By the Grace of G-d 15th of Kislev, 5741 Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

This is in reply to your letter of . . ., in which you refer to the Chumash and Rabbinic Law, and ask why the Chumash is not specific in regard to some laws.

Surely you know that all disciplines and sciences, including medical science, begin with general principles, which are then defined in specific detail. The same is true also to codes of law, where there are laws and by-laws, etc.

The Torah which we received through Moshe Rabbeinu at Sinai, consists of Torah Shebiksav (Written Law) and Torah She-b’al-peh (Oral Law). The Chumash, or the Five Books of the Torah, were written down by Moshe Rabbeinu, but they were also expounded in detail throughout the forty years of wandering in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land. This is clearly stated also in the Chumash itself. Eventually, also the Oral Law was recorded in the Mishna and Talmud, etc., and all the laws and practices required by the Torah were arranged and condensed in the Shulchan Aruch.

Our great teacher and codifier Maimonides, known also as the "Guide for the Perplexed" (after one of his works) - not only for the perplexed of his time, but for the perplexed of all subsequent generations, to this day, and who was also one of the greatest physicians of all time, begins his introduction to his famous and authoritative Code by declaring: (אלו הן) תרי״ג מצוות שנאמרו בסיני הן וכללותיהן ופרטותיהן ודקדוקיהן - “All the laws given to Moshe at Sinai were given with their specifics”.

When G-d gave us the Chumash, it contained, as it were, in "shorthand," all the specifics concerning our Mitzvoth. Thus, when the Torah tells us "Remember the day of Shabbos, to keep it holy," and "You shall do no manner of work on the day of Shabbos,"¹ it was explained to Moshe and he further taught it to the 70 elders, who taught it to all the people, how the Shabbos is to be kept holy, what kind of work was not permitted, and so on. And the same applies to all 613 Mitzvoth of the Torah which are mentioned only in general terms, but were specified in all detail in the Oral Tradition.

All the above is really basic, and could have been clarified with any Rabbi or knowledgeable person. Since you have written to me, and since everything is by Divine Providence, I see in this correspondence an opportunity to call your attention to something that is specifically pertinent to you as a Jew and as a physician. A doctor's function is, of course, to heal and promote the health of his patients. As you know, physical health is inseparably intertwined with spiritual health, or, to quote a familiar adage, mens sana in corpore sano. For Jews, mens sana is directly linked with the Torah and Mitzvoth in the everyday life and conduct. For gentiles, mens sana is linked with the observance of the Divinely-given laws of morality, justice, etc. - the so-called Seven Laws, given to the children of Noah, i.e. all mankind, with all their ramifications, which are the basis of any human society worthy of its name.

I trust that you are applying this principle in the fullest measure in promoting the good health of your Jewish and non-Jewish patients respectively.

With all good wishes, and with blessing,