It has been said that Judaism is both a religion and a way of life. The concepts of honoring and promoting life are infused throughout all aspects of Judaism. You’ve obviously heard the expression, “La Chaim – To Life!” Now there’s documented evidence that many of the spiritual values and cultural practices of Judaism have been proven to actually prolong life and give it greater meaning and purpose.
In his book, The Blue Zones, (subtitled, “Lessons For Living Longer From The People Who’ve Lived The Longest,”) Dan Buettner, in collaboration with the National Geographic Society, identified six societies where the people tend to live to a much older age and who lead a much more mentally and physically active life than those outside of that society. Consequently, the cultures Buettner identified have a much greater percentage of the population who live past 100 years.
One of the better examples of a group composed of longer-living, more active individuals is the Seventh Day Adventists in the United States. Buettner notes that some of the defining characteristics of this group that contribute to a longer, more active life are the religion’s strong emphasis on their Sabbath on which they do no physical labor of any kind. Seventh Day Adventists, like observant Jews, also attend religious services Saturday mornings spending their time in prayer and contemplation by living in community with other like-minded individuals. After religious services, Seventh Day Adventists gather as families for a Sabbath meal. Family celebrations and meals are very important values for these people.
After lunch, the Seventh Day Adventists go on nature walks. They experience the out-of-doors as a family and as a community. The nature walks reinforce both the spiritual character of the day and the value of not working on the Sabbath. In short, these practices give Seventh Day Adventists greater purpose in a life where spiritual contemplation, family and community become ritualized as widely shared values.
Doesn’t this sound like what observant Jews do? The trouble is that neither Jewish religious leaders nor individual Jews understand the connection between the religious practice or ritual and the life-sustaining benefits those practices promote. As a result of this significant disconnect, Jews by and large are deprived of the fundamental values of their religion. Is it any wonder that the vast majority of Jews decline to participate in any kind of Shabbat observance? What a pity.