The Cause and Cure for Cancer According to Chassidus

Adapted by Ya'akov Gerlitz, Dipl.Ac & C.H.

I. Just as there are diseases of the body, so too there are diseases of the soul.

It is a fundamental precept that the body is dependent on the vitality of the soul. If the soul is weak it will adversely effect the health and functioning of the body. An innovative idea brought to light by the Chassidic masters is that the body also exerts an effect on the soul; a weak, sick body will adversely affect the soul.

II. Generally, in the treatment of disease, if an organ is weak it needs to be strengthened and "expanded."

With the exception of cancer, most diseases are a product of physiological weakness, and therefore, the therapeutic intervention is to strengthen and "expand" the organs to facilitate healing. But, in cancer, not only is nothing lacking, there are too many cells. In no way must it be strengthened and "expanded" - it must be utterly destroyed.

III. Historical Context of Cancer

Each generation has its major health crises: whether it be the plague, smallpox, tuberculosis or cancer. These health issues are the physical manifestation of the spiritual profile of each generation. By putting in their unique spiritual work, each generation facilitates their physical cure. Once the spiritual ailment has been rectified, the physical disease has no basis for existence and thus disappears. This is the method of how Heaven becomes mobilized to manifest each generation's health issue. Cancer was not prevalent in previous generations, thus cancer treatments were not thoroughly explored. Yet, now that it is causing such wide-spread damage and suffering -being that it is the defining disease of our generation- Heaven is ready to bring the physical cure for it. G-d always brings the cure before the disease. In the case of cancer the spiritual cure is The Baal Shem Tov and his teachings of Chassidut. Now that his teachings are spreading throughout the world, the biomedical cure will follow for each individual person as well as society as a whole.

IV. Spiritual Aspects

Heaven and earth share a reciprocal relationship. Whatever happens in one sphere is mirrored in the other. This means that there is a spiritual version of cancer in Heaven. This knowledge can help us answer the question of "why in our generation is cancer so prevalent ?" By understanding the spiritual characterizations of our generation we will also then know the physical characterizations of our generation. Kabbalisticly speaking, we are the "heels of [the] Messiah," the final generation before the revelation of unfiltered Divinity. All the spiritual beings know this, including the forces of impurity (known in Hebrew as "klipa"). Being that these impure forces are about to be destroyed - evil and impurity are nothing other than the simple concealment of Divinity- they want to go down taking as many civilian casualties as possible.

V. Klipa of Amalak

These last remaining impure forces are called the "Forces of Amalak (klipa of Amalak)" and are the most vicious and vindictive of all evil energy. This evil/negative energy is characterized by an attitude of fighting for fighting's sake and unwarranted chutzpah. It may be helpful to think of a two year old toddler who throws a tantrum and causes general mayhem simply "BECAUSE"! This tendency is very strong in our generation.

This negative spiritual situation is reflected in the physical realm. The Forces of Amalak want to expand and dominate wherever they can: in the macro-environment, where a lack of G-dliness leads to stupefying materialism (buying for buying's sake), or in the micro-biological environment where cancer cells grow for the sake of growing.

When healthy cells are placed in a petri dish they will grow until the food supply is diminished. Cancer cells, on the other hand, keep growing regardless of nutrition - they keep growing knowing there is no food and that continual growth will lead to their demise. Communication between cancer cells is virtually nonexistent; they have impaired "hearing." Stain a normal cell the color blue and all the cells in the dish will become blue. Stain a cancer cell the color blue and only that cell will stain blue.

VI. Ego, Materiality and Arrogance

Ego, materiality and arrogance are the three dirty words of Chassidut. For our purposes, let us describe them in a manner that is useful for our work in health and healing. Ego can be thought of as denial of order, getting caught up in one's own world (to the detriment of anything else), and as over-stepping one's boundaries. Materiality is buying into the physical world, enjoying too much meaningless pleasure, and, perhaps most importantly believing the world has independent substance other than the vitalizing Divine force that sustains it (not "hearing" the Divine Providence that calls to us through Nature). There are two classes of arrogance: yin arrogance and yang arrogance. In yin arrogance a person feels unworthy, or incapable of doing something even though they need, could, or should do it. Yang arrogance is the typical over-inflated ego we, unfortunately, meet in modern society.

VII. The Healing of This Spiritual Disease is Chassidut

The cure for the diseases of the forces of Amalak as they manifest in ego, materiality, arrogance, and its physical manifestation of cancer is Chassidut. Only Chassidut asks people to completely nullify their ego and materiality. While this may seem unimportant to our general well-being and a minor aspect of our spiritual work, it is, in fact, the primary work of a Chassid. In a sense, Chassidim gauge themselves according to their ability to live up to the ideals of self-nullification the Chassidic masters have demanded of them. This spiritual level is very difficult- some say impossible, to attain, but if the Chassidic masters said it could be done, then obviously it can be accomplished by us. The Masters did not teach for the biblical and Kabbalistic elite; their teachings were meant for the average person, the person who goes around thinking this sort of spiritual work is impossible. It's hard work and it is not always on the forefront of our minds. But it should be, being that this is the main spiritual remedy of our generation. It is precisely the attainment of nullification on the spiritual plane that leads to the destruction of cancer on the physical plane.

VIII. Medical Treatment and Chassidust are Different

In the management of cancer if one delays treatment, not only will the therapy not cure the disease, but it will also damage healthy organs. The disease will also spread and harm previously healthy organs. Medical treatments can only be initiated once diseases are diagnosed, and usually cancer is diagnosed too late.

But with the spiritual therapy of Chassidut it is never too late to initiate treatment. Even if you begin to learn Chassidut late in life, or late in a disease process, you can nonetheless strengthen the healthy organs, since it gives strength to the soul. Unlike medical therapies, Chassidus kills the ego and negativity while at the same time strengthening the healthy part.

IX. Yeshus is Equated to Chametz

Chassidic texts equate leavened bread to ego, materiality, and arrogance, while unleavened bread (matzah) is compared to the spiritual power of surrendering and self-nullifying the ego. In order for cancer cells to get energy they burn glucose (inefficiently) in a manner more akin to fermentation (think yeast) than healthy cellular respiration. Fermentation is the difference between leavened and unleavened bread.

Adapted from a teaching of The Lubavitcher Rebbe: Likkutei Sichos, volume 1, parshas Yitro, page 151 .

Learn Jewish healing, click here for more information on the LifeFirst™ - Jewish spiritual healing training program. By Ya'akov Gerlitz; to contact the author, click here. For information on treatments, click here .