Every day, hundreds of people pass through our Chestnut Street lobby and see a piece of "art" that is hanging on our wall entitled "Maimonides' Prayer". In a recent conversation with our staff Rabbi, Laura Metzger, she asked me a question that I have been thinking about for the past week. She asked if I knew of this piece, which I answered affirmatively as I pass by it about a dozen times a day myself, and then asked how many people I thought spent anytime "really" looking at this and reflecting on what it says?
It was posed as somewhat of a rhetorical question, but I have to admit, that while I had stopped to read this during my orientation, I have not spent much time since thinking about it despite the hundreds of times that I have passed it. As I've taken some time to research this in more detail, Moses Maimonides was a Jewish physician and philosopher in the 12th century whose views are seen to be a cornerstone of Jewish thought and study. Rising from his time is an Oath reflecting on the calling of medicine that is sometimes substituted for the Oath of Hippocrates with medical students and physicians, as well as the Prayer of Maimonides of which an excerpt is seen on our walls.
This work of art was crafted with very intricate and precise detail and more impressively its message to us is still as relevant today as it was some eight hundred years ago.
It seems in life we get so caught up in the immediacy of whatever the situation is that we are dealing with that we can all too quickly lose track of what is truly important in life, work, home, etc... I believe that those of us who choose to work in health care were brought into this profession by a calling to help those in need, yet so many times our actions might suggest otherwise. We are focused on meetings, deadlines, budgets, personal issues, or other things that divert our focus from our overall calling. I say this not to suggest that our daily duties or problems can be ignored, but as a reminder to myself of what we are all here for at the end of the day. A reminder to not let the immediate overshadow the important. With all of the changes and challenges that we are all having to endure in this modern time and economy, both personally and as a hospital, I hope we all can keep in mind the words that are written on that wall we pass each day..."Almighty Father of mercy, I begin once more my daily work. Grant that I may be able to devote myself, body and soul, to thy children who suffer from pain. In all my efforts to heal the sick may I be filled with love for my fellowman."
Thank you Laura for helping me to be more aware of my surroundings and keeping me focused on the important things in life!
5 comments:
Very thoughtful post, Marty. I believe it was a surgeon on our staff years ago who did this piece - Dr. Harold Berg I think.
He was a gentleman and a gentle man. /Chris H. (pharmacy)
What you might not know -- and I doubt that the rabbi knows it either -- is that the mosaic and all the other ones around the hospital were done by the late Dr. Harold Berg, a surgeon with Jewish Hospital for many years. He also did the large Holocaust mosaic at the Jewish Community Center and did works for many other institutions around the city. One fun fact is that he always included one of his children's baby teeth in each of his pieces. I interviewed him one time and he told me when he ran out of his kids' teeth, he asked for donations from others and received more than enough for many years into the future!
Never know what obscure facts you can turn up in a lifetime!
Phyllis Shaikun
Marketing and Communications
New game: whoever spots the tooth wins a prize!
I found the tooth! Do you want me to give it away?
I love prizes, so yeah...any tips I can glean!
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