cause of illness as a change in “Yemin Elyon”—the Supernal Right, that is, the right hand of Hashem. According to Kabbalah, this signifies the concealment of the Divine Light on the right side, resulting from the separation of the left side from the right. Exile is the concealment of the right side—the concealment of the Almighty’s loving-kindness (Chesed) from His people Israel. In Tehillim, this state is described as “ḥaloti” (from the root chet-lamed), meaning weakness and illness. In Chassidic teachings, the word “ḥaloti” is given four closely related interpretations, each flowing from the preceding one: - Trembling—a symptom of weakness and illness; - Prayer (as mentioned above regarding Moshe’s prayer after the sin of the Golden Calf); - The ability to transform bitterness into sweetness (the ultimate purpose of illness); The expression “Yemin Elyon” (the Supernal Right) refers not only to the sefirot of the right-hand line, but also to Keter (Keter Elyon—the Supernal Keter), of which it is said: “There is no left in Atik (Atik—one of the levels of the sefirah of Keter); everything is right.” In Kabbalah, the sefirah of Keter is also called Arich Anpin (“the Long Countenance”). The word “arich” is related to the word “aruchah” (healing), which is directly connected to healing. The word “arich” also hints at the assertion that the Almighty Himself is the Healer: “For I am Havayah, your Healer”—(Ki Ani Hashem Rofecha)— an acronym of the word “arich.” “Arich” is also an acronym for the expression: “Amen ken yehi ratzon.” (Based on the book by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, “Body, Mind, and Soul”)