Va'ethanan
Deut. 3:23 - 7:11
Précis: Moses continues the recapitulation of travels, and urges the People to follow the laws and commandments of Adonai. Moses pleads with God that he be allowed to enter the Promised Land, and is refused. Moses reminds the people that God was angry with him on account of their sinful ways, and therefore was refused permission to enter the Land. Moses continues with a restatement of the Ten Commandments, and follows with an articulation of the basic element of Jewish theology: the Sh’ma. Moses then warns the people against the perils of forgetfulness, particularly of the Exodus, and cautions against idol worship of gods of the nations they will conquer.
Deut. 4:5 "But take utmost care and watch yourselves scrupulously, so that you do not forget the things that you saw with your own eyes and so that they do not fade from your mind as long as you live"
My teacher Erica Brown, has written (Weekly Jewish Wisdom 8/9/12) that this verse “has been used as a divine health warning and is the central verse used against practises like smoking.” While there are a number of observant Jews who continue to smoke, most rabbinic authority states that one may not start smoking because we know of its risks to our health. According to the Sefer Hachinuch, this mitzvah extends beyond the obligation of protecting oneself from things that can end one's life to include also those things that can damage one's body: too much alcohol, too much food, not enough exercise, and (especially in 21st century America) too much stress. Maimonides states "Since maintaining a healthy and sound body is among the ways of God--for one cannot understand or have any knowledge of the Creator if he is ill--therefore he must avoid that which harms the body and accustom himself to that which is helpful and helps the body become stronger (Hilkhot Deot 4:1)."
Judaism has at its very core the concept of life. As Brown states, “We say "to life" - l'chaim - when we make a toast because Jewish survival is predicated on our commitment to long life. Anything we willfully do to curtail our lives transgresses this prohibition.” We should heed her suggestion, moderate our appetites, increase our exercise, and remind ourselves that being made in God’s image means in some small part that we need to respect the health of the bodies we have been given.
This importance of life is made all the more clear to me and my family this week, as we gather together in Florida to celebrate (BH!) my mother-in-law Esther’s 98th birthday. May she continue to enjoy health and the happiness that comes from her love of her family.
