DEUT1633 "Therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed."--[this verse] It is the religious duty of every individual to keep fit and to refrain from practices which endanger health and shorten life. This obligation is a corollary of the general prohibition of waste and needless destruction of living creatures or inanimate useful articles. The instruction to safeguard one's health and life is additionally based on several theological rationales. In view of the biblical declaration that man was created in the image of God, any injury to one's body can constitutes an assault upon its divine aspect and hence an affront to the Almighty. The belief that parents create the body of their offspring but that it is God who implants the soul (Berachot 60b) further contributed to the tenet that life must be preserved and that suicide is a crime against God. Man owns his body, but he is merely the custodian of the soul which resides within him. Only God can decide when the soul is to depart the body. ... The philosophic explanation of the interaction between the soul and the body provided another basis for the principle of the preservation of life. The soul which is implanted in a human body is pure, without any blemish. That is the gist of the morning prayer recited upon waking: "My God, the soul which thou hast planted in me is pure.… thou preservest it in me, and thou shalt someday take it from me" (Berachot 60b). According to the teachings of Kabbalah, the soul is tainted by the corruption of the body. Biblical references to sin and impurity are frequently addressed to the soul: "If a soul sin through error" (Leviticus 4:2), "If a soul sin and commit trespass against the Lord" (Leviticus 5:21). ...When the body atones for its sins, the purity of the soul is restored. The willful destruction of one's body precludes an eventual purging of the soul of its acquired flaws, forcing it to return to heaven in a state of impurity. Aside from doctrinaire considerations, there is a universal consensus that life is man's most precious gift. (Continued at [[DEUT88]] Deuteronomy 4:9 watch BLOCH 242-3)

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DEUT1635 See [[DEUT1610]] Deuteronomy 30:15 life COHON 157

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DEUT1634 If we are creatures of the Almighty, we are also His servants, created to do His bidding. Perhaps we are not ready to choose wisely and prudently if offered a choice, to prepare well [i.e., for the world-to-come--AJL] in this ante-chamber. We are still obliged to, as His servants. He directs us to do what is ultimately best for us. "Choose life" [this verse]. He commands us: choose a way of life in this world that will let you live in the Hereafter. Every moment of life that we are granted is a free, unearned gift. It is too precious to waste through foolish or evil choice. Nor can we argue later or plead for extra time, another chance. When the summons comes to depart this life, we cannot claim that it is premature or untimely. It is our royal duty to be at the ready.

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DEUT1636 See [[DEUT205]] Deuteronomy 6:5 heart DUTIES 13-15

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DEUT1637 The Three Branches of Wisdom. Wisdom can be divided into three parts: (1) the science of created things, namely, natural science, which deals with the natural and accidental properties of material bodies; (2) mathematics, which includes arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music; (3) theology, which is the knowledge of God, may He be exalted, and the knowledge of His Torah as well as of other subjects understood by the intellect, such as the soul, the intellect, and the spiritual beings. These fields of study, with their various divisions, are gates -- opened for man by the Creator, may He be exalted -- through which one can come to understand the Torah and the world. Some of these sciences are more vital for understanding the Torah, whereas others are more vital for worldly uses. Those which are more vital for worldly matters are the lower science (natural science) and the intermediate science (mathematics). These two sciences teach [us] of all the secrets of this world, of its uses and benefits that we may gain from it, as well as the different skills and crafts which are necessary for meeting physical needs and for the acquisition of various worldly goods. But the field of study which is essential to the Torah is the most lofty of all sciences, namely, theology, and it is our duty to learn this wisdom, in order to understand and realize the Torah. To study it in order to attain worldly benefit, however, is forbidden, as stated by our Masters: “It was taught: ‘To love Hashem your God, to obey His voice, and to attach yourself to Him’ (Devarim 30:20) -- [this means] that a person should not say: ‘I will study so as to be called a scholar; I will learn so as to be called ‘Rabbi’; I will learn in order to be one of the authorities in the Academy.’ Rather, learn out of love, and in the end honor will come .... Carry out the words [of the Torah] for the sake of the deed [itself]; study them for their own sake, and do not make of them a crown to win fame with, or an axe to cut with (Nedarim 62a).

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DEUT1638 Now is it possible to cleave to the Shechinah? [The intent is, rather, that] if one weds his daughter to a Torah scholar, or does business on behalf of a Torah scholar, or benefits a Torah scholar with his possessions, it is accounted to him as if he cleaved to the Shechinah (Ketuvoth 111b)

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DEUT1639 R. Yehudah said: If one is given a Torah scroll to read, and he does not do so, his life is shortened, as it is written: "For it is the life and the length of your days" (Berachoth 55a)

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DEUT1640 Torah Study is one of those things the doer of which eats the fruits in this world and the principal in the world to come, as it is written: "For it is the life and the length of your days" (Kiddushin 40a)

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DEUT1641 "Great is charity for it prolongs the days and years of man, as it is said [this verse]: 'For that is your life and the length of your days.' And it is stated too (Proverbs 3:18): 'It is a tree of life to them that grasp it.' Now we may argue from premise to conclusion (Kal Vechomer): If for the very lightest of all mitzvoth it is promised (Deuteronomy 22:27 [sic. Possible references to Deut. 4:40, 5:30, and/or 11:9? - AJL]) 'So that it should be well with you that you may prolong your days,' how much more so is this true of charity, one of the most important mitzvoth of the Torah. Great is charity for it leads man to the world to come, as it is said (Psalms 1:1): '(Ashrei) Happy is the man that has not walked in the counsel of the wicked…', And also (Psalm 106:3) '(Ashrei) Happy are they that keep justice, that give charity at all times. 'Ashrei (Happy) is used in connection with Torah, and also in connection with charity. Just as the ashrei referring to Torah assures life in the world to come, so does ashrei referring to charity."

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DEUT1642 R. Elazar said: It is forbidden to accompany an ignoramus on the road, is being written: "For it [Torah] is your life." If he [the ignoramus] is heedless of his own life; how much more so will he be heedless of the life of his neighbor! (Pesachim 49b)

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