The Torah

The Torah & Health
Why is there so much sickness and disease?

Have you noticed that the media is constantly talking about sickness, medications, the latest surgical technique, alternatives to the normal medical practice, the cost of insurance for both doctors and patients, pharmaceuticals, healthcare bills, and so on. We are being bombarded with drugs, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, herbs, alternative medications, yet people are still getting sick and dying. This includes both Believers and non-believers. So, what’s the problem?

It has been stated by many that sickness is caused by diet and genetics. Some of this may or may not be true. However, I believe it is because we have turned away from our Creator. We are following the advise, instructions, and ways of those He warned us Believers about–not just in diet, but in all areas of our lives!

Exodus 15:26 And said, If you will diligently hearken to the voice of
the Lord your Elohim (God), and will do that which is
right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments [Instructions],
and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you,
which I have brought upon the Egyptians (pagan, unbelievers):for I am
the Lord that heals you.

LET’S START HERE WITH DIET:
As Believers, what is wrong with our diet?

Have we listened to, agreed with, and chosen to eat what those, who do not follow truth, are selling to us and our families? Are we placing our bodies, the temple of the Living God, into peril by eating man-made, unhealthy, or unclean foods?

Here is what generally makes up the food for the SAD or Standard American Diet.
Check out this list and see if your cupboards and refrigerator are filled with these:

Rice, flour, sugar, shortening, etc., white and void of nutrients.

Little to no bran in our food or diets. Usually all bran and germ have been removed from grains that are ground into flour or made into cereals. When some is re-added to these flours, it is poor quality and nine-times-out-of-ten old or rancid. Grain is basically unhealthy after being ground for three days or more.

Full of inferior oils: Canola, soy (vegetable), corn, margarine, lard, shortening, etc., which have been said to be a major cause of diabetes, heart disease, etc..

Full of sugars - white, brown, confectioners, maltodextrin, corn syrup, man-made sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, etc., which breaks down the immune system and causes or exacerbates disease.

Full of chemicals - a very long list. We can go to the InterNet and find out why they are not good for us. (e.g. nitrates, nitrites, excitotoxins, sodium phosphate, which is now being added to meats & poultry!)

Most of the time good nutrients are taken out in the processing, then poor quality nutrients, chemicals, etc are added to a great percentage of today’s foods.

Today’s foods are usually pre-packaged, genetically modified,
hybridized, chemicalized and highly processed!

Those who manufacture and sell unhealthy food products are not concerned with your health...they are interested in making money.

I call these rascals thieves.
They rob us of our money.
They rob us of our health.
They rob us of our peace of mind (shalom).
When we are diseased, we are in dis-ease.

And the worst part of this is–we are allowing them to do this to us and our families generally without any argument!

So...What does the Owner’s Manual say?

In turning away from our loving Creator, we turned away from His instructions, the Torah, also known as the first five books of the Bible or the Books of Moses. Some call this the "law" and say it has been done away with.

People seem to forget that Yeshua/Jesus, our Creator, was Jewish from birth. He was/is from the tribe of Judah. When He returns, He will be Jewish. He kept the Commandments (all of those that applied to Him). He ate Biblically kosher or clean food (Leviticus 11 & Deuteronomy 14). He kept the Feasts and Holy Days described in the Scriptures (Leviticus 23). He kept the 7^th-day Sabbath (Exodus 20). He was and is and will be God, the Almighty. AND, HE NEVER CHANGES! (Malachi 3:6)

A portion of the instructions in Torah teaches us how to be healthy
and how to eat well.

These Biblically kosher (clean) instructions are there in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 to keep us healthy and obedient–not to deprive us of certain foods. Some of the foods we are instructed not to eat are:

(1) pork
(2) shell fish
(3) improperly slaughtered animals
(4) unclean animals (certain birds, fish, reptiles, insects, etc.)
(5) certain fats of animals
(6) blood of animals

Some of these things are considered to be an abomination to Adonai/the Lord. Furthermore, they were never meant to be eaten by humans. They are garbage cans, septic tanks, waste disposal units--not food!

What is an abomination?

