This was so not fun

This was originally published as a subscriber email in 2022:

On Sunday, I thought I had chickenpox- that's the best way I can think of to describe the sudden and super-unpleasant rash/ hives situation that showed up almost out of the blue- everywhere. After waiting a loooong time for the doctor on Monday, we (well, she) decided that it was more likely an allergic reaction to some antibiotics I'd been taking. (I've never had any kind of allergic reactions to anything before, but this just goes to show you're never too old to try something new.)

Did I mention it was very unpleasant? Yes, well, the good doc said to just treat it with over the counter stuff, so I spent the next almost 24 hours experimenting with pretty much the entire anti-itch section at Target, but to no avail. The Benedryl didn't even help me sleep, and that always knocks me out. You know how people sometimes use the phrase "jumping out of their skin?" Well, I don't know how to do that, but that day I wished I did.

Then, my neighbor-friend brought over a homeopathic histamine remedy in a nondescript brown vial, and told me to dissolve a couple of pellets under my tongue. Now, I can't say for certain that there's any connection, but literally within the hour, my angry, red, splotchy, swollen, itchy-painful ubiquitous hives started to subside and fade. I was so grateful I almost cried. I have no idea how those little pills work, but I'm so relieved they (maybe) did.

In this week's Torah portion, it (once again) talks about the practice of temple sacrifices. I know we've schmoozed about this before, but I find that I think about it often, since I say these verses in my daily prayer services. The idea of killing animals and mixing flour and oil in order to get close to G-d just boggles my mind. (In all fairness, it doesn't take much to boggle my mind; it's fairly bogglable.)

As a kid, I once asked my dad how that worked, and he said:

"You know how you turn on a light switch without knowing how all the wires behind the walls operate to get the light on? I imagine that's how it was with sacrifices. That there was some intricate spiritual mechanism, whereby the energy from the soul of the animal intersected with the concept of the human soul's need for whatever the sacrifice was being brought for, and the connection that occurred was more experiential than logical." (This is a total paraphrase, btw- but it's the gist of what he said, at least the way I remember it.)

I don't know exactly how medication or homeopathic remedies work to make us feel better. But when someone I trust offers it to me and I see that it works, then I experience it. I've never brought a sacrifice, and the idea of it feels foreign, even upsetting to me. But someOne I trust put it in my canon. I recite it because I have no idea how they work, they offend and humble my limited, arrogant intellect, and remind me that I don't know or need to know everything at once. Because the inner workings of all that contain us: our bodies, our homes, and this world are often hidden from view, but nonetheless very real. Like G-d himself. 

Wishing you a healthy, not-at-all-itchy day,

Elisheva

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