Holding Hands in Hospitals

I have long believed it to be an obligation of everyone to care for the ill in whatever ways they can. In my opinion, Bikkur Cholim means providing a listening ear and a supportive shoulder. Or it can mean providing the necessary medical care for a person. Or it can mean lifting up that person in prayer.

I began my work as a hospital chaplain in 2018 in Cincinnati. The moments that have stayed with me are those that I spent at Seasons Senior Living Community on Friday afternoons. Each week I would arrive early and sit with each person before services began to hear how he or she was doing. One resident would tell me about her time at the casino and how she loved going there with her daughter. Another would tell me about how he saw his wife in his dreams, and this made him feel as if she was still alive. With each conversation, I would shake their hand in the beginning and squeeze it as their story ended.

I was able to continue this work as a hospital chaplain after moving to Wausau, Wisconsin. Working at the Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire and the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield has opened my eyes to more ways to connect with others. This work has reinforced my belief that doctors, nurses, chaplains, and other medical staff heal in partnership with God. Healing is not solely an act of God, but one of working together to achieve and create difference in one’s life and in the greater world.

As a chaplain, I provide healing by offering moments of consolation, conversation, and comfort. I offer a hand to hold in prayer, happiness, and in sadness. Some of my most meaningful days have been spent in the cancer infusion center of the Marshfield Clinic. Here, I have witnessed patients’ journeys from sickness to health and sometimes back to sickness. I have learned about the journey of healing as a lifelong quest for sheleimut, wholeness within oneself, one’s community, and in relation to God. Sheleimut can be translated as peace or achieving peace. I have learned one is healed when one is at peace with how one’s body is operating. As a chaplain and rabbi, I am grateful to provide healing through moments of courage and connection.