Israel – Senior Religious Zionism rabbis have stated that some alternative medicine methods are “based on idolatry”.
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The religious leaders are calling on the public not to turn to holistic therapy or seek studies in that field without thoroughly examining the nature of the treatments through a person with knowledge in Halacha and medicine.
According to the rabbis’ manifesto, which was first published on the Kipa website, “In recent years there is a growing phenomenon of turning to alternative medicine and different holistic treatments.
The letter was signed by six senior rabbis from the Religious Zionism movement: Haim Drukman, Dov Lior, Yaakov Ariel, Elyakim Levanon, Shmuel Eliyahu and Yehoshua Shapira.
“…..alternative medicine methods are “based on idolatry”…..”
That’s it no specifics, to look out for? Herbs, spices, tree barks …..yes ….no…
omega 3 …Vitamin D, calcium, etc, etc….Muter /Osser….?
What’s next…….
Although I agree that holistic medicine is not always and usually not a medical science and clearly is not within the standards of modern medical care, I can not think that it quantifies itself as “idolatry”. More likely it is ignorance.
What in the world are they talking about?
What sheer and utter nonsense.
Is this the total statement they released? It’s like saying Coca Cola is bad for your teeth.
Any names of therapies they’ve banned?
Holistic “Medicine” is just plain stupid. Take a “tincture” with “10x” strength for example. The dilution is so great that it is impossible to claim that even a single molecule of the original substance remains in the homeopathic remedy. 1 drop of tincture to 10,000,000,000 drops of dilution.
There is a reference to a Ramban in which he assails the practice of “medicine” when the practitioner is poorly trained or lacks education. Likewise, the practice of medicine which has not been studied or verified through proper “research” is in this category. It is in his commentary on Bava Kama. There is plenty in “alternative medicine” that has its roots in “snake oil”, and lacks adequate study. No one knows much about the risks or side effects of many of the substances used in these supplements, vitamins, herbs, homeopathic remedies, and less is known of interactions with other such substances or even medications. There are probably many of these remedies that have efficacy, but in the absence of proper study, it is irresponsible to be exposed to risks. I have no idea about the “idolatry” comment, but I recognize the basis to extremely wary of alternative medicine. There are bad doctors, too, but the science has at least been subjected to the rigors of study and research.
I think they are referring to Crystal Healing, reflexolgy, ayurvedic, chelation, colon, astrology, etc which have no scientific support whatsoever. Accupuncture, aromatherapy, massage, osteopathy, chiropractors, etc, have some scientific basis.Yoga is questionable if it brings Idol stories in to the picture. Kosher Yoga is just movements and exercise.Same with Chinese Qi, if its just movements its just exercise. Wne they start to talk about spirits, it becomes mumbo jumbo.
Can we have a link to the manifesto please? I’d like to understand the halachic basis for this statement.
They are talking about things like Reiki, banned by gedolim years ago.
With all due respect..
Alternative or holistic medicine is a very broad topic. We need not look further than the Talmud. There are numerous ‘remedies’ described by Abaye for example, whose source was his adoptive mother. These were not ‘scientifically proven’ remedies, but were believed at the time to have some medicinal value. Even the RambaM in hilchos Deos (and Yesodei Hatorah) based his ‘scientific knowledge’ on non-science, metaphysics and alchemy. (irrelevant today)
The issue in the Talmud regarding those treatment which have idolatry is very limited in scope, i.e. receiving treatment from open Heretics, or deriving benefit from Ashera trees, etc. Acupuncture, Niacin, cupping and other forms of alternative medicine may posses certain (as yet undiscovered or under elucidated) benefits.
And with the deepest respect I ask to which alternative medicines do they place the ban? and have the Rabbonim consulted with physicians and Homeopaths.
Rav Sherira and Rav Hai Gaon write that there is no Mitzva to follow talmud remedies as the Amoraim were NOT doctors and only used what SEEMED to work in their particular place and time. Everything is alternative.
darchei emori is muttar for rephua. Idolatry and witchcraft are not. Tough call to differentiate. There is an interesting abarbanel, perhaps even in this coming weeks sedra, that explains why a kimeya is not witchcraft.
we know the rambam has a much greater say on holistic healing,personally if you take out the idol worship in it,it would be fine,frankly we need both medicines,and they can be put together,the bottem line is hashem is the true healer,l can see if my tefillah isn’t tune into hashem,nothing is gonna work
the yoga places have getchkes in the room. I also had a rebbe who told us that passionfruit trees were asherahs so we could not have certain kinds of fruit punch even with a hechsher.
This seems a חומרה too far to me.
I can understand and agree with the necessity for alternative (and mainline, come to that) medicines to have the necessary חכשרים, but I just cannot comprehend where the suspicion of עבודה זרה בימינו comes from.
No doubt someone will come along and enlighten me!
#13 , Please explain: ‘passionfruit trees were asherahs’ ?? Passion fruit grows on a vine, not a tree, mainly in Brazil, Argentina,and other parts of South America. What would make anyone think this is an ashera?
holistic medicine is not based on idolatry but on peoples gullibility they believe vthat an electric current or a poisonous apricot pit will save their life our father in heaven has given us medicine and trained doctors to help save our lives he has given them HIS wisdom and help in this endeavor and we give billions to crooks and phonies that are killing us
Nothing new about this opinion! Putting your trust in unproven treatments is irrational. From an halachik perspective, it’s no different from praying to wooden idols. Unproven treatments are those which have not been subjected to double-blind clinical trials. Rabbi Moshe Tendler has spoken and written about this problem very eloquently several times.
