Bacterial soap kills bacteria, right? Hospitals have stopped using it. It’s absorbed into the body and may cause cancer. There are hundreds of shampoos for ravishingly beautiful hair. But read the ingredients. They are beautifully bottled collections of chemicals.
Medicines? Which ones are lifesavers and which make you sick? In ten years you’ll read that the medicine you were taking has now been removed from the market. Simple, foolproof laser eye surgery may cause irreparable damage to your eye. All sorts of cosmetic surgery (a multi billion dollar industry!) is miraculous, as long as there are no slip-ups. If there are, they aren’t always fixable. Swimming is the king of all exercise, if you can find a pool without chlorine. Etcetera etcetera etcetera.
Even sun and water – those two basic, essential elements for life – are now life threatening! Sunlight causes cancer, so cover up, use protective creams, wear sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats. Shall we hide from the light to emerge at night? Sunlight is not only the source of Vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones, it is essential for our happiness. We humans go into states of depression if we are deprived of the sun. Solve that one, if you can.
Our bodies are comprised primarily of liquid – i.e., water in different forms. We cannot survive without water. But what kind? Is bottled water really purer, cleaner, healthier? Not if you live in a normal western city where the water from your faucet is checked several times a week for bacteria and other forms of pollution. Bottled water, which supposedly comes straight from nature (which is actually where faucet water comes from too!), is only checked every few months. It’s just lots more expensive.
How in heaven’s name am I supposed to know which of all this important information is correct and which is not? I cannot vouch for the accuracy of any of it, but each and every item was gleaned from some supposedly scientific source. The problem is that scientists change their minds, and even when they don’t, they don’t always agree with each other in the first place. So what’s a poor unscientific human being like me supposed to believe?
I do not suggest abandoning civilization for a pristine desert island or a hilltop in Judea or Samaria. But in the midst of all this conflicting information, I try to stick with the Rambam. Unless you know for a fact that something is really harmful, you can partake of, enjoy, eat, breathe, wear, make a bracha on just about anything (within halachic limits, of course). Just do it within measure. The question is… how does one measure? Well, G-d gave each of us a measure of sechel yashar – common sense. All we have to do is brush it off and use it! And if your sechel yashar isn’t up to par, isn’t it wonderful that G-d watches over children… and fools?
To sum things up, I don’t get overly excited at the latest “health news” that hits the media. Chances are that in another five, ten or fifteen years, we’ll be treated to a new set of directives. Meanwhile, hang on. It’s a whacky world out there but it’s the only one we have so make the most of it! And as my bubby used to say, the main thing is “a bi gezunt”!