The meaning of the word abomination uses the two most vile words in Hebrew language–shequets and toavah. In English, these would be translated: putrid, vile, detestable, detestable thing, idol, or unclean thing.

If we are obedient to His Commandments/Instructions, we receive a blessing. (Deuteronomy 28)

If we are disobedient to His Commandments/Instructions, we receive a curse. (Deuteronomy 28)

However, let me state right here, we will not receive eternal life from being obedient to the Commandments. These Instructions were never intended to provide eternal life. Salvation is and has always been by grace through faith in Yeshua/Jesus, the Messiah/Savior, His death on the cross through the shedding of His blood for mankind's sin, and His resurrection from the dead. When we believe in Yeshua's work for us as payment for our debt of sin, and we repent of our sin, He comes into our lives through the Holy Spirit (the Ruach haKodesh) and gives us eternal life.

Please note how the following verses about blessings refer to food:

Exo 23:25 And you shall serve the Lord your Elohim (God), and He shall bless your bread, and your water; and I the Lord will take sickness away from the midst of you.

Psa 104:15 And wine that makes the heart of man glad, and oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man's heart.

We must also consider that since the Lord lives within us and we are His temple, we must throw off, turn away from, and repent of sin, especially those things which would destroy the body. Please read the following verses to understand the severity of deliberately damaging the Lord's dwelling place: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:17-18.

Why is it that many people hear Adonai's [the Lord] words and ignore them? It is because they have created their own god---a pick-and-choose god---who permits them to follow any rules, any time, or even make up their own set of instructions. This is not a safe thing to do. It might even be deadly.

Please take the time to read about the actual blessings and curses in Deuteronomy 28:1-68. You will be in for a real surprise and an tremendous education!

So, the question is, "Does God care about what we eat?" Since He created us, I’m sure He had a special plan for keeping our bodies in tiptop shape. And, when we accept Yeshua/Jesus as Savior, He comes into us and allows our bodies to become His home, the "temple" of the Holy Spirit.

Here is a book recommendation which will give you a wonderful insight into Adonai’s plan for us in the area of eating: Holy Cow: Does God Really Care About What We Eat? by Hope Egan. Hope covers such topics as eating meat, science and biblical food laws, being biblically kosher, eating meat and milk together, and more. This book may be purchased from First Fruits of Zion at ffoz.org.

NOW LET'S CONSIDER THE MENTAL OR ATTITUDINAL SIDE OF DISEASE:

Did you know that there are different types of sickness?

There is a sickness unto death
There is a sickness unto chastisement
There is a sickness unto the building up of faith
There is a sickness unto the glory of God

If you are sick, it is a wise idea to determine between you and the Lord through prayer and possibly fasting, which of the above sicknesses you have. In this way, you will be better prepared to adjust your lifestyle to meet the problem(s) ahead. The first thing we always do in our home is to decide which one of these types sickness has overcome a member of the family in order to begin combating it, setting up a plan and asking the Lord's help. He has always been true to His Word and shown us His way.

It is also important to realize that what we think, say, do, eat, inherit (generational curses and genetics) all play a role in sickness. We have recently discovered that excessive exercise can be dangerous for the heart. That unkind, harsh words can cause stress in the one speaking the words and the one receiving them. Yet, speaking blessings can work wonders. We just discussed above how what we eat plays a major role in our lives. And, if we constantly go around thinking "woe is me" or being self-centered, having our own little pity-party, we will not be looking for the bright side, the blessings, of what Yeshua/Jesus has promised in this life.

Doctors and researchers have discovered that anger and bitterness are destructive to the body. According to a very informative book from IBLP.org, titled How To Resolve 7 Deadly Stresses, there are seven stresses which affect the body and cause disease and sometimes death. Just to give you a little hint about how good this book is, here is a list of the 7 deadly stresses and the bodily systems they affect:

ANGER - the cardiovascular system
GUILT - the nervous system
LUST - the endocrine system
BITTERNESS - the digestive system
GREED - the immune system
FEAR - the respiratory system
ENVY - the musculoskeletal system

