Some say that it is forbidden for Jews to be healed by these methods, because they are based on idolatrous concepts * According to the permitting view, there is no idolatrous aspect to these healing methods * In practice, the prevailing view is that there is no prohibition on ‘Healing’ and ‘Reiki’ * Only when healing is done through idolatry, i.e., by appealing to idols, is there a prohibition * There is no permission to violate Shabbat or consume forbidden foods in alternative medical treatments *It is correct for a person not to be swayed by unsubstantiated rumors, or passing fads.
Q: Is it permissible according to halacha to be healed by ‘Healing’ and ‘Reiki’ practitioners?
Introduction to these methods: The English word “healing” means recovery and curing, and it refers to a group of medical methods based on Eastern teachings, Buddhism and Taoism, the best known of which in Israel is ‘Reiki’, which also has various branches. According to the claims of the healers in these methods, by touching certain places on the body, or by placing the hand above those places without touch, they channel healing energy from the cosmic energy, thereby giving the body strength and restoring its natural balance, and it will be able to overcome its pains and ailments. Some healers even claim that they can send healing energy to people who are far away from them.
These methods are not accepted by the medical establishment, which is based on systematic scientific research, according to which there is no scientific basis for ‘Healing’ and ‘Reiki’. Therefore, according to the vast majority of doctors, these methods have no ability to bring healing, apart from the psychological effect that can heal (the placebo effect). However, there are many people from all walks of life who claim that they were saved from their pains and illnesses through ‘Healing’ and ‘Reiki’ practitioners.
View of the Halachic Prohibitors
Some poskim (Jewish law arbiters) say that it is forbidden for Jews to be healed by these methods, because they are based on idolatrous concepts, since the cosmic energy with which they heal is called by them the ‘Chi’ force, which is the spiritual force that enlivens the world. Even the terms used by the Eastern practitioners are idolatrous, and the meditative statements and pleas for help that some of the healers say before the treatment are appeals to idols.
Furthermore, since according to medical science these methods are falsehoods, and are based on the idolatrous conception at their root, the prohibition of ‘darkei ha’Emori’ (‘the ways of the Emori’) applies to them. And so it was written in the pamphlets ‘Al Tifnu El Ha’Elilim’; ‘Lo Kesem Be’Yisrael’; ‘Ve’yan Yosef’ (Tzebari) 1, 22; ‘Ve’yan David’ (Weiss) 6, 25.
View of the Halachic Permitters
According to the permitting view, there is no idolatrous aspect to these healing methods, since the ‘Chi’ force is a general faith concept about the life force found in all creatures, without any idolatrous embodiment. And although, there are people in the East who believe in this force as part of an idolatrous belief, however, there is no necessity to connect the conception of the ‘Chi’ force to the idolatrous conception. And even if these medical methods originally grew among those with an idolatrous conception, since in practice the healers do not believe in idols, and there is no idolatrous cult in the healing process, the principle “anything that has an element of healing – there is no element of ‘darkei ha’Emori’ in it” (Shabbat 67a) applies to them. This is because the prohibition of ‘darkei ha’Emori‘ applies to customs that have no reason other than being an accepted tradition of foreign religions, whereas here we are dealing with things that are done for the sake of healing and not as a foreign tradition. And as the Rashba (1:113) wrote, even when these traditions of doctors and medicines are embedded in matters of idolatry, there is no prohibition to choose the things that have no idolatry for the purpose of healing, just as we use the science written in the books of the philosophers that have things against the Torah.
And there is no need for the healers in these therapies to present Torah scholars with proof that they are beneficial, because Torah scholars do not need to rule on medical issues and examine all the research and its credibility, but only to examine whether those healers and their clients consider this matter as healing or as a cult tradition, and if it is considered as healing, there is no prohibition in it.
The Halacha Goes According to the Permitting View
In practice, the main view is that of those who hold that there is no prohibition on ‘Healing’ and ‘Reiki’, because only when healing is done through idolatry, i.e., by appealing to idols, is there a prohibition. And it is also forbidden to heal through sorcery that operates on what is happening in the world with the help of impure forces and angels of destruction. But when the intention of the healers and the healed is for the sake of healing without the help of idolatry or sorcery, even when they try to influence the illness in a spiritual-segulah manner, it is permitted (as emerges from the rulings of the Ri”d Sanhedrin 65a; Rashba 1, 113; Drashot HaRan 4; Meiri Shabbat 67b; Rambam Moreh Nevuchim 3, 37, Radbaz 5, 63; Sefer HaChinuch 62. And so wrote Rabbi David Shor in his book ‘Ha-Refuah Ha-Mashlima Be’Halacha’, and Rabbi Raphael Szmerla in his book ‘Ki Ani Hashem Rofecha’).
However, one should not permit the desecration of Shabbat or the consumption of forbidden foods in order to perform alternative medicine, since in this matter we follow the majority of doctors and the greater experts. And indeed, it is clear that the doctors according to established medicine are the majority, and in addition they are considered more expert, since their statements are based on systematic scientific research (see Peninei Halakha: Yamim Noraim 8, 4, 5).