I am sure this refers only to specific practices rabbi belsky has said this on numerous occasions he said that many of these practices are related to idol worship
Like any other field, there are some phony “doctors” who practice what is called alternative or holistic medicine, just like some of the signers of these types of letters may be quacks, even though they have the title “rav”. There are many types of alternative or wholistic medicine such as massage therapy, natural food supplements and accupunture, which have become accepted by mainstream medicine and some are now even covered by medical insurance.. Before these rabbonim go off and sign these vague letters assuring stuff they don’t understand, perhaps they should take the time to do some research.
Nonsense–I do chiropractic all the time and I’ve done accupuncture. Baruch Hashem they both helped. WHERE is the avoda zarah in that????? Absolute shtus !!!
No one practices idolatry in these days – come on! We only practice “I”dolatry – worshipping the self instead of worshipping Hakodesh Boruch Hu.
Wasn’t avodah zarah rendered powerless by the Anshei Knesses Hagdolah over 2,000 years ago? Nu? Mah kara?
Lmayseh, we need more than a double blind clinical trial to make something scientific. Even if a certain percentage of patients get better with the treatment and is found to be more than the number who get better without the treatment, we still have no understanding of what is going on. What is really needed is a mechanism and a complete understanding of the chemical pathway of the disease and knowledge of how the drug intervenes with this pathway. Unfortunately, even in conventional medicine, this is often lacking. You can read in the PDR where it not infrequently says mechanism unknown.
So while alternative medicine is probably bogus, conventional medicine is really still in its infancy. We often do not know why a drug works for one person, and not for another. Each person has a particular chemical and genetic makeup that reacts in a unique way with a particular drug. That also affects why some get side effects, and others do not. The understanding of the complex protein chemistry of our bodies is many years off. That does not mean that conventional medicine is not the way to go, it means that far more advanced research is needed, and better instruments to do it with.
Look at it this way. The medical sciences are HEALING Sciences. If there is a treatment that is tried and prooven and works, we do endorse and use it in our physicians offices. If not, its a way that some other unorthodox practicioner tries to present to the public to steal the trust that they have in their physicians and try to give them a false sense of hope and security. Its always going to be going on this way because there are wicked and evil people that want to steal from the general public and disrupt the trust that we have in modern scientifically prooven medicine. There is no conspiracy by the medical establishment to keep treatments from the public. That is not the way things are. There are millions of well meaning medical scientists and believe me, if its a possible treatment, it is going to be investigated. Those that do not pan out are not incorporated into our scientific medical practices. Perhaps you want to find false hope or another friendly person who promises you health and satisfaction.
Perhaps you want to find false hope or another friendly person who promises you health and satisfaction. I assure you that indeed the best way to go is a true Medical physician. M.D.’s obviously preferred.
Rav Blumenkrantz and Rav Tendler have said the same thing. If a “treatment” is not based on the scientific knowledge of the time, then it’s basically relying on supernatural forces, which makes it approach avodah zarah.
This issue was addressed at length in a medical ethics seminar a few summers ago, in Jerusalem (www.j-c-r.org).
As I recall:
1) practices without any scientific basis or rationale would be problematic. Another problem is that using one of these methods instead of more traditional medicine may delay treatment and result in a worse outcome (e.g., certain forms of cancer).
2) Doing certain Eastern exercise forms, such as yoga forms or postures, tai chi forms, and the like that are derived directly from pagan worship forms are problematic. Imagine someone was doing exercise by imitating a Catholic ritual, while doing Catholic meditation, every morning. I think we would all agree that while the bending and bowing does provide some health benefit, copying this worship pattern would again be problematic.
I was told by a physical therapist, a devout Moslem, that while growing up in India she was forced to do yoga in school, and the instructor told them what each posture represented (one posture represented bowing to the sun, for example).
3) Also, any healing (such as One Brain) which does not involve hands-on (touching) healing is very problematic.
Buyer beware
There is an amazing cure to diabetes that is an extract from the pancreas of cows. It is natural but does not have a hechsher. I understand that it actually does not need a hechsher to use! L’chol hadayos!!! It’s called insulin.
The passion fruit vine was given its name by Christian missionaries because somehow it had some resemblence to the “passion” of Yushke. So the plant itself became a sort of avodah zara and we couldn’t drink Hawaiian Punch in yeshiva even though it had a hechsher. I remember this rebbe had them take it out of the soda machine. Which was good because they replaced it with Dr. Pepper which is much better. Today Kof K is the hechsher on the Hawaiin Punch bottles and cans which are made by Pepsi but the jugs have a certain other hechsher
Most of this stuff has its origins in avoda zora regardless of what these yoyos think. If it comes from avoda zora or has orgins in avoda zora, IT IS ASSUR GAMUR !!!
Basically, there is avoda zara to be found in the multi-billion dollar alternative medicine industry. (There’s also great medicine-as well as with most industries,alot of fraud-to be found in the industry.) But anyway, I don’t take advice from those zionist rabbis.
to those of you who think chelation is baloney, I beg to differ. I know people who have done chelation and it has definitely helped them. It is also used in conventional medicine as a treatment for removing heavy metals from a persons’s body.