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Under a grapevine cover within the Judean hills.
According to Jewish custom, all religious journeys start by utilizing our minds to maintain their our bodies wholesome. As Maimonides explains, we turn into real folks each time we consciously focus our our bodies’ actions towards a constructive objective, such that no motion is “an act of nothingness” (Introduction to Avos Chapter 5).
Once we’ve left nothingness and joined purposefulness, we’re card-carrying members of humankind: solely then can we direct our actions towards wellness and wholeness of physique, thoughts, and spirit. Then we progress to the aim of all the needs: figuring out and emulating God.
It’s Always within the Body
Even once we’re busy with religious work, the physique stays on the heart of all of the motion:
- When we’re immersed in Torah examine, our mind holds our ideas.
- We pray with our mouths.
- With our physique’s actions, we emulate God’s methods and reside in accordance with His directions: “All my bones will say: ‘No one is like You, God.’” (Psalms 35:10)
- When we reside in accordance with God’s will, He blesses us with materials prosperity: “I’ll give the rain of your land in its time… You will collect your grain, grapes, and olives.”(Deuteronomy 11:14)
Our path to God isn’t by the proper knowledge of the soul however moderately by striving to turn into higher in our imperfect our bodies.
This path takes us by the Land of Israel, the realm of the world that Jewish custom teaches is the physique of the Jewish nation, as I clarify in my new guide, Land of Health: Israel’s War for Wellness.
As people, we discover God once we are inside our particular person bodily our bodies.
As a nation, we discover God inside our collective physique.
Comparing Lives
Let’s discover the parallels between these two lives: particular person and nationwide.
Individual Life
We turn into real folks when our minds information our actions towards well being and wellness.
Once we’re purposeful folks, we progress to looking for religious development.
National Life
Israel’s nationwide mission begins with caring for the Land of Israel: its earth, water, crops, and animals. Listen to King David’s prayer (quoted within the closing line of the Kuzari):
“Get up, have compassion on Zion… Because your servants need its stones, and its earth they search.”(Psalms 102:14)
Then we discover God in Israel by dwelling right here with His Torah:
“From Zion, Torah will exit and the phrase of God [will go out] from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3)
We respect and worth our our bodies, as a result of they maintain our private “type of God.” We additionally respect and worth the Land of Israel, as a result of it holds the spirit of our nation.
The Valley of Elah, the place David fought Goliath, seen from a hilltop metropolis relationship again to that period.
How to Care for Israel
Am I suggesting that Jewish nationwide life begins with environmental advocacy for this nook of the Middle East?
Exactly!
But solely as step one of a bigger mission.
Cherishing and supporting Israel’s land and stopping there may be like caring for our bodily well being as the ultimate objective of life.
Again, let’s take a look at the parallels between particular person and nationwide life:
Individual Life
Maimonides notes that dwelling healthily with a view to get extra pleasure and status for extra years isn’t very totally different from mindlessly chasing after unhealthy pleasures and status — it’s all the identical selfishness. (Introduction to Avos 5; Laws of Character 3)
Therefore, wholesome Jewish dwelling goals to realize a extra significant objective: enabling us to know and emulate God’s methods.
National Life
Caring for Israel’s land solely to guard its magnificence — or to flee antisemitism — isn’t very totally different from mindlessly constructing skyscrapers whereas ignoring their environmental imprint. It’s all the identical materialism.
Therefore, the Land of Israel goals to realize a extra significant objective: discovering God’s Presence and dwelling within the Land of Israel by God’s phrase. This is the place the Jewish folks have noticed the Torah for millennia. Their tales are advised in its stunning hills, valleys, rivers, crops, and animals.
A wholesome Jewish craving for the Land of Israel begins with cherishing it — not solely as a result of he likes fairly views and fascinating historical past but in addition as a result of God dwells in these views and historical past.
This article is an excerpt from the writer’s new guide, Land of Health: Israel’s War for Wellness, which is now out there here on Amazon and in Jewish bookstores everywhere in the world.
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