The following is from Rabbi Avigdor Miller zt”l, compiled on the Parsha of Ki Seitzei:
"The Gemara (Brachos 10b) tells that there was a book of remedies and Chizkiyah
Hamelech was ganaz sefer refuos; he took this book out of circulation. He concealed
it. And the Chachomim praised him for that.
"Now, we don’t understand that at all. Remedies for various illnesses? What’s
wrong with that?
"There are two peirushim on this. One peirush is the Rambam’s peirush. The
Rambam says it was a sefer talismaos, it was a sefer of certain magic remedies. And
because Chizkiyah didn’t want the people to resort to magic remedies therefore he
took that book and he concealed it. “Forget about magic,” Chizkiyahu said.
"Canceling Conceit
"But others like Rashi say no, it wasn’t magic remedies. It was a book of real
effective remedies, real medicine. And yet, Chizkiyah concealed it for a reason. What
could be a good reason for that?
"Now pay attention to Rashi’s words. Rashi says illness is sent upon people in
order to humble them. Not only Rashi. All of our great men say that. Rav Saadya Gaon
in his Emunos V’deios says the same thing. The purpose of suffering is lehachnia es
halev, to confer the great gift of humility. Suffering lowers pride. Suffering is an
"The Purpose of Illness"
“And that’s why sickness comes, to humble you. A man is sick, he is on the
operating table, and he sees a doctor taking out a whole boxful of various scissors
and knives and soon they’ll put him to sleep and start cutting him up and so he’ll be
thinking, “When I get out of this alive, I’m going to be a better fellow. I’ll be better to
my wife. I’ll be a better neighbor. I’ll be more pliable. I’ll start listening to the rabbi in
the synagogue when I get out of here.”
"But not merely to make you humble toward your fellow man. That’s also a big
achievement but the most important humility is to be humble to your Creator: “I’m
going to listen to Hashem when I get out. If He lets me out of this place alive, I’m
going to be humble before Hashem.” That’s the real purpose of the operation.
"That’s the purpose of all illness. That’s the purpose of a cold. If a person chalilah
gets a cold it’s for the intention to make him more humble. You know when you have
sniffles and you’re coughing and sneezing; you have a sore throat, sinus trouble – you
shouldn’t have it – but the purpose is to make you feel low. You’re too high. It’s to
push you down a little bit. It’s an effective medicine. Any illness, any pain, is for the
purpose of making a person lose his arrogance. Our Sages tell us that again and
again. Hakodosh Boruch Hu bestows a great benefit on mankind from time to time
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