"Pat Shacharit" – 83 Diseases and the 83 Halachot of the Rambam

"Pat Shacharit" – 83 Diseases and the 83 Halachot of the Rambam

The Sages of the Talmud (Bava Metzia, folio 107) discuss the verse: “And the Almighty (G-d) will remove all illness from you.” Here the Gemara speaks of illnesses: there are 83 diseases whose root is marah, an illness that begins in the digestive system, spreads throughout the rest of the body, and causes 83 diseases. The Gemara continues: “Pat shacharit be-melach ve-kiton shel mayim mevatlim…” – (bread eaten after the morning prayer with salt and a little water protects against the 83 diseases). Baal HaTurim (of blessed memory) teaches that the word for illness – “machalah” – מחלה  – consists of the same letters as the words for bread, “lechem,” and salt, “melach.” The gematria of the word for illness, “machalah,” is 83. The word “machalah” is related to marah (the root of the 83 diseases). It is clear that the words “illness,” “salt,” and “bread” share a common root. But why water? Because immediately after the verse that speaks of illness – “…I will not bring upon you any of the diseases… for I am G-d, your Healer” – comes a verse about a “source of water”: “And they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water.”  

Pat Shacharit and the Rambam’s 83 Halachot

The Lubavitcher Rebbe (of blessed memory) connects the segula for Refuah Sheleimah with the number of halachot in the Rambam, who was also known as a practicing physician. The Rebbe explains that although there are various ways of counting the Rambam’s minor and major halachot, there are 83 halachot mentioned at the end of the enumeration of the mitzvot in the introduction. The Rebbe teaches that this corresponds to the Gemara (Bava Kamma 92b), which points to the gematria of the word “machalah” (illness), which equals 83. By studying the Rambam’s 83 halachot, one can merit healing, for it is known that Torah brings healing from all 83 diseases, as it is written: “I am G-d, your Healer.” In his commentary on Bereishit (18:4), Ohr HaChaim (Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar) explains: “Bread symbolizes the depths (pnimiyut) of the Torah... Bread nourishes the body and the soul.” Ohr HaChaim asks why Avraham invited the angels to dine with him. Angels do not need to eat! This is because food contains spiritual secrets. As it says in Mishlei 18:25: “The righteous eat to satisfy their souls.” To satisfy the soul means strengthening a person’s spiritual side. Certain foods have the ability to nourish the soul. Why specifically 83 diseases? It is known that there are thousands of types of illnesses. Therefore, the reference to a precise number of diseases is significant. Adam was told: “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.” G-d does not punish for sin; rather, He points the way toward rectification. G-d indicated that rectifying Adam’s error is connected with bread. Wheat in Hebrew is “chitah.” In the Torah, this word consists of three letters – “chet,” “tet,” and “hei” – always without the letter “yud.” The gematria of this word is 22, alluding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet with which the Torah is written. Bread in Hebrew is “lechem,” whose gematria is 78. 78 is 26 (the four-letter Name of G-d: Yud-Hei-Vav-Hei) multiplied by 3. (That is why, during Kiddush, we dip the bread in salt three times.) Given that the gematria of “lechem” (bread) is 78, we should remember that, in a spiritual sense, bread operates simultaneously on all three levels of our soul. To emphasize this simultaneity, we add 1 to 78 (thereby showing that all three levels are one unified whole). This gives us 79. And since the purpose of “Pat Shacharit” is to bring the manifestation of G-d’s Name into our lives, and His Name consists of four letters, adding 4 to 79 gives us 83. To turn wheat – “chitah” – into bread – “lechem” – requires considerable effort. This is a model of the spiritual effort needed to put into practice what is written in the 22 letters of the Torah, and thereby fill one’s soul with Light. Which 83 diseases does “Pat Shacharit” protect against? The Talmud in Sanhedrin 107b states: “Eighty-three diseases depend on the gallbladder, and all of them can be annulled by eating morning bread with salt and drinking a handful of water.” Chazal teach: “Thirteen things were said about morning bread: it is an antidote to heat and cold, wind and demons; it instills wisdom in the simple; prompts a person to prevail in a legal case; enables him to study and teach Torah, to be heeded, and to retain his learning; whoever eats it does not sweat, lives with his wife, and does not desire other women; it kills intestinal parasites, removes jealousy, and brings about love.” The Shulchan Aruch (155:2) writes about the obligation of eating “Pat Shacharit” after the morning prayer. Mishnah Berurah notes that there are 83 diseases one can avoid by eating breakfast every morning. It is generally understood, as the Pri Megadim writes, that fulfilling this requirement calls for eating a quantity of “kebeitzah,” or approximately 2 ounces. (Translated from the books “Motzaei Chanuka” 5746 and “Hisvaaduyos,” vol. 2, p. 246; translated from the website: dailyhalacha.com /m/halacha.aspx?id=1096; “Tze’enah Ure’enah,” Shemot 15:26–27)