Title: Land of Health: Israel’s War for Wellness
By: Rabbi Shmuel Chaim Naiman
Menucha Publishers
In his new book, Land of Health: Israel’s War for Wellness, Rabbi Shmuel Chaim Naiman, a foraging guide and certified health counselor in Ramat Bet Shemesh, draws on his teaching experience in Yeshivas Lev HaTorah and the teachings of his rebbeim to help people seeking physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing in our troubled times.
When asked how we can win the “war for wellness,” Rabbi Naiman responded that a great way to begin is by appreciating the Land of Israel. It’s possible to think of Israel as merely a place to run away from antisemitism and fight for our own piece of real estate. To find meaning in the current madness, we can take a step back and ask ourselves, “What does Israel mean to me?”
In truth, as he explains at length in his book, the Land of Israel is the healthy body of the Jewish people. When we are in pain or in trouble, we look to this perfect place in our imperfect world. The Land of Israel is the place where we can find G-d, and He, in turn, responds to us with love and compassion.
Instead of only looking at “us” as good and “them” as bad, we need to examine our own choices. What’s inside our hearts and minds? Are we living well? Are we eating well? Are we distracted? By being proactive in caring for ourselves, we won’t fall into depression during these difficult times. We are worth it because G-d says we’re worth it.
Rabbi Naiman writes in his introduction: “Every Jew on earth is a soldier in our war for wellness. We’re all combating fear, anxiety, distraction, and stress. We’re all looking for meaning inside the madness. The first two wars receive the attention they deserve. But the third can seem less urgent. Taking care of our bodies and spirits can wait for later, we might think, because now we’re thinking about the hundreds of thousands who’ve lost their lives, loved ones, livelihoods, communities, or homes.”
Land of Health is divided into two parts:
Part One shows in detail how Israel is the healthy body of the Jews. By appreciating the Land of Israel, we hold the key to unlocking the door to becoming healthier people. Israel is a treasure chest of physical, mental and spiritual wellness.
Part Two of the book offers practical strategies for living better physical, spiritual, and emotional lives during trying times. It covers all areas of improvement from food, exercise, and mental health to ruchniyus and emunah.
Throughout the book, Rabbi Naiman reflects on his own experience with practicing his own suggestions. For example, terrorism seems to occupy our minds, bodies, and souls. A common term today is “doom scrolling”: the mindless thumbing through news feeds to see the latest bad news. One way to break away from this is to detach from the vicious news cycle. This does not mean shutting out the news but chasing after it less.
How do we feel, read, and react to the pain of our fellow Jew without becoming overwhelmed or desensitized? Rabbi Naiman explains that often, the less quantity of news we consume, the better quality of life we will have. Some people, he reports, find it helpful to limit their news consumption to once a day or week. The exact amount isn’t as important as living at least a little bit outside of the news cycle. It’s also helpful to pause before reading or watching a story. Whether it’s about the hostages or our soldiers, take a minute to feel the pain of these brave souls before diving in.
In addition to a regular news detox, we might also find a regular food detox helpful. Rabbi Naiman suggests getting this detox by simply fasting daily for 12 hours – which doesn’t seem so hard considering the Rambam’s suggestion not to eat for three hours before bedtime. In fact, if we eat healthy and nourishing meals in the day, we won’t feel this detox as being a fast. Another reason to choose fruit for dessert rather than cake!
Healthy Jewish living, Rabbi Naiman explains, is all about balance. If we are creative and well prepared, we can stay on track and healthy over Shabbat and Yomim Tovim – even this year where we have three-day Yomim Tovim. In his weekly newsletter, The Healthy Jew, Rabbi Naiman often cautions against extremes: potato kugel, cholent, and cake can have a place in your life and you can still have a healthful Shabbos. There are many foods which might not be the healthiest, but they have a place on our plate.
On a personal level, healthy Jewish living has been quite a journey for Rabbi Naiman. He graduated from a three-year college program as a certified healthy living counselor, then started working started as a health coach and quickly pivoted to writing his popular weekly newsletter, The Healthy Jew, which covers a wide variety of subjects relating to healthy Jewish living and the Land of Israel. At this writing, over 1,500 subscribers read it on a regular basis.
Soon afterwards, Rabbi Naiman started offering guided foraging tours in Israel, which are sought after by locals and tourists alike. Rabbi Naiman’s book contains many pictures from these foraging walks. Many were taken over the past year, exemplifying the beauty and spirit of the Land despite its current tribulations.
Land of Health is replete with practical suggestions about how to achieve peace of mind. We are imperfect people in a perfect land, and that is fine. They key is to be growth oriented, to be always on the journey “from here to there,” as he explains in detail.
One final observation. How can we elevate the physical, bringing the spiritual into everyday life? Jewish wellness combines the highest spiritual realms with the lowest physical ones. This is Land of Health’s primary message, and what The Healthy Jew newsletter expands on every week. Animals don’t use their minds to find health. But we use our minds to find health – and that’s what makes us truly human. (If we don’t, we’re just animals that look like a person, as the Rambam explains.) Everything we do should be for the purpose of health, wellness, and wholeness, like Hashem’s actions. When we live this way, we will win the war for wellness.
