Author: ArtScroll Staff

AS: What prompted you to write about the halachos of medicine on Shabbos?

RAY: I realized there was a void in this subject. Families with children, especially, have many questions, and those who must spend Shabbos in a hospital are sure to have halachic questions. It shouldn’t happen that when a medical situation arises it is surrounded with uncertainties, especially since a Rav may not be immediately available.  

AS: Refuah on Shabbos is an easy-access guidebook for every home. Yet it also includes hundreds of source notes for those who want a deeper understanding. Tell us about the process of writing both for laymen and talmidei chachamim.

RAY: My goal was to make it as simple as possible, imagining actual people going through a medical scenario, what they need to know, and what other possible questions might arise. The sefer also gives introductions to many subjects, explanations of various halachos, and footnotes that range from simple references to detailed information. The sefer has been reviewed by Harav HaGaon Yaakov Forchheimer shlita, who enhanced the sefer with his many years of experience and acknowledged expertise in answering medical questions — from simple ones like giving Tylenol to an infant to complex questions of life and death. 

AS: What are some of the features that make this sefer so user-friendly?

RAY: The topics are clearly organized by chapter. For example, one chapter walks an expectant mother through the entire birth process, from calling her doctor when she is in labor through being discharged on Shabbos, with everything in between. The ArtScroll staff worked very hard to prepare an extensive index. In addition, a chart lists close to 100 common ailments, illnesses, and injuries in alphabetical order. It tells the reader how to classify the problem — that is, is it life-threatening or not, etc.? — and then it directs the reader to the page where the topic appears.

AS: What are some of the topics that you cover?

RAY: From birth to end of life and everything in between: common illnesses, life-threatening diseases, fractures, stitches, mental health, carrying medical devices outside of an eruv, birth, physical therapy, child care and safety, visiting the sick on Shabbos, hygiene, and when hilchos Yom Tov differ from the halachos of Shabbos.

It is my hope that Mashiach will come speedily in our days, and there will be no more illness. But until then, we need a Guide to Refuah on Shabbos.

Many thousands learned to say their berachos with kavannah after reading Make Your Berachos Meaningful, by Rabbi Mechel Handler. Now, young adults and anyone looking for a simpler, faster guide can enhance their lives with The Awesome Power of Berachos, adapted by Mrs. Malky Heimowitz from Make Your Berachos Meaningful.

AS: Reciting a berachah with kavannah can change our day — and our lives. What is the awesome power that we tap into when we say a berachah?

MH: We remember Hashem. We remember that He’s in charge of the world. We remember that He loves us, and we love Him. And that awareness opens the channels of blessing and brings more berachah into our lives.

AS: Shortly before his passing, Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l said Klal Yisrael should improve our kavannah when saying berachos. How will this book help us do just that?

MH: We say berachos — but how much do we think about them? This book will help you understand what’s special about a berachah, so a berachah will no longer be something you’ll mumble.

AS: We all want to feel closer to Hashem. How can saying berachos help us do that?

MH: Berachos, Chazal tell us, are a shortcut to high levels of avodas Hashem — if we say them properly. From the time we wake up until the time we go to sleep, we are saying berachos: over food, over mitzvos, in davening, and more. If we say berachos correctly, each of them can give us a spiritual boost, and we’ll feel close to Hashem all day long.

AS: Graduation time is here! Why is this book so important for grads?

MH: It’s a lot easier to get into the habit of saying berachos carefully when we’re young than when we’re older and set in our ways. And what better gift to give a new grad than the key to a spiritually satisfying life?

AS: Chazal talk about the power of “100 berachos a day.” Why do we need to say so many berachos each day?

MH: Each time we recite a berachah, we train ourselves to stop and think about all the wonderful gifts in our lives. And the more we notice those gifts, the happier we’ll be. Hashem doesn’t need our “Thank You,” but He wants us to express — and feel — appreciation to Him for our own sake, so that we become happy, grateful people. This helps us to truly enjoy our lives and the many gifts He gives us.