Mi She-Berach<\/em>\u201d \u2013 the formulaic petition for healing often included in congregational worship or said at an ailing individual\u2019s bedside.<\/p>\nThe Mi She-Berach <\/em>has many functions and benefits. It serves as a prayerful request for Divine intervention and healing: it asks God to act. It provides a measure of comfort to those offering or requesting recitation of the prayer, by providing them a role in the ongoing care of the afflicted individual. It gives worthy expression to our capacity for empathy, and bespeaks our tradition\u2019s emphasis on life, health, and healing.<\/p>\nIt reassures the patient that friends and community are concerned. In a congregational setting, the Mi She-Berach<\/em> represents a public service, notifying the community that there is someone in need of support, and, perhaps, a family burdened by the anxiety of a loved one\u2019s illness: those hearing the prayer are given the opportunity to respond appropriately.<\/p>\nWhat role should prayer play in medicine? The Mi She-Berach <\/em>reflects the enlightened and balanced approach to life articulated by Emil Fackenheim: \u201cJews pray as though everything depended on God, and work as though everything depended on man.”<\/p>\n
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