No, this isn’t a shameless plug for, the now Kosher, Gatorade (although, I’m sure that the proceeds from it becoming Kosher do help in paying my bills…). But it is a shameless plug for staying healthy. The Torah tells us (Exodus 4:9), “רַק הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְׁךָ מְאֹד – Protect yourself, guard your life a lot”, the simple reading of this line in context is referring to not forgetting the Torah, but the Sages explain to us the deeper layer of understanding in this line, that it refers to God’s desire for us to protect our health. Who would have thought that just staying healthy would be a way of building a relationship with God and our Judaism? But it is! In Judaism we know that our bodies and our physical existence is holy and important, contrary to what some other religions may think it is an expression and a means for us to become better people and grow and there is nothing more holy than that. That is why Judaism pays so close attention to details having to do with the physical existence, and why it is concerned for our physical well-being.
During the summer we are not on our normal routines and it is easy to forget to drink enough. It is important that we stay hydrated and drink enough water every day, doing this keeps us healthy and is an easy way to connect to our Judaism, and have a Jewish summer!
Now, of course, there is a little twist, we have discussed before that when the Torah refers to water, it is really referring to Torah. During the summer we are not on our normal routines and it is easy to get de-hydrated, both spiritually and physically, so it is important to make sure to get your fix of “water” everyday. Today’s Jewish mission is a double one, first of all, stay hydrated, physically and keep in mind that by protecting your health you are building a relationship with God and your Judaism, secondly, remember the fifth post way back in the beginning of our journye and remember to learn a little everyday.