I was asked to write a CLD dedicated to the
problems of going to your local gym and why one should NOT feel bad about not exercising
for religious reasons.
Let’s begin:
We know there is a common understanding among
Jews to keep a certain level of Kdusha, purity; which includes controlling the
attraction between you and the opposite sex. For a man and a woman to be
together, the Torah [obviously] urges for a fiery relationship filled with
love, passion and tons of communication. Before and after your wedding night,
one is still commanded even more to keep that Purity by Marriage Laws. This
Purity sticks to one’s soul ONLY with a constant protection of keeping oneself
sexually modest, which means to avoid touching the opposite sex (excluding your
spouse, parents, siblings, and grandparents) and distancing from anything
impure (explicit magazines, videos, music, places of sexual acts, etc).
For all men there is a Mitzvah to guard one’s
eyes. We read it at least twice daily in the third passage of Shema Yisrael: VeLe Taturu Acharei Levavchem VeAcharei
Enechem Asher Atem Zonim Acharehem. “…and you shall not wander after your
hearts and after your eyes after which you are going astray.” (Bamidbar 16:39,
chabad.org). When a guy goes to the local gym, there are woman there not
wearing the most modest clothes. Let’s be honest, even the most
observant-Jew-wannabe will have a very hard time guarding their eyes
from looking at places EVERYONE knows not to look at in regards to Kdusha. So
now we see a clear Mitzvah that shows one should avoid going to the gym. Today
there are many FREE things one can do to avoid going to the gym. There are many
exercises one can do at home, there is your local park that can be used as a
treadmill, there are separate same-sex classes one can go to, and if someone
really follows the Torah with all their heart Hashem will help them do anything
(even something as small as exercising) they are sacrificing for living a life
of Torah. In the end of the day, everything is in the hands of G-d anyway, so
why would it be difficult for Him to help you exercise in an alternate way
rather than going to the local gym?
Now, every Jew has the Mitzvah of VeLiphnei Iver Lo Titen Michshol. “…you
shall not place a stumbling block before a blind person…” (Vayikra 19:14,
chabad.org). This Mitzvah means one should avoid putting an obstacle
(spiritual, physical and any other type of obstacle) in front of his/her fellow
Jew. For example, one should not eat a cheeseburger (at least not publicly)
because then they make it look ‘okay to eat it’ and make the Torah prohibition
of eating non-Kosher ‘light’ in their eyes, like it is not a big deal to go
against the Torah, Hashem Yerachem. So for a woman, obviously dressed
non-modestly, to go to the gym; she is putting a stumbling block in front of a
Jewish man to look at her (even if she does not have the intention of doing
so!!!). We just learned a man cannot look at a woman or else he will follow his
heart’s desires and reach impurity in one way or the other. So, we see that for
both men and women it is prohibited to go to a public place where there is any
type of immodesty.
Be’ezrat Hashem we should all have the
strength from Shamayim (Heaven) to distance ourselves from all impurities and
have the EMUNAH (faith) that Hashem protects and helps the individual who
sacrifices for the Torah’s sake. If one really stops doing something for Hashem
(but really for the sake of not doing a sin, no jokes here), then Hashem will
pay him/her back eventually GUARANTEED. The benefits that one receives from
doing a sin does not match the benefits one receives when following the way of
the Torah.
Hashem did not give us the Torah to suffer, He
gave it to us because the way of the Torah is the most beneficial way to live.
If one avoids going to the gym because he/she does not want to sin, Hashem will
lead these people to succeed in their exercising need in another way. One
should not feel bad about not exercising; rather they should take action and
find all the possibilities of accomplishing something by the Torah’s way and be
PACKED WITH JOY that they have the zchut
(privilege) to choose in Hashem’s way.
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