Guarding our health is an act of Jewish responsibility – opinion

This article argues that maintaining physical health through exercise, proper diet, and self-care is a significant, often overlooked, Jewish religious obligation. It emphasizes that while Judaism doesn't promote physical vanity, it views a healthy body as essential for fulfilling spiritual purposes, enabling individuals to learn Torah, perform acts of kindness, and serve God effectively. The author cites several Jewish legal and philosophical sources:

• Rabbi Huna's rebuke: "He teaches you how to be healthy, and you call that secular?" (Shabbat 82a).
• The Rambam's Mishneh Torah: "Since having a healthy and whole body is among the ways of God... a person must distance himself from things that damage the body and accustom himself to things that make the body healthy and strong" (Hilchot De'ot 4:1).
• The Tur: "It is a mitzvah to conduct oneself with proper habits and good conduct to guard one's health, so that one may be healthy and strong for the service of the exalted Creator" (Orach Chaim 155).

The article concludes that in a modern, sedentary world, exercise and health maintenance are not mere lifestyle choices but an expression of Jewish responsibility, a "mitzvah" to guard the sacred vessel entrusted to us by the Creator.