CJL Wellness Curriculum Introduction

Health and wellbeing have been core values in Jewish texts since the beginning. Whether it is Rabbi Eliezer claiming that your friend’s feelings should be as important as your own or the Rambam (Maimonedes) explaining that the shofar blast is meant to call us into a state of mindful awareness, we see examples of Jewish thinkers citing ideas about mindfulness similar to those of contemporary psychologists, physicians, and spiritual leaders.
In these source sheets, we explore the 7 types of wellness described in the Princeton Wellness Wheel through a Jewish lens. We look at Occupational, spiritual, physical, intellectual, environmental, emotional, and social wellness. It is most important for us to emphasize that we need to balance all of these to live well.
While the task may sound daunting, we luckily have thousands of years of wisdom to draw from. The resources on this web page combine torah and talmud with modern-day physicians and spiritual healers to give a holistic lens into how to live a life of wellness. They have tips, self assessments, and activities to help you in your wellness practice.
Wishing you good health and wellness as you continue on your journey here at Princeton. As always, the CJL staff are here to support you. And we hope this Jewish wisdom will also support you to live a life that prioritizes your own health and wellbeing in addition to the other demands on your energy and time.