Strengthening Faith Through Health: How Caring for Your Body Fuels Spiritual Growth

Facing life’s challenges, fulfilling our responsibilities, and strengthening our faith and trust in God all require great emotional and mental energy. We must therefore maintain the principles of good health. When the body is healthy and strong, the mind functions better, and we are more capable of acting, thinking clearly, and growing spiritually. Proper nutrition and regular physical activity provide the body with positive energy that empowers us to cope.

We are commanded to keep our bodies strong. As the Torah says: “You shall greatly guard your lives” (Deuteronomy 4:15). God gave us a healthy body and expects us to care for it so it can serve us in His service.

The Rebbe of Sadigura was once asked why he did not give his followers direct moral rebuke. He replied: “I teach my young married students how to eat. When one eats properly, one naturally behaves properly in other areas. This is a great principle: when eating is done in the right way, it brings proper conduct in every other matter. The power to serve the Creator as one should begins with the act of eating — it sets the tone for the entire day.”

We must therefore invest in proper nutrition: eat balanced meals in the right amounts, include all essential nutrients, and reduce harmful foods. Drinking enough water is also very important as it protects the body and keeps the mind clear. Likewise, physical activity plays a significant role in maintaining good health, lifting the mood, and increasing energy flow.

Our efforts toward health should always be made with the awareness that we are doing what is required of us, while the outcome is in God’s hands. Health is ultimately determined by Heaven. Sometimes, despite all efforts, God decides that a person’s current test is to face illness. In such cases, God grants a person inner strength, and many people have reached great spiritual heights even when their bodies were weak.

This does not contradict our obligation to do our utmost to maintain health, as God desires. In fact, those who are in a state of weakness or illness should be more mindful and proactive in caring for their health.