“Mo’ach Echad” (“One Brain”) and Pendulum
Q: Is it permissible to be healed through the “Mo’ach Echad” method or the pendulum?
A: Before explaining the Halacha, we will provide a brief background on these methods:
The healers in the “Mo’ach Echad” (Applied Kinesiology) method believe that the person’s body is subconsciously aware of the root of the problems from which he suffers, and therefore, by asking the patient questions, based on the reaction of his muscles, it is possible to know what is true and what is false, and thus locate the roots of the medical and psychological problems from which he suffers, and the time when they began to develop, and from this, to offer him solutions and remedies.
Pendulum: The healers in this method are accustomed to holding a thread to which a stone or metal is attached, and while concentrating on not moving their hand, they ask the patient questions, and according to the movement of the pendulum, they understand the answers to the questions. In their perception, the healer in the depth of his consciousness can know the answer, and according to the movement of the pendulum, which moves by his unconscious movement, he will be able to decipher the disease and the way to heal it.
The believers in these methods describe cases of patients whose regular medical system failed to locate the source of their problem, and healers in these methods succeeded in hitting the target. Sometimes they send the patients for conventional medical treatment, while reinforcing the treatment with alternative therapies, and sometimes they provide all the necessary medical treatment as they see fit.
View of the Halachic Prohibitors
Some poskim argue that it is forbidden to go to healers in these methods, because according to the position of the medical establishment and the vast majority of doctors, these methods have no factual basis, and all the claims of these healers that they have helped patients, at best, helped through psychological influence (placebo effect), and at worst, did not help at all, and their words are lies and deception. A person who goes to them abandons the commandment to heal his body, and errs in accepting imaginary treatments that are of no benefit. Moreover, going after false methods bends a person’s mind, and causes him to err in understanding the Torah, and its instructions.
Furthermore, according to the more stringent view, this also involves the biblical prohibition of ‘kosem’ (divination), which is to foretell the future and the hidden through various actions that help him sink into a meditative state that will allow him to know the hidden. As the Rambam wrote (Avodah Zarah 11, 6):
“What is meant by a diviner? This refers to a person who performs certain deeds to cause him to fall into a trance and have his mind cleared of all thoughts until he can predict the future, saying, “This will happen” or “This will not happen;” or saying, “It is proper to do such and such. Be careful to do so. There are some diviners who use sand or stones [to obtain their answers]. Others prostrate themselves on the ground, make strange motions and scream. Others look at a metal or crystal mirror, fantasize, and speak. Still others carry a staff and lean on it and tap with it until they fall into a trance and speak.”
Halacha According to the Permitting View
However, as explained regarding ‘Healing’ and ‘Reiki’, even though it is very likely that the medical establishment is right and there is no benefit at all in these therapies, there is no prohibition to be healed by them. This is because the healers in these methods do not need to prove scientifically that they are beneficial in order for it to be permissible to use them, and it is enough that people go to the healers in them to be healed, and not to perform a cult. Therefore, our Sages permitted (in the Mishnah, there) to use a fox’s tooth, and a nail from the crucifixion, for healing, even though these were segulah remedies that the Jews learned from the Gentiles, and grew out of the idolatrous conception. As our Sages said (Shabbat 67a): “Anything that has an element of healing – there is no element of ‘darkei Emori’ in it.”
And there is no prohibition of sorcery, for the prohibited sorcery is intended to reveal the future, and the Torah prohibited seeking the future with the help of spiritual forces, because the appeal to that, is contrary to simple faith. But here, we are dealing with a medical diagnosis, and therefore the principle “anything that has an element of healing – there is no element of ‘darkei Emori’ in it” applies (as Rashba wrote 1, 113).
It is also not the task of the Halachic authorities to fight the battle of the medical establishment against alternative healers. And although it seems that the medical establishment is right in most of its statements, it is possible that these therapies are psychologically beneficial. And it is possible that despite the many successes of the medical establishment in various fields, there are still things that it has not yet understood, and in the future, scientific research will prove that in some things, the alternative healers were right.
Halachic Summary
In practice, there is no prohibition to be healed by alternative therapies such as ‘Healing’, ‘Reiki’, ‘Mo’ach Echad’, Pendulum, Homeopathy, and the like. However, one should not permit the desecration of Shabbat or the consumption of forbidden foods in alternative medicine, since in this matter we follow the majority of doctors and the greater experts. And indeed, it is clear that the doctors according to established medicine are the majority, and they are also considered more expert, since their statements are based on systematic scientific research. However, if the patient is convinced that his life can be saved by alternative medicine, he is permitted to desecrate Shabbat and eat forbidden foods according to them (Peninei Halakha: Yamim Noraim 8, 4, 5).
However, it is correct for a person not to be swayed by unsubstantiated rumors or passing fads, and to examine his ways with logic, but after he has concluded that alternative medicine can bring relief to his illness and pains, he has no prohibition to turn to it. This is on condition that he does not do things that according to established medicine are dangerous to his health, since in a case of dispute, one should act according to established medicine, since that is the opinion of the majority of doctors and the greater experts based on systematic experiments (see Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 618, 2-4).
This article appears in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper and was translated from Hebrew.
