Our Gemara on amud aleph, paraphrasing a series of verses, warns that a judge who takes bribes, even merely by accepting flattering actions, will eventually be blinded to the truth, and perhaps become literally blind.

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: ״כִּי הַשּׁוֹחַד יְעַוֵּר עֵינֵי חֲכָמִים״, קַל וָחוֹמֶר לַטִּפְּשִׁין. ״וִיסַלֵּף דִּבְרֵי צַדִּיקִים״, קַל וָחוֹמֶר לָרְשָׁעִים. מִידֵּי טִפְּשִׁים וּרְשָׁעִים בְּנֵי דִינָא נִינְהוּ? אֶלָּא הָכִי קָאָמַר: ״כִּי הַשּׁוֹחַד יְעַוֵּר עֵינֵי חֲכָמִים״, אֲפִילּוּ חָכָם גָּדוֹל וְלוֹקֵחַ שׁוֹחַד — אֵינוֹ נִפְטָר מִן הָעוֹלָם בְּלֹא סַמְיוּת הַלֵּב. ״וִיסַלֵּף דִּבְרֵי צַדִּיקִים״,

The Sages taught: “For a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise” (Deuteronomy 16:19); a fortiori it will certainly blind the eyes of fools. “And perverts the words of the righteous” (Deuteronomy 16:19); a fortiori it will certainly pervert the statements of the wicked. The Gemara asks: Are fools and the wicked suitable for judgment, i.e., to be appointed as judges? Rather, this is what the tanna of the baraisa said: “For a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise”; even if he were very wise but he took a bribe, he will not leave this world without suffering blindness of the heart, i.e., he will eventually turn foolish. “And perverts the words of the righteous”;

One of the thirteen hermeneutical derivational principles of Torah law, is called a Binyan Av.  A Binyan Av means that when it is logical and there is no significant reason to draw a distinction, we can generalize an idea from one specific law.  So, we might wonder, is becoming blind in response to turning a blind eye to justice merely a principle of judges, or is it generalizable to all forms of psychological bribery and flattery?  And, furthermore, is this a Binyan Av to other moral failings?  This is a principle with infinite applications as we will soon see.

Incredibly, Daas Zekeinim (Beresihis 27:1) says that Yitschok may have become blind because he was “bribed” from Esau’s flattering activities and false piety. Furthermore, Kli Yakkar (Vayikra 21:17) asserts that all blemishes and physical deformities that arise in life (i.e., that you are not born with) stem from a physical manifestation of an inner corruption. He says, aside from becoming blind for bribery, one may break his leg due to sinful actions or attitudes signified by walking, or one’s face may become deformed due to not having the proper emotional disposition toward others etc. This is the real reason why a blemished Cohen cannot serve in the Bais Hamikdash.  His outer deformity reveals an inner one.

Of course, we can apply this mind-body connection in terms of our own self-introspection, but we certainly must look upon others who suffer various deformities with humility.  They are the “lucky” ones, whom God granted the courtesy of warning them about deficiencies in regard to what He expects of them.  The Gemara (Ta’anis 20a) tells us about what happened to one sage who, without thinking and in a self-satisfied mood, remarked about how ugly someone was. In addition, we are not of the level that we should deny ourselves medicine even if we feel the cause of the malady is spiritual. The Ramban (Vayikra 26:11) says that in the times of the prophets, if one turned ill, he sought Hashem, not doctors. But nowadays, we are not on that level.  Nevertheless, as we seek conventional cures, we also must consider what our bodies are saying to us.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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