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Health is a value discussed throughout Jewish literature in a variety of contexts.
Notable Sources
All Sources
A
The Eternal Wisdom of Moderation
TALMUD
Moderation is a timeless principle that can guide us in leading a balanced life. Avot D’Rabbi Natan, a companion volume to Pirkei Avot, offers a list of that which is best in moderation.
Ancient Health Tips
TALMUD
Though Elijah was a prophet in northern Israel during the First Temple period, we nevertheless find him sharing his rule of thirds with second-century Rabbi Natan. The Babylonian Talmud records various pieces of health advice offered by the prophet Elijah and later rabbis.
Protecting Both Body and Soul
COMMENTARY
The Torah commands that one both “Look out for yourself and guard your soul exceedingly...” The sixteenth-century Torah commentary, Kli Yakar, by Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz, answers the question of whether the Torah requires one to be more careful of their body or soul.
Wisdom from the Land of Israel
TALMUD
What health tips did the ancient rabbis of the land of Israel have to offer? The Jerusalem Talmud in tractate Kiddushin collects rabbinic wisdom for how to live a healthy life, for both body and soul.
The Obligation to Heal
HALAKHAH
Jewish sources locate the obligation of a doctor to heal within the obligation to save life. Joseph Karo, in his authoritative sixteenth-century legal code, the Shulchan Arukh, discusses the religious duty of a physician to heal and the consequences of medical malpractice.
Ancient Priorities
SECOND TEMPLE
What good are rubies without one’s health? Ben Sira, the author of the apocryphal book of pious wisdom, reminds us what is important in life.
The Obligation of Self-Care
MIDRASH
Caring for one’s own body and soul is not a modern fad but rather a religious obligation. The fifth-century midrashic collection on the book of Leviticus, Vayikra Rabbah, offers three tales of rabbis teaching this lesson to their students.
The Promise of Torah
COMMENTARY
As a reward for Pinchas’ zealotry, God forged a “covenant of peace” with him, but what did this have to do with his health? The renowned eighteenth-century German rabbi, Jonathan Eybeschutz, suggests that the covenant of peace was a promise of eternal life.
Making Good Choices
KABBALAH
As human beings, we are complex bodies and souls, and the choices we make each influence the other. Rabbi Chaim Vital, a sixteenth-century kabbalist, describes the body’s and soul's inner and outer powers and how the choices we make impact these powers.
A Jewish physician in traditional costume, Engraving, 1568,  Wellcome Collection. Source: Wellcome Collection.
A Jewish physician in traditional costume, Engraving, 1568, Wellcome Collection. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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