Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman
David fasted and he came in and slept lying on the ground. 2SA 12:15-16
Rashi’s Commentary
And he came in and slept lying on the ground—And he came back to the house and slept at night lying on the ground.
21 When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he was by the lake.
15 So Nathan went to his home. Then the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he was very ill.
Rashi’s Commentary
Was very ill—This word denotes sickness.
16 David therefore inquired of God for the child. And
22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw him, he fell at his feet
23 and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”
But Naaman became angry and went away and said, “Here I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and he would wave his hand over the spot and cure the leprosy.” 2KI 5:11
Rashi’s Commentary
Here I thought—I thought that the prophet would surely come out and speak with me, and see the ailment.
And call to me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me [that being my honor, saving those who trust in me]. PSA 50:15
Rashi’s Commentary
And you will honor me—For this is my honor, that I will save those who trust in me.
24 So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd followed him and thronged him.
25 And there was a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years.
26 She had suffered much under the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had, yet she was no better but rather grew worse.
Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no healing
for the wound of the daughter of my people? JER 8:22
Rashi’s Commentary
Is there no balm in Gilead—For balm comes from there, as it is said (infra 46:11) “Go up to Gilead and get balm.” That is to say, Did they not have any righteous men from whom to learn so that they should improve their ways?
“Go up to Gilead and get balm,
O Virgin Daughter of Egypt.
In vain have you increased medicines;
there is no healing for you. JER 46:11
The wound of—Lit. the cure of, (emplatre in O. F.), plaster, dressing.
12 For thus says the Lord:
“Your injury is incurable,
and your wound is grievous.
Rashi’s Commentary
Your injury is incurable, and your wound is grievous—(Enfers in Old French).
13 No one deems your wound to be healed,
you have no healing medicines. JER 30:12-13
Rashi’s Commentary
To be healed—Cure. No one thinks that you will have salvation.
Healing—A cure, an expression of availing.
27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak.
28 For she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well.”
And he said, “If you carefully listen to the voice of the Lord your God [taking upon yourselves to perform the commands] and do what is right in his eyes [performing them], and you pay attention to his commands [being attentive to their details] and keep all his decrees [decrees having no ostensible reason, and, therefore, “vulnerable to attack” by the evil inclination (e.g., the prohibitions against wearing a mixture of wool and linen and eating swine, the institution of the red cow, and the like)]—then [if you observe my commands], I will bring none of the diseases on you which I
29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
brought on the Egyptians, for I, the Lord, heal you” [by “prescribing” (the law and the commands) against this illness]. EXO 15:26
Rashi’s Commentary
If you carefully listen—This is the acceptance—that they should take upon themselves the duty of performing God’s commands.
And do—This implies the performance of the commands.
And you pay attention to be punctilious in the practice of the details.
All his decrees—Matters which are only the decrees of the king (decrees of God imposed by him, as king, upon us, his subjects) and which appear to have no reason, and at which the evil inclination cavils saying,
“What sense is there in prohibiting these? Why should they be prohibited?”—For instance: the prohibition of wearing a mixture of wool and linen, and of eating swine’s flesh, and the law regarding the red heifer, and similar matters (cf. Yoma 67b).
I will bring none . . . on you—And if I do place them on you, it will be as though they had not been placed on you, for I, the Lord, heal you. This is its Midrashic explanation (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 15:15). But according to its literal sense the meaning is: For I, the Lord, am your physician” and I teach you the law and commandments in order that you be saved from them (these diseases)—like a physician who says to a man: Do not eat this thing lest it will bring you into danger from this disease. So, too, it states, (Pro 3:8) “It (obedience to God) will be healing to your body” (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 15:15).
It [wisdom] will be healing to your body
and nourishment to your bones. PRO 3:8
If there is a man who lies with a woman during her monthly period, and he uncovers her nakedness he has exposed [peripheral intercourse is hereby connoted] her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from the midst of their people. LEV 20:18
Rashi’s Commentary
He has exposed—Heb. הֶעֱרָה, he has uncovered. And likewise, every instance of the term עֶרְוָה in Scripture, denotes “uncovering,” and the “vav” is inserted into the word root ערה for the noun form. Similarly, the noun זַעֲוָה, “trembling,” stems from the root זָע, “tremble,” as in the verse, “and that he did not rise, nor did he tremble (זָע) ” (Est 5:9). Likewise, the noun אַחֲוָה, “brotherhood,” stems from the root אָח, “brother.” Now, regarding this הַעֲרָאָה, “uncovering” in the context of illicit relations, our Rabbis differed with respect to what constitutes “uncovering” (Yevamot 55b). Some say that it is the mere contact of the membrum, while others say that it is the insertion of the tip of the membrum.—Yev. 55b
And Haman went out that day happy and with a cheerful heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate and that he neither rose nor stirred because of him, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. EST 5:9
When there is famine in the land, plague or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, when their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever disaster or whatever disease there is . . . 1KI 8:37
Rashi’s Commentary
Mildew—Heb. ירקון, when the wheat does not grow up on the stalk to make an ear on top.
