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GAUCHER

DISEASE

IS THE

1 MOST
#

COMMON

JEWISH

both of these merits, and therefore had no one to turn to. For on GENETIC
the 17th of Tammuz, they made the golden calf, turning away
from Hashem… and on the 9th of Av occurred the episode of the
spies, and on that day sinat chinam, baseless hatred, was born DISEASE
among the people of Israel, a hatred that would later destroy the
First and Second Temples… and so natural salvation was also lost
to our people. Therefore, “all her pursuers overtook her within
the straits” (Eichah 1:3). The word “all” implies that even a weak
enemy will succeed in defeating our people, for we have profaned
the holiness of Israel which depends upon the unity of the nation (and you probably
and we have turned away from G-d’s presence, and so who is left
for us to turn to for help? (Kli Yakar, Devarim 1:1) were never tested for it)
But as the voices of the antisemites grow stronger, many
Jews, even among the assimilated, have awakened from
their slumber; they see the fruits of their assimilation, and
they are ashamed! Little by little, all the camps of Israel
are becoming aware of the need to unify our people, to
strengthen it and to bring it back to life and renew its Although common, Gaucher disease type 1 isn’t life
youth in the land of our forefathers! The interest of even
non-Zionist parties in the building up of Eretz Yisrael is a threatening and is not included in all Jewish genetic
sign that the unity of the nation is beginning to be realized. testing panels. Symptoms of Gaucher disease include
enlarged liver and/or spleen, easy bruising, nose
Let us hope that in the merit of this growing unity and in
the merit of the building up of the land, which is a tikkun, bleeds, and bone pain. Once diagnosed, Gaucher
a fixing, of the sin of baseless hatred described by the disease can be treated with medication.
Kli Yakar, we will soon fix the second sin (and return to
Hashem), Who will send us Eliyahu HaNavi; “And he shall
turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart If you suspect your loved one has Gaucher disease,
of the children to their fathers” (Micha 3:24). speak to your doctor and request a simple diagnostic
beta-glucosidase leukocyte (BGL) blood test.

For more information,visit
Special thanks to Rabbi Yosef Ginsberg for providing photos of gaucherdisease.org/mysymptoms
Rabbi Yaakov Friedman for this article.