It’s difficult to run to do mitzvot when your back and knees hurt.
It’s much easier to study Torah in a Yeshiva or Beit Midrash than it is in a hospital.
One must be alive and breathing to do good deeds for others.
Despite the skepticism of some in the traditional Jewish community towards healthy nutrition and fitness for a variety of reasons (which I covered in my last blog post), Judaism has always stressed taking care of one’s health and body. Our holy souls should not be housed in defiled vessels.
In his book, The Life-Transforming Diet, author David J. Zulberg devised a plan based on the health and psychological principles of Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon (also called “Maimonides” and “Rambam”), who lived from 1135-1204.
Rambam’s works are filled with health and nutritional advice. Besides his well-known chapter on health, he wrote ten major medical works, which include detailed discussions and explanations on health and nutrition (page 10).
Considering how long ago he lived, much of the Rambam’s advice was surprisingly accurate and perceptive, such as the following observation: “An expert physician who wants to guard his patient’s health begins by improving (the latter’s) diet” (from Rambam’s introduction to Pirkei Avot).
Chana Rubin’s excellent book, Food for the Soul, also details the importance Jewish tradition places on maintaining a fully functioning body (and offers many tips for healthy living).
I consider the physical effort to maintain good health to be both an obligation and a mitzvah. It is one of the requirements dictated by the Creator for self-perfection (pages 10-11).
– Rabbi Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz (known as the “Chazon Ish”), who lived from 1878-1953.
In more modern times, Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski opens his book, Ten Steps to Being Your Best (published in 2004), by stating that proper diet and exercise are crucial for obtaining simcha (Jewish joy).
Optimum physical condition is essential for self-esteem. The body is an integral part of the self, and weakness or physical dysfunction drain away self-esteem. You cannot ignore your body and expect to feel good about yourself. If you are fatigued, do not exercise, do not eat properly or do not get adequate sleep, your physical self is not in optimal shape.
Hopefully the three valuable sources above will help you, and me, learn effective strategies for taking care of our bodies, so that we can literally run to perform mitzvot and good deeds, and experience the happiness of a sound body, which sets the stage for a joyful mind and soul!
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