Guide to Healing: A Jewish Approach to Surgery and Recovery

One of my Jewish Life Coaching folks is having surgery soon.
They asked, and we looked for, a guide for them that would include Jewish texts and prayers as they prepare for and have their procedure and for their recovery. We didn’t find anything that quite fit.

So I created one.

I offer most of what I create as gifts to everyone, but in this case, it’s available to paid monthly subscribers (Patrons) at any level on my Patreon page, or for purchase for $5 for everyone else.
You’ll find the whole guide here. It is informed by my own experiences with illness, surgery, and healing. I include sources from Jewish tradition and also prayers that I wrote specifically for this guide.

In the guide, I write:
”Undergoing surgery is a moment of vulnerability, hope, and sometimes fear. As Jews, we bring not only our medical decisions and rituals, but also our tradition, values, prayers, and identity into this journey. Healing - refuah - is both physical and spiritual. The body - guf, the soul - nefesh, and our communal and personal relationships are all part of our experience.

Ancient Jews had familiarity with human anatomy and surgery. The Talmud discusses both at length including the best practices for circumcision, herbal anesthetics for cranial surgery, and evidence of complex healing practices and procedures. It’s possible some significant part of this knowledge came from our time in Egypt before our Exodus.  

Facing surgery is an act of faith - of surrender. We have to trust our surgeon completely. For them, most of our procedures are part of their daily routine. For most of us facing a surgery, the experience is anything but. We have to believe we will find ourselves on the other side of this event, and we hope what we’ve undergone will bring us increased health and well-being. “ 

My intention and hope is that this guide meets people in emotional, practical, and spiritual ways. 

I give suggestions for what a person might do preparing for surgery, the day of surgery, recovering in the hospital, leaving the hospital, and recovering at home. Along the way I offer reflections, prayers, poems, and sources from Jewish tradition and contemporary Jewish writers and many I have written myself.

I hope this guide can help people feel more grounded, supported, and connected throughout surgical journeys.

If you would like access to this guide and $5 is not accessible for you, please reach out to me (use the “connect” button here on this website) and I’ll send it to you.