LEV647 "Wherefore I perceived that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his works." -- Ecclesiastes 3:22. … Religions which stress the hereafter, in the belief that true life begins beyond the grave, instinctively downgrade all the earthly joys of man's existence. They may grudgingly concede the need for satisfying some bodily cravings in the interest of survival and the perpetuation of the species. Such concessions notwithstanding, the postulate that pleasure is intrinsically evil has been repeatedly reaffirmed. Indeed, they prefer celibacy because it eliminates the pleasure of sexual intercourse. Some aesthetics are said to have swallowed their food whole to avoid enjoying the pleasure of eating. Judaism is a this–worldly faith, primarily concerned with the quality of life on earth. It does not recommend the suppression of natural human urges and regards the enjoyment of permissible pleasures as salutatory and wholesome. It decries asceticism but at the same time condemns inordinate pursuit of self-gratification. Most Judaic rituals and precepts have a socioreligious base. The incentive of heavenly reward in the hereafter was muted in the Bible. It was stressed in postbiblical literature as a disciplinary tool for keeping man's conduct within the bounds of morality. Extraordinary acts of piety are not required to assure man of a niche in heaven. Self-affliction is deemed an offense against religion, ethics, and society. Judaism considers life on earth the most prized God-given gift. The biblical command to preserve one's life takes precedence over nearly all other religious precepts. The same holds true for the preservation of other people's lives. Rabbi Akiva boldly pointed to the command "And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" [this verse] as a major biblical principle (Jer. Nedarim 9:4). Had he stressed the hereafter he undoubtedly would have chosen the parallel commandment, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God" (Deuteronomy 6:5), as the major biblical principle.