דברים, פרק כ״ח, פסוק כ״ז

A devastating warning is presented of severe, incurable physical afflictions. Rather than a random collection of illnesses, this is a complex system of suffering that merges the trauma of past memories with deep personal pain. Some suggest these conditions are contagious diseases brought into the land by invading enemy armies [ביאור יש״ר]. The suffering begins with the boils of Egypt, a severe skin disease accompanied by rashes and blisters [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The explicit mention of Egypt evokes the original plague witnessed by the Israelites, a memory meant to instill deep fear [בכור שור]. Had this not been an exceptionally terrible affliction, it would have been described simply as a common boil [שפתי חכמים]. Its severity stems from a dual nature: it is moist on the outside yet dry on the inside, a combination that makes it incredibly difficult to treat [רש״י, מזרחי, תורה תמימה].

The suffering continues with painful sores, swellings, and burning sensations that appear in hidden areas of the body, specifically around the rectum [אבן עזרא, רלב״ג, חזקוני, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Some question why this internal affliction is placed directly in the middle of a list of external skin diseases [ברכת אשר]. Interestingly, the original written text uses a word denoting hidden swellings, but a more refined term is traditionally substituted during public readings to maintain dignity and avoid vulgarity [תורה תמימה, חזקוני]. Following this are further skin diseases that cause sores, severe itching, and intense shame [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that these represent contrasting lesions: one is a moist boil, while the other is completely dry [רש״י, מזרחי, שפתי חכמים, ביאור יש״ר].

There are varying perspectives on the nature of this dry affliction. One approach explains that it is a scab so intensely dry that the sufferer must use a piece of broken earthenware to scratch their body, similar to the suffering of Job [אבן עזרא, רבנו בחיי, הכתב והקבלה]. Another perspective links the affliction to the sun and intense heat, warning of sunstroke and a corrupted climate. In stark contrast to the biblical promise that the sun will not strike by day, here the sun itself becomes a source of disease [אבן עזרא, רבנו בחיי, הכתב והקבלה]. A third view simply understands it as the name of a specific, unparalleled illness [אבן עזרא].

Ultimately, these afflictions are declared incurable, and there are several explanations for why no remedy can be found. From a theological standpoint, because the strike comes directly from God, no human being has the power to heal it [חזקוני]. From a medical perspective, the incurability results from the simultaneous presence of opposite conditions. Because the individual suffers from both moist and dry boils at the same time, any medicine applied will inevitably soothe one while aggravating the other [תולדות יצחק, שפתי כהן]. Finally, another interpretation suggests that the disease will not necessarily last forever, but rather that human intervention will be entirely useless. The illness will only pass on its own after a predetermined time, much like the original plagues of Egypt [שפתי כהן].