Maybe it’s a factor of age. Or maybe it’s a factor of listening more carefully to the rabbi’s sermon.
But the injunction to consider not only how we treat others but how we treat ourselves should become part of the reflection we undertake during the Days of Awe.
Are we being respectful of our own bodies and our own health? Are we working too much and not leaving enough time for our family and friends?
Do recreation and relaxation take a back seat to our daily jobs? Are we watching our diets? Are we exercising? Are we avoiding alcohol, drugs and tobacco?
Are we stressing out too much? Are we rushing so much to an appointment that we don’t take time to smell the flowers and look up at the sky?
The rabbis tells us that abusing our own bodies is as much a sin as abusing a relationship with another person.
Midrash tells us that Hillel instructed his disciples that our bodies were created in the image of God and that we are obligated to care for our bodies out of respect and honor to God.
How many of us think about our health like that? How many of us have the time to ponder such high thoughts? But here’s a good reason to consider these questions.
When we take care of our bodies, we not only honor God but we honor our family members who look to us for love and guidance.
How dare we abuse our bodies and risk leaving our families at an early age? The best gift of love we can give our families and friends is to be with them for as many years as God will allow.
So as these days of reflection draw to a close with the end of Yom Kippur on Monday night, promise yourself to do all you can to stay in good health.
G’mar chatimah tovah. May you be sealed in the Book of Life for another year.