I am often asked how I am able to deal with questions I have about Torah that I am unable to answer. My answer always is that over the years I have seen that the more I learn the more I am able to put together disparate pieces and begin to see a whole that answers many of my questions. I had a similar experience last week.
The Gemara (Berachos 10b) says that Chizkiyahu HaMelech hid the Book of Cures. There seems to be some disagreement among the commentators if this was a book of actually cures, or a book of incantations that "magically" cured illness. Either way, apparently he felt that the populace was becoming dependent on the Book of Cures and not turning to God at all during illness. In consequence he hid the book.
I saw quoted in the name of the Tashbat"z an explanation as to where this book came from (I am not sure what his source is). He explains that when Noach and his family were on the Ark they began to become ill because of shadim as well as the bad odors that were present on the Ark. An angel took one of Noach's sons to the Garden of Eden and taught him the Book of Cures.
Why would these illnesses have begun when they were on the Ark?
I have written a few times in the past (see our post on Berachos 6) of my belief that shadim are microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, parasites. It is also well-known scientifically that a large number of such microorganisms that affect humans jump from various animal species to the human population. This is one reason why the Native Americans had little experience of infectious disease. As they did not domesticate animals prior to the European arrival and did not live with animals they did not experience this transference. The Europeans who did domesticate animals and engage with them on a daily basis, has much greater incidence of infectious disease which they then brought to the New World and which wiped out the natives.
I would therefore suggest that prior to the time of Noach the people were not living side-by-side with animals, certainly not in the way they did in the Ark. Therefore it was only at this time that they began to be infected by microorganisms and needed to be taught how to fight against them.
I saw quoted in the name of the Tashbat"z an explanation as to where this book came from (I am not sure what his source is). He explains that when Noach and his family were on the Ark they began to become ill because of shadim as well as the bad odors that were present on the Ark. An angel took one of Noach's sons to the Garden of Eden and taught him the Book of Cures.
Why would these illnesses have begun when they were on the Ark?
I have written a few times in the past (see our post on Berachos 6) of my belief that shadim are microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, parasites. It is also well-known scientifically that a large number of such microorganisms that affect humans jump from various animal species to the human population. This is one reason why the Native Americans had little experience of infectious disease. As they did not domesticate animals prior to the European arrival and did not live with animals they did not experience this transference. The Europeans who did domesticate animals and engage with them on a daily basis, has much greater incidence of infectious disease which they then brought to the New World and which wiped out the natives.
I would therefore suggest that prior to the time of Noach the people were not living side-by-side with animals, certainly not in the way they did in the Ark. Therefore it was only at this time that they began to be infected by microorganisms and needed to be taught how to fight against them.
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