Don’t try this at home TB Shabbat 129

Today’s daf TB Shabbat 129 spends an extraordinary amount of time discussing the practice of bloodletting because the sages believed it to be beneficial to a person’s health. They even recommended it on a regular basis. “Shmuel said: The interval for bloodletting is every thirty days. And during the middle periods of one’s life, he should decrease the frequency of bloodletting (40 years old and every other month-Rashi); and during the later periods he should decrease its frequency again. (60 years old and every third month-Rashi)” (Sefaria.org translation)

The sages believed some days were better for this procedure than others. The other days should be avoided at all cost lest you lose your life.

“And Shmuel said: The times for bloodletting are the first day of the week, the fourth day of the week and Shabbat eve. However, on the second and the fifth days of the week, no, one should not let blood, as the Master said: Only one who has the merit of his ancestors and relies on it should let blood on the second and on the fifth days of the week, as the court on High, in the heavens, and the court below are equal. The courts in the cities convene on Mondays and Thursdays, as does the heavenly court. Letting blood on a day of judgment is dangerous. If one is judged unfavorably all his blood could flow out…

“Bloodletting on the New Moon and on the second day of the month causes weakness; bloodletting on the third day of the month leads to danger. Bloodletting on the eve of a Festival causes weakness; bloodletting on the eve of the festival of Shavuot leads to danger. And the Sages issued a decree prohibiting bloodletting on the eve of every Festival due to the festival of Shavuot. On Shavuot, an evil spirit named Tibbuaḥ, from the Hebrew word meaning slaughter, emerges, as had the Jewish people not accepted the Torah on the festival of Shavuot, Tibbuaḥ would have slaughtered their flesh and their blood. Consequently, it remains a dangerous day.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Bloodletting, practiced for over 3000 years, reached its peak in Europe in the 19^th century. Barbers were especially known as practitioners of bloodletting. A remnant of this tradition is the red and white barber pole. From then on scientists applying the scientific method began proving that bloodletting did much more harm than good. The sages were correct in thinking some days were not good for bloodletting. I would just extend the list of prohibited days to every day of the week.

“Overall, the history of bloodletting is rich and fascinating. Although it has fallen out of favor for good reason, it is important to remember the lessons that the ancient practice taught us. Specifically, the history of bloodletting reminds of us of the importance of basic science research, and validating medical theories through clinical trials prior to implementing them in practice. The next time you walk past your local barbershop and see the barber’s pole standing outside, take a minute to reflect on how far the medical field has come, and look forward to its continued progression.” (Dr. Oliver Stewart is a resident physician at NYU Langone Health, https://www.clinicalcorrelations.org/2019/10/31/bloodletting-a-brief-historical-perspective-and-modern-medical-applications/)

The lessons learned from bloodletting is relevant today. In the search for a cure for Covid 19 in the midst of this pandemic, we should rely upon basic science research and validating medical theories through clinical trials prior to implementing them. In other words, even on Gilligan’s Island they listened to the scientist and not the millionaire.