24 and he is gracious to him, and says,
“Spare him from going down to the pit;
I have found a ransom—
Rashi’s Commentary
He is gracious to him—i.e., the Omnipresent.
Spare him—Heb. פדעהו, like פְדָאֵהוּ. The “alef” is replaced by an “ayin.” The context proves it. “I found ransom,” which is redemption.
25 his flesh is more tender than in childhood;
let him be restored to the days of his youth . . .” JOB 33:24-25
Rashi’s Commentary
His flesh is agitated from shaking—Heb. רֻטֲפַש means escos in French, shaken.
Let him be restored—With his strength and with healing to the days of his youth.
30 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power proceeding from him had gone out, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
32 And he looked around to see who had done it.
33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.
O Lord my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me [i.e., forgave me]. PSA 30:3
Rashi’s Commentary
And you healed me—That is the forgiving of iniquity, as (in Isa 6:10), “and turn and be healed.”
Make the heart of this people calloused;
their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed. ISA 6:10
Come and hear, all you who fear God [the proselytes],
and I shall tell of what he has done for my soul. PSA 66:16
Rashi’s Commentary
All you who fear God—They are the proselytes who became converted.
12 What shall I return to the Lord
for all his benefits toward me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation [i.e., the libations for the thanksgiving offerings that I vowed (viz. verse 17)]
and I will call out [thanking you for this salvation] in the name of the Lord.
Rashi’s Commentary
I will lift up the cup of salvation—I will bring the libations for the thanksgiving offerings that I vowed, as he says, “To you I will sacrifice a thanksgiving offering,” and on that cup I will call out about this salvation, for the Levite does not recite a song unless over the wine libations.
To you I will sacrifice a thanksgiving offering [for the miracles that you performed for me]
and I will call out in the name of the Lord. PSA 116:17
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
oh may it be in the presence of all his people. PSA 116:12-14
Rashi’s Commentary
In the presence of all his people—Heb. נגדה, in the presence of (נגד) all his people.
34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”
And Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your request which you have asked of him.” 1SA 1:17
Rashi’s Commentary
May . . . grant your request—He foretold to her that her prayer had been accepted.
Your request—The “alef” is missing to expound in this word an expression of children, as in Deu 28:57: “and her young which issues from. . . .”
. . . and to her afterbirth which issues from between her legs and to her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of anything else [and she will not share them with her remaining children], during the siege and the extremity which your enemy will inflict upon you, in your cities. DEU 28:57
35 While he was still speaking, some came from the house of the synagogue leader who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher anymore?”
36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the synagogue leader, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”
37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.
38 They came to the home of the synagogue leader, and Jesus saw a commotion, and people crying and wailing loudly.
39 When he went in, he said to them, “Why are you making this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.”
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake [at the resurrection]: these to everlasting life, but the others to shame and everlasting contempt. DAN 12:2
Rashi’s Commentary
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake—The dead will come to life.
40 They began laughing at him.
But when he had put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and his own disciples who were with him, and entered the room where the child was.
So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law [he had two married daughters in the city], [and to] the takers of his daughters [i.e., the men to whom his two daughters at home were betrothed], and he said, “Hurry, get out of this place, for the Lord is going to destroy the city!” But he seemed like a comedian in the eyes of his sons-in-law. GEN 19:14
Rashi’s Commentary
His sons-in-law—He had two married daughters in the city (Bereishit Rabbah 50:9).
The takers of his daughters—Those to whom his daughters at home were betrothed (Bereishit Rabbah 50:9).
This work, "Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman," is a derivative of "The Rashi Chumash" and "The Rashi Ketuvim" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein used under CC BY 3.0
41 Then he took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).
42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk (for she was twelve years of age). And immediately they were completely astonished.
43 And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.