Attitudes play a major part of stress and we have the power either through ourselves or the Word of God, the Scriptures, to put an end to these destructive devices. Here are a few: selfishness, indifference, covetousness, double-mindedness, slothfulness, judgment, apathy, unbelief, stinginess, murmuring, foolishness, and infidelity. There are many more, but I think you get the picture. If we continue to destroy our bodies through our minds, we will more than likely become diseased and possibly die. The key, call upon the Name of the Lord and ask His help in renewing your mind. (Romans 12:2) Think on good and true things, honest and lovely things. (Philippians 4:8)

AND, LET'S CONSIDER THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF SICKNESS:

If the Lord tells us in His Word to obey and we decide we either don't have to or He didn't really say "that," or it is "old" and out of date, then we are placing ourselves in jeopardy. When the Lord says we are to do something FOREVER, ask yourself when that "forever" ends. Disobedience, especially accompanied with downright rebellion is a sure step in the wrong direction.

Take for example King Asa. He was a righteous king. God was very pleased with him. However, he made a fatal mistake, which cost him his life. King Asa allowed fear (a lack of faith) to come upon him and instead of going to the Lord for help, he turned to other kings in other kingdoms to help him fight off the enemy. When the Lord sent a prophet to the king to correct him and call him to repentance, King Asa refused to hear and threw the prophet in prison. Because he would not repent, God gave Asa a disease in his feet. He died. Why? He refused to repent. That was all he had to do. Stubborn, willful pride did King Asa in. You can read about King Asa in the books of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles. However, there is even something more unique about this story. King Asa sought out the physicians. Guess what? They couldn't help him either. Why? Because this was a spiritual sickness, a sickness unto chastisement.

For many years now, I have watched good men and women push their heels into the ground, fight the Lord and refuse to repent. They all died. This does not have to be. If the Lord shows you that your sickness is from sin, which is basically what you should consider first, then go to Him in sincere repentance. If your sin is not unto death, He will restore your life. I know...He was there for me.

AND WHAT ABOUT OUR THOUGHTS--ARE THEY NEGATIVE?:

    Do you realize that your thought life plays a major role in your health? Thinking negative all day long or even several times during the day can actually cause chemical reactions in the body that allow sickness. I learned about this by paying attention to my thoughts during the day. Suddenly, I felt a check in my spirit from the Holy One.
    It wasn't long before He brought people to me with ideas regarding this process that was attempting to take control of my mind. Folks who are negative thinkers generally have problems in the area of depression, phobias, panic attacks, fatigue, lethargy, exhaustion, insomnia, anxiety, confusion, lack of creativity, headaches including migraine headaches and forgetfulness.
    According to Caroline Leaf, Ph.D., these negative thoughts and emotions actually produce negative responses from our brains, which in turn creates negative health reactions. This can be proven scientifically. (Who Switched Off My Brain?, Dr. Caroline Leaf) If you are sick, check your thought life right away.
    In order to rework my thought process, I had to stay in control of my thoughts and come against them with Scripture. I have found that using 2 Corinthians 10:5, Proverbs 10:24, along with others have been extremely helpful in reversing this.
    Another thing to consider about negativity is that all of these problems with health affect the entire family and could also affect your extended family and close friends. Take this seriously as it does incredible damage to health and relationships.

So, remember this:

If we are obedient to His Commandments/Instructions, we receive a blessing.

If we are disobedient to His Commandments/Instructions, we receive a curse.

It is that simple! And please keep in mind that not all of the Instructions/Commandments pertain to everyone. Our Creator covered many areas of life, but there are wonderful ways to apply these Instructions and receive incredible blessings from our mitzvot (good deeds) of obedience.

However, please remember, you will not receive salvation/eternal life from being obedient to the Commandments/Instructions. Salvation comes by grace through faith, believing and trusting in the Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, who is God the Son. It was His sacrificial payment for us on the "tree," as the Lamb of God, who frees us from sin. When we turn to Him in faith and true repentance (turning away from sin), He hears us and gives us a new life and a new heart. He freed us from the death penalty of Torah, so that we could freely live out a Torah observant life, obeying His commandments.

May your life be filled with blessings from your obedience to Yeshua/Jesus!

Kadimah! (Invoking momentum, strength, resolve and passion)

Kathie Palladino
www.kitchen2.com