VaYeitzei and Acupuncture

Here is a question from the Tiferes Shlomo (Chassidic Rebbe from the 1800's from Radomsk) regarding a verse in this week's Torah portion uttered by Yaakov: "...Hashem is in this place and I did not know". Didn't Yaakov know that G-d fills the world and is everywhere? Certainly, the Avos were well aware of this. After all, even my four year old child knows the spiritual reality of the omnipresence of G-d when she sings, "Hashem is here, Hashem is there, Hashem is truly everywhere...". So, what gives? (The Radomsker didn't actually use the phraseology of 'what gives?')

The Radomsker Rebbe answers that Yaakov is telling us the way to realize and actualize the awareness of G-d's omnipresence. By 'not knowing the 'I' and by putting aside my "I", it can become clear that G-d is in this place. Often we are our own biggest impediment to Divine influx. Later on in the parshah, we see Yaakov involved in removing a large stone from the mouth of a well, thereby allowing waters to flow and nourish the flocks. This is the same concept. The flow already exists, we only need to remove the obstacles, whether they are physical, spiritual, psychological.

This forms the common denominator of all natural medical modalities, from acupuncture to osteopathy. Remove the impediments and let the implanted wisdom of the body and mind heal itself. Rabbi Akiva, in the Gemara, compares the healer to a gardener. As such, the healer's role is to ensure proper nourishement and balance of sun and water to optimize the growth of the produce.