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Judaism and Health: Reflections on an Emerging Scholarly Field

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Abstract

This paper surveys the field of Judaism and health. The authors trace the history of discourse on health and healing within Judaism, from the biblical and rabbinic eras to contemporary research and writing on Jewish bioethics, pastoral care, communal services, and aging, including congregational and community programming related to health and illness and the emergence of the Jewish healing movement. The work of the Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health is described, focusing on efforts to unite these various threads into a scholarly field emphasizing basic and applied research on the instrumental functions of Jewish religious life for health and well-being.

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Acknowledgments

The authors’ work on this paper was supported by funding from the John Templeton Foundation (Grant ID # 14644) to Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (PI: Michele F. Prince).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA

    Jeff Levin

  2. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Michele F. Prince

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  1. Jeff Levin
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Correspondence to Jeff Levin.

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Levin, J., Prince, M.F. Judaism and Health: Reflections on an Emerging Scholarly Field. J Relig Health 50, 765–777 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-010-9359-2

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