DEUT428 Contrary to the contemporary notion that my body belongs to me, our tradition teaches that our bodies belong to God. As owner, God can and does demand that we take care of our bodies throughout our lives, very much as the owner of an apartment legitimately requires that those who rent it take reasonable care of it during their occupancy. Jewish law, therefore, prescribes a number of positive obligations that we have to take care of our bodies (proper sleep, exercise, diet, hygiene), and it forbids mutilation of the body, taking undue risks with it, and suicide. (For God owns our bodies, see Genesis 14:19, 22; Exodus 19:5, 20:11; and Deuteronomy 10:14). The duty to take care of our bodies is summarized best in M.T. Laws of Ethics (Hilkhot De'ot), chaps. 3-5. The Rabbis derive that from Deuteronomy 4:9 and 4:15. For the commandment not to harm yourself, see M. Bava Kamma 8:6 and B. Hullin 10a. For the prohibition of committing suicide, see Semahot (Evel Rabbati) 2:1-5; M.T. Laws of Murder 2:3; Laws of Courts (Sanhedrin) 18:6; Laws of Mourning 1:11; S.A. Yoreh De'ah 345:1-3; and Encyclopedia Judaica 15:489-491 at Suicide. On these topics generally, see Dorff (1998), chap. 2.)