How Do We Know

 

How do we know that it's a Mitzvah for a  doctor to heal a patient?  How do we know that it's a Mitzvah for a doctor to heal a patient?  The Rambam פ' המשניות מס' נדרים writes, "There is a מצוה/חיוב for a doctor to heal a  חולה ישראל. We learn this from the Pasuk והשבותו. Not only do you need to return a lost item to its owner but also one's health needs to be returned to him. (heal him)" We are all familiar with the דרש on the Pasuk in Mishpatim, ורפא ירפא- מכאן שנתנה רשות לרופא לרפאות The question is, why the need for permission to heal? If we have a מצוה to do so then not only are you allowed but you are obligated  to do so. Perhaps, applying השבת הגוף to והשבותו to teach you the Mitzvah of healing can only be done after you know that one has רשות to heal. Had we not have had a Pasuk giving רשות to heal we would say the Mitzvah of והשבותו applies only to השבת ממון and not השבת הגוף. Thanks to R. Hershel Gerstel Shlita who sent me the מראה מקום of the תורה תמימה who says the same. ברוך שכוונתי