If You Listen to the Voice of the LORD I Will Heal You

"And He said, If you will diligently listen." If a person hears one commandment, they cause him to hear many, as it is said, "if you will diligently listen [listening, you shall listen]." If a person forgets one commandment, they cause him to forget many commandments, as it is said, "if you forget, you shall surely forget" (Deuteronomy 8:19). "To the voice of the LORD your God." This teaches that whoever listens to the voice of the Almighty is reckoned as though he served before the Living One of the worlds, blessed be He. "And do what is right in His eyes." This refers to commerce: whoever buys and sells in good faith, and the spirit of others is pleased with him, is reckoned as though he had fulfilled the whole Torah. "And give ear to His commandments." These are the rulings of law. "And keep all His statutes." These are the decrees. "All the disease which I put upon Egypt I will not put upon you"; and if I do put it, then "for I am the LORD your healer." Thus the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: "listen" might suggest something optional; therefore Scripture says "you shall listen" the verse fixed it as an obligation. Another interpretation: "you shall listen" this is the principle in which the whole Torah is contained. "To the voice of the LORD your God" these are the Ten Words spoken at Mount Sinai. "And do what is right in His eyes" these are the praiseworthy aggadot that are pleasant to the ears of every person. "And give ear to His commandments" these are the decrees. "And keep all His statutes" these are the testimonies. If you do so, "all the disease which I put upon Egypt I will not put upon you." What does "for I am the LORD your healer" teach? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: the words of Torah that I have given you are life for you, they are healing for you, as it is said, "For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh" (Proverbs 4:22). Another interpretation: "for I am the LORD your healer." Rabbi Yitzhak says, if there is no disease in them, why do they need healing? Rather, say from now on: "I will not put it upon you in this world," "for I am the LORD your healer" in the world to come.