Rabbi Levi Meier, Ph.D., on rejoicing over the Torah

The Traveling Torah and Healing

The day that our small, “traveling” Torah was delivered to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, January 5, 2006, marked the beginning of the most exciting and rewarding period in my almost 30 years as a Jewish chaplain.

On a daily basis, I have witnessed the extraordinary power of this Torah to reach people at the deepest level of their being. The Torah has enabled them to be more in touch with the Divine manifestation and to feel embraced by God.

The story that follows gives some idea of how the Torah continues to touch peoples’ souls on a daily basis.

One day we were summoned to the room of an elderly Russian man who was gravely ill. In an attempt to boost his sagging morale, we took the Torah from the Ark in our chapel and brought it up to him.

When we entered the patient’s room, his eyes lit up at the sight of the Torah. He asked his nurse to bring him some water so that he could cleanse his hands and recite a blessing in preparation for touching the holy scroll. I brought the Torah over to his bedside, where he reached for it gently and lovingly. He asked if I could place the Torah on his bed, next to him, and I complied.

At first there was silence on his part, followed by silent tears. Then slowly, before our eyes, this man seemed transformed. He became visibly livelier, happier and more hopeful. The Torah appeared to have restored his soul in a way that no medication or other intervention could. At long last, he spoke. “Do you know something, Rabbi?” he said. “Even though it’s long after the High Holidays, for me today is a special holiday. It’s my Simchat Torah, the day of rejoicing over the Torah.” And with that, he began to sing, first faintly, and then with more power to his voice, “Sisu ve-simchu be-Simchat Torah u-tenu kavod la-Torah!” Rejoice and be merry on Simchat Torah and give glory to the Torah.

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This episode gives only a glimpse of the wonderful “Torah encounters” we have on a daily basis.

Our amazing experiences have made me want to share the idea of the traveling Torah with as many of my colleagues as possible. I was delighted to learn that, based on a story in the Jerusalem Post about our experience at Cedars-Sinai, a woman named Sheva Honig donated a small Torah to Mount Sinai Hospital in Montreal. Several other hospitals have also contacted me to learn more about our Torah, and I hope that they will soon purchase similar scrolls for their facilities.

I feel honored to share this idea with my colleagues in chaplaincy. I think that you will find this innovation to be immensely exciting and important. I will be pleased to provide information about how to contact the scribe in Jerusalem who helped us obtain our special Torah. Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any further questions. (E-mail: levi.meier@cshs.org)

 

Do you have thoughts about professional practice you’d like to share with your colleagues? Send an e-mail info@PlainViews.org.