Hebrew Medicine Vol 2 No 7 (2).pdf - Official Website of Imam Mahdi ...

Word from the Editors
Changing the Way People View
the Sacred Scriptures
To most people when they hear or
read the punitive and retaliatory acts
that are attributed to the prophet Moses
for consequences of an accident
that are written in the modern versions
of the Bible, they cringe reading
the revengeful teachings of “life
for a life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth,
hand for hand, foot for foot, burning
for burning, wound for wound and
stripe for stripe.” 1 Like a gossip line,
the story got twisted and is NOT what
the original intent of the message
conveyed to the reader of Hebrew.
Scholars have allowed for multiple
centuries a very critical Hebrew word
to remain untranslated within the
text, purposefully skipping a word
that if they had paid attention to it,
that understanding would solve the
correct understanding of this matter.
The Hebrew word תחת tcht according
to scholars means a ‘Levite, a station
in the wilderness.” 2 The scholars
connect this word in use to the ceremonies
of healing gate 3 . The ancient
Levite priesthood was an order of physicians
with specialty departments
just as today. The proper translation
should be what it means instead of
a direct translation for example of
‘tooth Levite.’ The new understanding
reads: “…Breathing, a Pulmonary specialist,
tooth injury, a Dentist, eye injury,
an Ophthalmologist, hand injury a
1 Exodus / Shemot 21:23-25
2 BDBG p. 1066 תחת
3 Ibid. תחתים חרשי
hand specialist, leg injury, an orthopedist,
burning, a burn specialist, Internal
matters for a Internist…” 4 The same
related root word is תחיה tchih deals
with revival and resurrection from
death. 5 The context of the preceding
verses of this segment of Sacred
Scriptures for example, is discussing
the damages from an assault, battery
or manslaughter. 6 Today many individuals
especially from an accident
would view their physicians as ‘saving
them from death.’ How many have
‘died on the table’ and were revived,
having been rescued from death?
We have these expressions today.
The Sacred Scriptures in the original
does not have the main tenor of
theme that the current modern translations
convey to the modern readers
worldwide. Today the modern reader
wrongly views the ancient Levites as
barbeque experts when they were
skilled physicians of specialty training.
It is time for a change, a healthy
change, a time to read and understand
the original intent as a medical
treatise. Instead of a revengeful
and retaliatory act of dysfunctional
people, this research has identified
a coherent series of instructions for
healing and remaining healthy.
4 Exodus 21: 23-25 translation
5 M. Jastrow Sefer Molim Dictionary, p. 1661.
6 Exodus / Shemot 21:22
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