Cancer: Metaphysical Contemplations and Considerations

normal ones with a mutated DNA infrastructure.

The “What” and the “Why”
In view of the above, no one can dispute that although good people suffer from it, cancer is the embodiment of evil. The malignant tumor and its devastation is exactly what the dark side of the soul looks like revealed in the physical world. Moreover, notwithstanding that it displays the traits of a parasite; the cancer is not a foreign invader. It comes from within, in the form of new creation.

To understand how this works according to Hassidism (as expounded in the Tanya), we need to revisit the structure of the soul and its relation to the mind-body. The animal aspect of the human spirit is the outer layer or “skin”, so to speak. The G-dly aspect is the core or hub, which represents one’s essence. This Divine light, being the true center of every person, is part and parcel of the essence of the Almighty.

To continue, this G-dly essence is His creative energy that emanates from the ineffable name of G-d, known in learned Jewish circles as the “Tetragrammaton” or “Four-Letter Name”. Two of the four Hebrew letters have the sound of the English letter “H”, which corresponds to the “Breath of life” in Scripture. While everything else in creation came about through Divine speech, the creation of man was more. For example, the amount of air required to talk does not require much effort, while the amount of air needed to blow up a balloon is exhausting. This is so because the latter involves forcing air into a tight space, which entails the use of abdominal and chest muscles. Therefore, since G-d re-creates everything every instant to maintain existence, the energy that connects to the G-dly essence of every person is His creative power.

Now, the

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