בבא בתרא קמז

An author of a ספר brought it to רבי אייזל חריף to request his הסכמה.  The author explained that he wrote the ספר because he was sick and needed expensive medical treatment which he hoped to pay from the proceeds of sales of the ספר.  The רבי said:  “I will cite you a ראיה מפורשת מן הגמרא that it’s better for a person to be sick and suffer יסורים than to need to get a הסכמה on a ספר.  We find in מסכת ברכות that חזקיהו המלך and ישעיהו הנביא refused to come to one another and therefore השם brought sickness upon חזקיהו so that ישעיהו should have to come visit him to be מקיים מצוות ביקור חולים.  Now, this is puzzling because we know that חזקיהו was a למדן מובהקי and therefore could have written a ספר, which would have been an ideal reason to visit ישעיהו to ask for a הסכמה.   His failure to do so is a ראיה that it’s better to be sick and suffer יסורים than to be an author and seek הסכמות for a ספר.”

06/10/2021